Free admission to create incentive for boys volleyball
The Cards lines up and shakes hands with the Lawrence North Royals after the game. Southport finished with a win.
April 20, 2017
In recent years, the admission fee for spectators of Men’s Volleyball games was $5. To some people, five dollars may not seem like a lot of money. However, according to head coach Ethan Coffman, many students that wanted to attend were unable to do so because they either could not afford or did not want to pay the fee to get in. Therefore, this year, the admission fee was lifted for SHS students.
“We kind of want a particular culture where the guys feel really good about everybody coming in and screaming and supporting but also making it affordable,” Coffman said. “So, to create some natural incentive we wanted to make it free if possible.”
This is something that sponsor Joe Leonard has been working with for the past few years.
According to Coffman and varsity player junior Londyn Givens, the change has shown improvements in the student section. One of the only times the student section was full was during the Perry Meridian game. However, the games are becoming more crowded and much more cheerful since the change was made, Givens says.
“(Last year) just was not as exciting. It just was not as fun to play because no one was cheering as loud,” Givens said.
Coffman and Givens have noticed how the major differences between the crowd last year and this year, with this year having more seats filled. Coffman states that this was not an easy or quick thing to change. However, it was very worth it from his point of view.
It took time and work from multiple people to make this possible but the administration and the athletic office were on board with the plan, making the process easier.
“So everything fell into place and it was the perfect situation where we could give students a great opportunity to come out and support Southport,” Coffman said.
Coffman says this change was a win-win because students are able to get in free. While creating great culture, the guys on the volleyball team have more fans and they feel the love and support, according to Coffman.