Attendance results are out for the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball season. The results aren’t too surprising, but there is good news for the NEC. The conference set a record high in attendance during the 2012 season attracting 1,353 fans per game, an increase of 116 fans per game over last season. Of course the NEC is still 31st amongst the 31 automatic bid conferences, 121 fans per game behind the Big South, but that’s still a solid gain.
Attendance figures for all the schools people might care about:
- Columbia – 1,431 per game
- Fordham – 2,343 per game
- Hofstra – 2,403 per game
- Iona – 2,476 per game
- LIU Brooklyn – 1,052 per game
- Manhattan – 1,577 per game
- St. Francis (NY) – 1,289 per game
- Stony Brook – 1,540 per game
- Wagner – 1,731 per game
It should be noted that Siena led the MAAC in attendance at 6,509 fans per game, which ranked 80th nationally. Central Connecticut and Quinnipiac battled over the top attendance spot in the NEC with 1,967 and 1,954 fans per game respectively. Penn led the Ivy League in attendance at 4,203 fans per game.
That’s because Siena has an arena that accounts for almost half the capacity in the MAAC combined. I’m sure Iona was third in the conference behind Fairfield, no?
On an unrelated note, I’m surprised that Central led the NEC in attendance and not LIU or RMU.
I’m glad for the NEC overall that attendance is steadily increasing. I’ve been to about half of the NEC gyms for LIU conference games and it is always interesting to see how many people are in the stands for what I like to believe are important games. I have harped on the issue of attendance at LIU Brooklyn games for a while especially during this two-year championship run. A team which has been in the top 4 in the nation in scoring for two years running can bearly crack 1000 fans per game in a gym which easily holds 2000-2500 fans. It has annoyed me to no end when the students are away during winter break and attendance takes a visible nosedive for a NEC game in early January. I think the athletic dept. at LIU Brooklyn has tried their best to attract fans to games with promotions and giveaways yet the gym seems half empty most of the time. It is a shame because people have missed watching good, entertaining, quality basketball at LIU the last few years. I did notice more fans at the Wellness Center this season than in past seasons which is a step in the right direction but I feel there should be no less than 1500 fans at every LIU game. It is insane with the relatively small support they get at home that they have the second longest current home win streak after Kentucky with 27 straight. I find it hard to believe and understand how St. Francis (NY) got more fans to go to the tiny Pope Center and average nearly 1300 fans! It is a feat they should be commended for at St. Francis. It is my favorite “road” gym to watch games at in the NEC.
Lost in the NEC attendance hike is that Sacred Heart finished in last place for NEC home attendance. They failed to attract more than 750 fans per game, which is even less than Bryant. Not much Pioneer Pride in Fairfield!
Siena, CCSU and Quinnipiac don’t have to compete with the pro sports mania that occurs in NYC every winter. There’s a lot of competition for attention in the Big Apple. St. Francis (NY) has done a great job in promoting its games and I think that a key element is that folks in Brooklyn Heights are now more aware of an NCAA Div I program right in their own backyard. Since it’s a commuter school, it’s always been tough to attract students back to the campus at night, especially since a good number of those students work part-time. A core group of alumni fans have always been there, but more alumni have returned to the games as Coach Glenn Braica has really changed the atmosphere around the program. Plus, the Terriers play up-tempo team-oriented hoops, which is really entertaining to watch. Although it’s not the big college band/rocking cheer leaders type of experience you get on Remsen Street, it’s a fun, family-oriented event that folks really seem to enjoy — and the Terriers have had a solid home winning record the last couple of years.
monmouth season ticket holder here. i think that the nec does not get enough credit. quality basketball and our MAC arena is an amazing place to take in a game at. #InKingRiceWeTrust
I’ve heard really good things about Monmouth’s facilities. I need to find a way to get down to a game there this season!