According to a survey released today, NCAA athletic directors (ADs) are increasingly focused on enhancing athletic facilities to attract top student athletes and maintain or grow their fan base amidst an extremely competitive environment.
The Trends in Collegiate Athletics survey, conducted by AECOM and Ohio University's Center for Sports Administration, was completed in July-August 2014. The survey gauged the sentiment of 136 ADs from all three major NCAA divisions, including over 60% from Division I conferences, on topics related to venues, facilities, and student-athlete and fan experience.
According to the survey, more than eight in 10 participating ADs plan to make significant investments in facilities over the next five years to target potential recruits and spectators. Of those, one in five plans on spending more than $50 million on renovations and new construction projects. Nearly 95% of ADs are concerned about the funding of their programs.
The majority of participating ADs are investing in upgrades and amenities that they believe will drive game-day attendance and enhance the fan experience, notably connectivity, better food and beverage options, and, particularly at the Division I level, premium seating.
“This survey shows that, as traditional funding streams become less viable, ADs are increasingly focused on fiscal responsibility and making their programs sustainable,” said Jon Niemuth, AECOM Director of Sports, Americas. “One way they are doing this is by investing in upscale amenities, once reserved for the professional level, that will attract fans willing to pay a premium for a unique game day experience.”
“A big issue keeping athletic directors up at night is the funding and performance of their programs,” said Dr. Heather Lawrence-Benedict, Associate Professor of Sports Administration and the AECOM Professor of Sport Business, Ohio University. “ADs are caught in a cyclical pattern—to generate funding they need talented recruits, to attract recruits they need the top facilities, and to build those facilities it goes back to funding. On top of this, they need to appeal to alumni and donors. An unexpected donation, a breakout athlete or a Cinderella season can all be major catalysts for an athletics program.”
To help generate awareness for their upgrades and promote games and game-day activities, the vast majority of ADs (96%) in the study find social media to be an effective marketing tool for drawing fans or first-time visitors to games. That compares to 59% who view paid advertising as effective. Lowering ticket costs was ranked as the least effective option to draw fans by one-third of participating ADs.
ADs are also focused on facility upgrades that will enhance the student athlete experience, and ADs overwhelmingly agree that practice and training facilities are a primary force that attracts recruits, while academic, housing and dining facilities are also rapidly becoming important. If funding was not a factor, ADs would invest heavily in practice and training facilities and locker rooms to appeal to potential recruits.
AECOM and Ohio University’s Center for Sports Administration developed the Trends in Collegiate Athletics through a collaborative effort as part of their ongoing strategic partnership, which began in 2007. The joint effort, which was extended for the third time in 2013, is aimed at educating the next generation of sports business leaders.
To view the full results of the survey, click here.
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Mar 6, 2023
Benefitting kids through human-centric high school design
Ingrid Krueger, AIA, LEED AP, shares why empathetic, well-designed spaces are critical in high schools.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 5, 2023
Pittsburgh offers funds for office-to-residential conversions
The City of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment agency is accepting applications for funding from developers on projects to convert office buildings into affordable housing. The city’s goals are to improve downtown vitality, make better use of underutilized and vacant commercial office space, and alleviate a housing shortage.
Student Housing | Mar 5, 2023
Calif. governor Gavin Newsom seeks to reform environmental law used to block student housing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says was weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Windows and Doors | Mar 5, 2023
2022 North American Fenestration Standard released
The 2022 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights” (NAFS) has been published. The updated 2022 standard replaces the 2017 edition, part of a continued evolution of the standard to improve harmonization across North America, according to a news release.
AEC Innovators | Mar 3, 2023
Meet BD+C's 2023 AEC Innovators
More than ever, AEC firms and their suppliers are wedding innovation with corporate responsibility. How they are addressing climate change usually gets the headlines. But as the following articles in our AEC Innovators package chronicle, companies are attempting to make an impact as well on the integrity of their supply chains, the reduction of construction waste, and answering calls for more affordable housing and homeless shelters. As often as not, these companies are partnering with municipalities and nonprofit interest groups to help guide their production.
Modular Building | Mar 3, 2023
Pallet Shelter is fighting homelessness, one person and modular pod at a time
Everett, Wash.-based Pallet Inc. helped the City of Burlington, Vt., turn a municipal parking lot into an emergency shelter community, complete with 30 modular “sleeping cabins” for the homeless.
Codes | Mar 2, 2023
Biden Administration’s proposed building materials rules increase domestic requirements
The Biden Administration’s proposal on building materials rules used on federal construction and federally funded state and local buildings would significantly boost the made-in-America mandate. In the past, products could qualify as domestically made if at least 55% of the value of their components were from the U.S.
Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023
Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers
Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.