Bro. Askia
New Member
NCCU, A&T tackle turnout for Classic
http://www.nccu.edu/campus/athletics
By Hunter Lewis, The Herald-Sun
July 10, 2004 9:35 pm
http://www.herald-sun.com/sports/nccentral
DURHAM -- Organizers of the 11th annual Aggie-Eagle Football Classic have made some game day changes in an effort to put more fans in the seats when longtime rivals N.C. A&T University and N.C. Central University square off Sept. 5.
Unlike in past years, fans will pay a package price for parking and a ticket to the 4 p.m. football game at Raleigh's Carter-Finley Stadium.
"We love the social atmosphere, the reunions and tailgating," said Joselyn Williams, the classic's event coordinator from the Capital Area Sports Foundation. "That's a big part of what makes the classic the classic. But we found we were missing out on the game. A lot of people weren't coming into the game."
The nonprofit foundation raises money for collegiate athletics at historically black colleges and universities, as well as other institutions on the East Coast.
Williams said alumni have come early the last couple of years, paid $7 to park or $15 to tailgate and skipped the game. Rain has dampened attendance, too, particularly last year, she said.
This year, tickets cost from $40 for the Advanced VIP ticket, which offers covered lower-level seating and VIP parking, to $15 for the Advanced Student ticket for the game and regular parking. Other packages cost $30 and $20. But advanced tickets guarantee a reserved seat, and game day tickets cost $5 more with seating limited to general admission.
"It's not a whole lot different," Williams said. "We look at it almost like a cover charge. There are a lot of activities going on, and a football ticket to boot."
The goal of the classic is to raise scholarship dollars for each team's athletics department. Last year, NCCU and N.C. A&T each pulled in $112,500, and the 2004 Aggie-Eagle Classic is expected to bring in about $125,000 for each, Williams said.
The budget for NCCU's athletics department was $2.2 million in fiscal 2003, said Kyle Serba, NCCU sports information director.
Held during the weekend of Sept. 3-5, the Aggie-Eagle Classic features everything from a golf tournament and parade of bands to a step show and jazz concert leading up to the big game.
http://www.aggie-eagle.com
"It's a big deal," Serba said of the rivalry that is about 80 years old. "A lot of couples are made up of Eagle and Aggie graduates, so they've been waiting all year for bragging rights."
URL for this article:
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-499595.html
http://www.nccu.edu/campus/athletics
By Hunter Lewis, The Herald-Sun
July 10, 2004 9:35 pm
http://www.herald-sun.com/sports/nccentral
DURHAM -- Organizers of the 11th annual Aggie-Eagle Football Classic have made some game day changes in an effort to put more fans in the seats when longtime rivals N.C. A&T University and N.C. Central University square off Sept. 5.
Unlike in past years, fans will pay a package price for parking and a ticket to the 4 p.m. football game at Raleigh's Carter-Finley Stadium.
"We love the social atmosphere, the reunions and tailgating," said Joselyn Williams, the classic's event coordinator from the Capital Area Sports Foundation. "That's a big part of what makes the classic the classic. But we found we were missing out on the game. A lot of people weren't coming into the game."
The nonprofit foundation raises money for collegiate athletics at historically black colleges and universities, as well as other institutions on the East Coast.
Williams said alumni have come early the last couple of years, paid $7 to park or $15 to tailgate and skipped the game. Rain has dampened attendance, too, particularly last year, she said.
This year, tickets cost from $40 for the Advanced VIP ticket, which offers covered lower-level seating and VIP parking, to $15 for the Advanced Student ticket for the game and regular parking. Other packages cost $30 and $20. But advanced tickets guarantee a reserved seat, and game day tickets cost $5 more with seating limited to general admission.
"It's not a whole lot different," Williams said. "We look at it almost like a cover charge. There are a lot of activities going on, and a football ticket to boot."
The goal of the classic is to raise scholarship dollars for each team's athletics department. Last year, NCCU and N.C. A&T each pulled in $112,500, and the 2004 Aggie-Eagle Classic is expected to bring in about $125,000 for each, Williams said.
The budget for NCCU's athletics department was $2.2 million in fiscal 2003, said Kyle Serba, NCCU sports information director.
Held during the weekend of Sept. 3-5, the Aggie-Eagle Classic features everything from a golf tournament and parade of bands to a step show and jazz concert leading up to the big game.
http://www.aggie-eagle.com
"It's a big deal," Serba said of the rivalry that is about 80 years old. "A lot of couples are made up of Eagle and Aggie graduates, so they've been waiting all year for bragging rights."
URL for this article:
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-499595.html