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So how's the attendance looking for the Girls State Tournament? Was the place empty? What was the announced attendance for the evening session on Thursday for the big school tournament?

Attendance:2736

This was the evening total

venue seats 18,064

you do the math...

And what's capacity at Ridder?

what does the mshsl pay for rent on the X for the girls,I dont see any profit here,im sure the boys make up for the lose though

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/15723287.html

The high school league pays a flat rental fee for each tournament, plus an additional amount (called a facility fee) for every ticket sold. The facility fee is $2 per ticket at Xcel, but may increase to $2.50 at Xcel beginning in 2011.

Here is the cost listed in the Trib but not itemized

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/15723277.html
Girls' hockey

2004 at Ridder Arena

2005 at Ridder Arena

2006 $95,178

2007 $130,043

2008 TBA

2009 $148,070

2010 $153,070

2011 $166,377

2012 $171,338

2013 $176, 338

The place looked like a sea of green with a flecks of red. I have been at every tournament since Aldrich and it is 0 atmosphere in the X. The second game EP vs. ER looked so slow and the crowd seemed so quiet.

Section games in the smaller arenas had much more excitement and I think the players feed off that.

Go to a smaller venue if you want the kids feel the energy of the tournament. Isn't that what the tournament is all about.

http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/showstudent. ... inutes.htm

Item #15. Approved five-year state (2009-2013) tournament site contracts
Xcel Energy Center Girls Hockey
University of Minnesota Girls Hockey Consolation

The contract with the X has been renewed so that is where it is. Time to increase the fan base!

SportsMa wrote:http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/15723287.html

The high school league pays a flat rental fee for each tournament, plus an additional amount (called a facility fee) for every ticket sold. The facility fee is $2 per ticket at Xcel, but may increase to $2.50 at Xcel beginning in 2011.

Here is the cost listed in the Trib but not itemized

http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/15723277.html
Girls' hockey

2004 at Ridder Arena

2005 at Ridder Arena

2006 $95,178

2007 $130,043

2008 TBA

2009 $148,070

2010 $153,070

2011 $166,377

2012 $171,338

2013 $176, 338

Greta info Thanks now I know

chickendance wrote:Attendance:2736

This was the evening total

venue seats 18,064

you do the math...

There where more at the baudette bay classic and it -25 below outside

HEY Eden Prairie! You have about 3,000 kids at that school and a Very Large community. Where the heck are your fans? South Saint Paul took up almost 3 sections in their first game and their school size isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to yours. A top team in the state with almost zero fan support. I don't get it. I think Mariucci is the best choice. Big enough to support growth but small enough so you don't feel like you are in a different part of the universe. Ridder is great for the full feeling but man it's hard to get a seat if you are running late. Maybe Ridder with reserved seating. I spoke to some of the girls who have played at the X and they said that they barely know there are even fans there. I like the space and the comfort, but the atmosphere advocates have a great point.

For Reference:

Ridder's seating capacity is 3,400, including a club room with 210 seats and 9 suites
Houses 11 locker rooms
Ice sheet size is 200' x 85'

Mariucci Arena is 10,000 seating capacity with 18 suites and club room
Houses 8 locker rooms
Ice sheet is 200 x 100 feet (Olympic-sized)

Although this is all discussion as there is a contract inked with the X so the focus should be on increasing fan base which seems to be a challenge in women's hockey, HS and college.

The fan base will not increase too rapidly. Too many other venues to spend your dollar. Other sports are in the playoff season now, and as one mentioned, the atmosphere at sectional play is much more electifying than watching the girls at the X.

The problem is the parents that think, oh the boys play there so if my daughters team ever makles it she should play there. I have been at the fairgrounds and that was to big but had a neat feeling for the players. The section games that were at BIG this season were great alot of people and great atmosphere. Parents should stop, and enjoy watching the games it is about the players not what daddy or mommy think. This experience is for the girls and what they think is important. I was there Thursday and thought how much better it would have been at the U.They should be at ridder for now and then move next door if the crowd gets bigger and then maybe some day at the X but not now!
Parents put your stop watches down for seeing if suzie gets enough ice time and let the girls play

