FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

As stated earlier regarding the football attendance numbers, I would assume the figures for each game are estimates by the SID. Though, I'd be surprised if someone confused 200 for over 1,100... and I'm not sure why they would intentionally fudge the numbers.

I'm not sure why people do, but they do.

[speedy]

The hockey numbers for Williams are not correct. Williams. although it has a long hockey history, does not support its hockey team. Attendance runs about 200 a game and sometimes falls well below that level . .

Here's the NCAA link where I got the information from.

http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/ice_hockey/m_w_ice_hockey_records_book/2007/2007_m_w_ice_hockey_records.pdf

(You need to click the "Men's Attendance" tab on the left then scroll to "DIII Average Home Attendance"

As stated earlier regarding the football attendance numbers, I would assume the figures for each game are estimates by the SID. Though, I'd be surprised if someone confused 200 for over 1,100... and I'm not sure why they would intentionally fudge the numbers.

I don't know where those numbers come from but they're all messed up.

After every D3 hockey game is played, the boxscore is uploaded by the school to collegehockeystats.net. Each boxscore contains the attendance numbers so you can go to collegehockeystats and calculate annual attendance for each team.

For Williams, the total attendance in 2006-07 was 1,903 (11 games), for an average attendance of 173. This was a bit of a down year for Williams plus the Amherest and Middlebury hockey games wre away so numbers would be suppressed. But Williams is a basketball school anyway rather than a hockey school so hockey numbers will never be very high.

Also the Bowdoin numbers are wrong too - total attendance this past year was 16,541 (12 games), for an average attendance of 1,378.

[Trin9-0]

Speedy:

Not sure why the attendance figures are so drastically different. I took the numbers directly from the NCAA website and used the 2006/2007 season. I can only assume that the SID for each school reports the attendance figures to the NCAA (which I hope would be a credible source, though I suppose you never can tell with them).

Do you know who provides the attendance numbers for collegehockeystats.net?


Sorry for turning this into a D3hockey discussion. Is it September yet? 

[speedy]

Speedy:

Not sure why the attendance figures are so drastically different. I took the numbers directly from the NCAA website and used the 2006/2007 season. I can only assume that the SID for each school reports the attendance figures to the NCAA (which I hope would be a credible source, though I suppose you never can tell with them).

Do you know who provides the attendance numbers for collegehockeystats.net?


Sorry for turning this into a D3hockey discussion. Is it September yet? 

The attendance numbers from collegehockeystats.net are the official numbers - they come from the SID for each school too!! My guess is that whoever assembled the long of attendance figures, jumbled some of the numbers. I'm a huge NESCAC hockey fan, and I'm dead certain that the collegehockeystats.net attendance numbers are correct for both Williams and Bowdoin.

Trin-8-0, we're not completely off-topic here as the conversation did begin with how some of the NESCAC schools are hockey schools and favor hockey over football!! That would be 100% true for both Middlebury and Bowdoin and would explain why football games are less of a social event at the two schools than at some of the other NESCACs .

[Trin9-0]

speedy: Would you agree that the traditinoal NESCAC hockey schools get a better student turnout for their games than for football? I would assume, aside from the player's families, that students would make up the majority of the attendance because of how far places like Midd/Bow etc. are to most alumni. Also, it's always more fun to watch your team win.

Also, I'm curious as to whether or not NESCAC schools who aren't in an urban setting (so basically everyone besides Trinity, Tufts and possibly Amherst because of their proximity to UMass Amherst) get much fan attendance at football games from local residents.

I imagine there isn't much else to do in places like Waterville, Lewiston, Brunkswick, Williamstown, Middlebury, Middletown & Clinton. Do the locals have any sense of connection with the schools? I know that is certainly not the case with Trinity.

[Col. Partridge]

Compared to most of the other locales, I would include Middletown in the "urban" camp (i.e., closest to New York, not really out in the sticks).   There is a small contingent of locals who go to the Wes football games, talk about undefeated teams from decades ago, listen in on the radio, etc.  They have more of a connection to the football team than they do to the school per se, as they tend to be war vets who don't care for the politics of most of the students.

I assume the Bowdoin and Middlebury hockey teams have a following among the townsfolk.  In CT, a lot of blue-collar types with no connection to Yale love Yale hockey, which sells out most games.

[frank uible]

Williamstown and environs locals, many of whom are Williams alums, support the football team well for games both home and away, including attendance at weekly football luncheons in Williamstown during season and an end of the season banquet, luncheons and banquet being sponsored by the Williams Sideline Quarterback Club, an organization independent of the College.

[speedy]

Community support for the hockey team is strong at both Bowdoin and Middlebury. I don't know about Middlebury football but I do know that Bowdoin football does not draw well in terms of support from Brunswickians. I suspect that this phenomenon has more to do with the lack of a winning record than a lack of community interest in Bowdoin sports. The townspeople tend to follow whatever Bowdoin team is doing well. Hence women's basketball at Bowdoin is hugely popular with the townspeople, drawing an average of something like 1100 or 1200 fans a game.

I would say at the student level, there is more interest in both hockey and women's basketball than in football. A fair number of students to do show up at football games but they tend to arrive late and to not pay close attention to the game - it seems more like a Saturday afternoon social event than a sports event.

[labart96]

TGP would think that any indoor sport would receive a better following in Maine.  It starts getting cold up there a lot sooner than it does elsewhere in the NESCAC.

[speedy]

TGP would think that any indoor sport would receive a better following in Maine.  It starts getting cold up there a lot sooner than it does elsewhere in the NESCAC.

Very true - and those November football game are often played in the worst environment possible (cold nasty rain).

[labart96]

TGP would think that any indoor sport would receive a better following in Maine.  It starts getting cold up there a lot sooner than it does elsewhere in the NESCAC.

Very true - and those November football game are often played in the worst environment possible (cold nasty rain).

Sounds like good old Geneva!  We didn't call the Boz a quagmire for nothing.

[BTEXPRESS]

I would think with only four home games if you run into nasty weather for a few of them, the overall attendence figures would be greatly affected for all the Maine schools. I guess the key is to hope for a nice day for the big rival games.I would guess this is true throughout the whole conference.

[frank uible]

Because of the moderating influence of the Ocean the 3 Maine colleges are likely to have warmer weather in the fall than many of the other NESCAC colleges.

[union89]

Because of the moderating influence of the Ocean the 3 Maine colleges are likely to have warmer weather in the fall than many of the other NESCAC colleges.

Not busting chops here, but.....is this a serious post?

[PBR...]

he is actually correct if the schools are within 30 miles of the coast as the ocean really doesnt cool off until end of dec. or jan. perfect example is look at all the times it rains in atlantic city nj and miles inland but by the time the moisture gets to PA it snows as the air has time to cool and freeze the moisture. AC is always warmer than philly in the winter since its on the water and water retains it heat. weather that affects attendance or not well....