Troy University
Brent Jones is Deputy Athletics Director at Troy University. He recently answered 3 Questions with INFLCR:
1. Troy has set several attendance records in recent years. What has been the key to building that fan base?
“We really try to engage with our students as well as our alums and our current season-ticket holders. We have a different philosophy than some places, where we really try to put our fans first. We want our events to be most exhilarating, the most exciting, the most fan-friendly and the most family-friendly event that there is. We realize sports is a very serious profession with a lot of fans, but it’s also something that can be a form of entertainment, and we really have tried to embrace that and be as creative and dynamic as possible for all of our different constituencies.”
2. What are some of the innovative ways Troy is reaching fans this season?
Last year we set the all-time attendance record for football, which was the second straight year that we’ve been able to break the all-time attendance record. Our football team won the Sun Belt Conference championship this past year, and one of the things we wanted to do is reward our fans. One of the ways we did that was, if our fans purchased or renewed a season ticket, they would actually receive a 2017 Sun Belt Conference replica championship ring. The reason we did that, we wanted to let our fans know how important they are and that they are a championship team just like we are, and to give them something really special and unique. …
“What we’ve done through this year, we wanted to highlight our fans — our students, our season-ticket holders, our donors, our professors, student groups, whatever that is. Each of our games we will take a timeout and we will celebrate and recognize these different groups that make up the Troy Family.”
3. What do victories over programs like LSU and Nebraska mean to your efforts?
It shows everybody the power of Troy Football, the power of Troy Athletics and the power of Troy University. It extended our brand across different parts of the country, especially from an athletics standpoint. When we beat LSU, it was national news. We are in the SEC footprint, we live in the Southeastern United States, all of our fans know about LSU. We had almost 5,000 people at the game, and it was a great, great time to be part of it. I think the national audience really started looking at Troy Football in a different light. We’ve always known how good we were but I think it sort of shocked some people. Then when we go to Nebraska a year later, it was not a shock to anybody. The difference from the previous year is that it really exposed our brand to the Midwest. A lot of LSU fans were familiar with Troy University because we had played them before in a lot of sports. However, from a media perspective, Troy beating Nebraska on national TV really changed the narrative. It showed sustainability and again put us on the map of giant-killers. It doesn’t matter if you are in the G5 or the P5, Troy University, Troy Athletics and Troy Football in particular, day in and day out, is going to be a tough, competitive team every single game that we play.”
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