Ball State University athletics is targeting students with promotions and free items, in an attempt to entice them to come to the football team's home opener Thursday.
The athletic staff and its corporate sponsors will be giving away free food, mini footballs and other merchandise starting today to promote the 7:30 p.m. matchup against Eastern Michigan University.
"We want the students to show up en masse," Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins said. "We want the students to enjoy the game and we want the students to help us have home-field advantage. We want the student body to embrace this team. It's not my team. It's the student body's team."
Collins said in order for this season to be a success, the student body will have to support the football team. The team and athletic staff are looking for a strong showing in attendance and crowd participation from the student section this year, and to achieve this there will be activities this week to get the students excited about Thursday's game.
From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. today and Wednesday, an athletics tent will be set up by Frog Baby and Arby's will give away about 500 free roast beef sandwiches both days. In addition to receiving free food, fans will be greeted by members of the administrative staff.
At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Arby's Tailgate Town will open and provide fans with pre-game excitement and gifts. Arby's Tailgate Town will feature a 20-foot by 20-foot stage with live music from The Souled Out Band at 5:30 p.m. Representatives from Arby's, Verizon Wireless, MITS, US Army and the Muncie Star Press will all be in Arby's Tailgate Town, and there will be giveaways.
Director of Gameday Experience Chris Taylor said the students play a critical role in home-field advantage.
"We want students to have a sense of pride in the football team," Taylor said. "Come to games, enjoy the games and be part of the gameday experience."
Inside the stadium, students will find more promotions. The first 5,000 students at the game will receive a free Ball State football rally towel. Mini footballs will be thrown out, and the loudest fans will get free Domino's pizza. At the beginning of the second half, Mountain Dew AMP will be distributed to energize the student section. One student will also have the opportunity to kick a 50-yard field goal and win $10,000.
"The number one thing is to create an exciting atmosphere," Taylor said. "Making a fun environment for the students is important."
One of the most significant changes fans will see is a new scoreboard. The installation process began Monday and will be ready for the opening kickoff. The scoreboard now uses technology to make it brighter, more durable and more energy-efficient.
"We replaced the old scoreboard because it was aging and we wanted to be proactive," Director of Sports Facilities Dan Byrnes said.
The scoreboard will also have a long, narrow video display system that will be able to display messages like upcoming events, video clips and important information. However, it will not be able to show replays from the game. The video screen will hang on the outside of the scoreboard instead of being in the scoreboard tower, allowing for a better seal and lessen the chance of water damage. The new scoreboard cost $133,000.
The change in atmosphere will also include moving the marching band from the east stands into the south end zone. The band will sit in the southeast corner of the end zone to enhance the seating for students.
Fans can expect to see construction fencing and activity throughout the season, mainly on the north and west sides of the stadium. Cement footers are expected to be laid for concessions, bathrooms and the new pressbox throughout the season. At the conclusion of the season, construction will go into full gear. The north end zone will be closed Thursday night and decisions will be made on a game-by-game basis to determine future closings.
"We're going to do it the one best way we can," coach Brady Hoke said, "We want to win for the eighty-second team and for our student body and for the community."
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