In a program designed to improve student attendance at sporting events, Arizona State’s student section, the 942 Crew, have announced that they are introducing a 942 Crew Game of the Week in 2016.
The purpose of this new idea is to raise student attendance for all ASU teams. While some teams do receive strong turnouts at home games, others do not receive as much attention from the student body.
“We are trying to give students an amazing opportunity to support a team that they may not have thought about in the past and we believe this has the potential to become a unique tradition at ASU,” said 942 Crew Executive Board member Joey Palomarez.
The 942 Crew was created four years ago with their original goal being to help the men’s basketball team improve attendance. Most notably, they are also the creators of the Curtain of Distraction.
While one of the main focuses of the organization is still basketball, success within that department has opened the door to new opportunities with additional teams.
“Highlighting a specific game will help bring more attention and support to sports outside of mens basketball and football,“ said 942 Crew Executive Board member Quinton Brown.
One way that the 942 Crew has had success in drawing crowds to games is by marketing. The group passes out flyers around campus multiple times each week that indicate the date, time and possible giveaways for Division-I events being played that week.
“To gain attention, we will be using social media, giveaways and in-game experiences,“ said 942 Crew Advisor and Associate Athletic Director Bill Kennedy.
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While the 942 Crew Game of the Week seems like a surefire plan, the success of this idea is dependent on attendance.
“We are going to bring the focus to sporting events students may not have known they would want to attend and we’re going to create an incredible atmosphere to make it a worthwhile experience,” said Palomarez, “We feel that this will catch on as long as we promote the games well and create a great atmosphere.”
The first 942 Crew Game of the Week will be the women’s soccer match against Loyola Chicago on Friday, August 26 at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium. Kick-off is 7 p.m.