It is what it is, a nice venue for everything except what you’re there for, playoff atmosphere hockey. Who knows for sure what was the deciding factor in having it at the X, but IMO it’s just not what it could be. I’m sure like with most issues the self interest of a few … you know. As far as attendance goes, again it is what it is. I’m sure the inconvenience and expense that goes with getting to the X is a factor, but then again attend a Gopher game; there just is not huge fan base for women’s hockey to date. As far as the State Tournament, it appears to me that each game’s total attendance is tied to each team’s fan attendees. After each game is complete, both teams’ supporters clear out. There does not appear to be a lot of carry over from game to game. I can understand change over from session to session but not game to game. Why didn’t the CDH and BSM fans stay? Or why didn’t the EP or ER fans come early? (etc..etc..) If the targeted audience doesn’t support it unless it’s their own team then how do you expect attendance to ever increase? During the game change over there can’t be more 1000 extra spectators, mostly high school coaches who probably received free tickets. Here’s an idea, with as many open seats available wouldn’t make sense to supply each varsity hockey participant in the state a free tickets. You see a smattering of teams here and there, but not large numbers. Just a thought.

For a bit of context, the NCAA women's championship games typically hover around 3,000.

I like the idea about distributing tickets to other players; would increase parking and concession revenue, with some parents tagging along for a few more ticket sales. Would probably need a sponsor though to make it work.

hockeyheaven wrote:Here’s an idea, with as many open seats available wouldn’t make sense to supply each varsity hockey participant in the state a free tickets.

Plus you would sell a lot in concessions. Get them in there and they will spend money. Plus it would boost business around the X if these girls come from the north country to spend money on hotels and restaurants.

Artificial fanbase does not solve the problem.

IF people wanted to be there, they would.

As usual, a low blow from HipCheck. I think you miss the point. This type of thing has the ability to create a foundation of interest for these players, as it did for me. As player in the 70’s our team was given free tickets each year (I assumed they came from MSHSL) and we utilized them. It created an entitlement for us and the school administrators treated it like a privilege and honored our absence. My teammates’ and I got hotel rooms, made a weekend out of it, fond memories. Maybe that’s why I have the Boys tickets to this day. The interest has to start somewhere.

We can all thank Cloquet for the everything but electric atmosphere at the X...let's get this thing back at Ridder.

mnhcky23 wrote:We can all thank Cloquet for the everything but electric atmosphere at the X.

Explain? Is this the town that the mother complained from?

I'm assuming all of you guys complaining about filling the X are all parents...have you ever thought of what it means for the players to play there...personally when i'm playing, i don't hear the fans i don't even look at the fans...i'm focused on the game...but it really means a lot to play in the X and it's very well deserved

Cabela10 wrote:

mnhcky23 wrote:We can all thank Cloquet for the everything but electric atmosphere at the X.

Explain? Is this the town that the mother complained from?

A few Cloquet players and parents complained a few years back, citing title IX. The thing is, is that Ridder is to the girls as the X is to the boys. It seems fair to a lot of people, I would bet to most people, except for a select few. And Cloquet didn't even make it to state the year they complained.

It should be about atmosphere and what the teams prefer. Couldn't some type of questionnaire have been sent to coaches and their teams to get feedback on possibly moving venues?

I don't remember who it was but someone else said earlier that you should start at Ridder and, as fans increase, move to Mariucci, THEN to the X. Makes sense, good idea.

You don't learn how to ride a bike without training wheels first.

Perhaps the pro-atmosphere fans should bring some type of grievance or suit based on the fact that the players and fans are being deprived of the proper State Tournament atmosphere that we are entitled to. We girls hockey fans are not receivng near the atmosphere that the boys get. A step would be to play at Ridder. OF course the five year agreement eliminates that possibility. It would be so refreshing if just one time, the powers at be would at least try to allow common sense carry the day. But I suppose they were afraid of waging an expensive legal battle. Too bad.

Watch/go to the class A boys tournament...the # of fans there is comparable to what the girls are drawing. They get more but the #'s are not that far off.

Should they move the boys class A tournament to mariucci or ridder until they get more fans?

pickme wrote:Watch/go to the class A boys tournament...the # of fans there is comparable to what the girls are drawing. They get more but the #'s are not that far off.

Should they move the boys class A tournament to mariucci or ridder until they get more fans?

Your kidding right? During the Semi's of the boys class A, they fill the bottom bowl and some way up top in the student sections from non-competing schools. The boys class A doubled what the girls got, even more.

The boys state tournament started at a small venue and stayed there for a while. Why can't the girls do this also.

1945 -- First MSHSL Boys State High School Hockey Tournament (the first of its kind in the United States) held at St. Paul Auditorium.
1969 -- The tournament moves to Met Center in Bloomington.

That's 24 years before they moved to a big venue to host the state tournament. How long has the girls been playing hockey? Since around 1995 or so.

The Roy Wilkins Auditorium(st. paul auditorium), is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in St. Paul, Minnesota