After the bitter taste homecoming issues left in the mouths of some Southern University supports, the SU football team and staff are hoping it does not affect the support they will receive during the team’s next home game.
The Jaguars take on Prairie View A&M at A.W. Mumford Stadium today in a nationally-televised game on ESPNU. Tickets for certain sections are available on a 2-for-1 basis while faculty and staff may purchase tickets for $11 dollars each.
“The biggest problem we are going to have is rain. We would like to have the crowd as big as we can because the game is going to be on ESPNU,” Chancellor Kofi Lomotey said. “We had to do a Thursday’s game because of a contract SWAC has with ESPN. Each team has to play one Thursday night ESPNU game. It’s a five-year agreement, that we’d put it off a few years, from my understanding. This was our last year to do this.”
In an effort to rectify the mishaps of Saturday’s homecoming game—which included fans that were turned away due to lack of parking spaces—officials are now offering those individuals to exchange their unused tickets for a Bayou Classic ticket.
The exchange must be made by Oct. 30, or the purchaser will forfeit the offered ticket.
”The people who had parking passes and didn’t get to come in, we are going to reimburse them for one-fifth of the value of their parking pass, which is equivalent to one game. We’re going to allow them to exchange their unused tickets for Bayou Classic tickets,” Lomotey said.
Athletics Director Greg LeFleur estimated 400 tickets have been sold for Thursday game, in addition to the 5,700 season pass tickets already purchased by Jaguar supporters while last weeks game had over 24,000 people in attendance.
Tickets for Thursday’s game have been on sale since September. Officials are hoping that at least 10,000 fans attend the game to demonstrate the mass of support Southern has from students, alumni, and other loyal supporters.
“I wish our fans would understand how critical it is that we have a good turn out tomorrow because the game’s on national television and you want to do all you can so that you can represent Southern in a positive light,” LeFleur said. “If you are on national television and the stands are empty it makes a bad statement about your school and the support we’re getting in athletics.”
As a result of Thursday’s game fall break was delayed a week, in an effort to have enough parking areas for fans on game day. The results of the game will have a huge influence on the turnout of the remainder of the season. Fans attending the game will see players on the team wearing pink shoelaces and sweatbands in recognition of breast cancer awareness month.
” This game means everything for this football season. We are in a do or die situation, in terms of winning the championship. This game will determine whether we have a chance at the championship or not. We can control our own destinies if we win this game.” LeFleur said.
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Officials prepare for PV game
October 21, 2009
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