Back Row (L-R)–Kyle Coffman, Joey Bailey, Dan Aran, Jason Hogsett, Scott Baum, Sean Ferrera, Chelsey Brown, Jana Morrison, Alyssa Slayton, Megan Lawrence, Alex Denson, Kendall Mayer, Joe Washington
Front Row (L-R)–McK Williams, Tim Statezni, Matt Schaeperkoetter, Anthony Rimoli, Peter Bucci, Paul Gugliucci, Tracy Branstetter
Sports are more often than not a team game. A group of athletes and coaches working towards a common goal, the same holds true in collegiate athletic departments. Just as everyone on the field has a job to do, so do the staff working behind the scenes to raise money, sell tickets, or make sure an ambitious stadium expansion stays on time and on budget. That “team behind the team” is something Oklahoma Senior Associate AD Michael Alford know’s he and the Sooners could not have pulled off the massive renovation to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium without.
So it was no surprise to Alford, that Oklahoma opened up its 2016 home campaign against Louisiana-Monroe, on time in an updated and remodeled Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The $160 million project included an overhaul of the stadium’s south side. To make it happen Alford knew he would need help. Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione allowed Alford to put together a staff dedicated to the project. The staff was composed of a mix of Oklahoma employees as well as outside staffers Alford brought in from Legends, who played a key role in the project. Alford called his group the “best-assembled staff ever. A bunch of people who chase the lion – not run away from it.” Oklahoma added 66 loge boxes, 20 suites, and two large party suites along with roughly 1800 new club seats. A new 7806 square foot scoreboard was also added, along with a new sound system throughout the entire facility.
The project was roughly 20 months in the making according to Alford. With a majority of the behind the scenes work taking place before construction began. The decision to go ahead with the project was made after Oklahoma determined there was a need to add additional premium, club level seating.
“We tried to make it a destination,” said Alford, adding “each club has a unique personality.”
Lost in the stadium upgrades is the fact that OU also updated the student-athlete experience. Something that was important to the Oklahoma administration and Sooner fans. In addition to the premium seating upgrades, Oklahoma overhauled the locker room, weight room, training room, equipment room, and coaches’ offices. “Those type things were just as important for the project to be successful,” said Sooner Assistant AD McK Williams.
Williams is part of Alford’s staff. The group solely dedicated to keeping the project on track and seeing that all details were covered with donors. “What we’ve accomplished in 20-months, I tip my hat to my staff, ” Alford said. The staff tracked and recorded over 100,000 phone calls related to the project, held over 5,000 in person appointments, and more than 700 web appointments with fans and season ticket holders.
*Per day estimates based on 260 working days per year.
In addition to allowing Alford to have a dedicated team, Castiglione also mandated that team use a personal touch when dealing with donors and season ticket holders.
“Joe’s main goal was to make sure that we took care of people, that we sat down face-to-face and that became our mission.”
In order to meet that mission, the team did not mail out any literature or brochures, they instead called season ticket holders and invited them to come and see firsthand what the new Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium would look like and see exactly what they were paying for. To provide this personal meeting, Oklahoma created a preview center. Castiglione and Alford each felt this touch allowed them to connect with the fan base and sell them on the future of Oklahoma football and the stadium.
The center, which was built for this project, took fans on a journey through the history or Sooner football while also providing a glimpse into the future. It allowed fans to experience what a new loge box or suite seat would be like. Alford also noted the addition of new premium seating gave the fan base the ability to move around and experience the stadium from a new seat. Something that doesn’t happen very often when season tickets are renewed at a 96% rate as they are at Oklahoma.
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When it did come time to make the sell, the Oklahoma staff took another unique approach. At first Oklahoma offered only suites for sale, then opened the loge boxes for sale, and finally put the club seats on the market. All of the suites and loge boxes feature an open air set up, allowing ticket holders to get an outdoor stadium feel while having the ability to move back into the air condition if needed. The suites can hold 18 people while the loge boxes can seat anywhere from 4-8 people and each is also equipped with TVs and other amenities. Loge box seats were sold in pairs only and each the loge boxes and suites required a 3,5, 7, or 10-year commitment.
In addition to the construction projects and reseating of fans, Alford and his staff also embarked on Oklahoma’s ‘One in Progress’ project. ‘One In Progress’ will change the donation levels required for Sooner fans sitting in the lower bowl section of the stadium. The changes are an effort to reduce inequity some fans were experiencing in the donation level required. As part of the plan, by 2018 each section in the lower bowl will have its own price, where all fans within each respective section will pay the same rate.
Currently, Oklahoma’s south side premium seating sits at 99% capacity. A feat Alford not only credits his staff with but the people of Oklahoma. “We did this is in one of the worst economies, which really speaks to our fan base and the loyalty and love they have for the university and program”, Alford said, adding “they were willing to step up at this time.”
The decision by Oklahoma to add additional premium seating continues a trend across college football. Athletic departments are increasingly turning to this model as a way to bring an enhanced experience to game day as departments fight attendance issues. Oklahoma has already begun planning premium upgrades to the west side of the stadium. But no timetable has been set for construction or completion.
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