Case Analysis: Ec Stadium
EC STADIUM
The Excelsior College (EC), a private college in Albany, New York enrolls close to 20,000 students. The school is a dominant force in the small city, with more students during the fall and spring then permanent residents.
Always a football powerhouse, EC is usually in the top 20 in the college football rankings. Since hiring the legendary Bo Pitterno as its head coach in 2001, attendance at the five Saturday home games each year increased. Prior to Pitterno's arrival, attendance generally averaged 25,000 to 29,000 per game. Season tickets sales bumped up by 10,000 just with the announcement of the new coach's arrival. Albany and EC were ready to move to the big time!
The immediate issue facing EC, however, was not NCAA ranking. It was capacity. The existing EC stadium, built in 1953, has seating for 54,000 fans. The following table indicates attendance at each game for the past 6 years. The data is also found in the file EC Data.xlss.
One of Pitterno's demands upon joining EC had been a stadium expansion, or possibly even a new stadium. With attendance increasing, EC administration began to fact the issue head-on. Pitterno had wanted dormitories solely for his athletes in the stadium as an additional feature of any expansion.
EC's president, Dr. Joel Wisner, decided it was time for his vice president of development to forecast when the existing stadium would "max out." The expansion was, in hid mind, a given. But, Wisner needed to know how long he could wait. He also sought a revenue projection, assuming an average tick price of $20 in 2008 and a 5% increase each year in future prices. 2002 2003
Game Attendance Opponent Game Attendance Opponent
1 34,200 Baylor 1 36,100 Oklahoma
2* 39,800 Texas 2* 40,200 Nebraska
3** 26,900 LSU 3** 25,300 UCLA
4 38,200 Arkansas 4 39,100 Nevada
5 35,100 USC 5 36,200 Ohio State
2004 2005
Game Attendance Opponent Game Attendance Opponent
1 35,900 TCU 1
The Excelsior College (EC), a private college in Albany, New York enrolls close to 20,000 students. The school is a dominant force in the small city, with more students during the fall and spring then permanent residents.
Always a football powerhouse, EC is usually in the top 20 in the college football rankings. Since hiring the legendary Bo Pitterno as its head coach in 2001, attendance at the five Saturday home games each year increased. Prior to Pitterno's arrival, attendance generally averaged 25,000 to 29,000 per game. Season tickets sales bumped up by 10,000 just with the announcement of the new coach's arrival. Albany and EC were ready to move to the big time!
The immediate issue facing EC, however, was not NCAA ranking. It was capacity. The existing EC stadium, built in 1953, has seating for 54,000 fans. The following table indicates attendance at each game for the past 6 years. The data is also found in the file EC Data.xlss.
One of Pitterno's demands upon joining EC had been a stadium expansion, or possibly even a new stadium. With attendance increasing, EC administration began to fact the issue head-on. Pitterno had wanted dormitories solely for his athletes in the stadium as an additional feature of any expansion.
EC's president, Dr. Joel Wisner, decided it was time for his vice president of development to forecast when the existing stadium would "max out." The expansion was, in hid mind, a given. But, Wisner needed to know how long he could wait. He also sought a revenue projection, assuming an average tick price of $20 in 2008 and a 5% increase each year in future prices. 2002 2003
Game Attendance Opponent Game Attendance Opponent
1 34,200 Baylor 1 36,100 Oklahoma
2* 39,800 Texas 2* 40,200 Nebraska
3** 26,900 LSU 3** 25,300 UCLA
4 38,200 Arkansas 4 39,100 Nevada
5 35,100 USC 5 36,200 Ohio State
2004 2005
Game Attendance Opponent Game Attendance Opponent
1 35,900 TCU 1