Syracuse Department of Athletics to Create 'Cuse Fan Council

Ask, Sean Keeley, and you shall receive.

Coincidentally -- but really it's probably not a coincidence at all -- Sean wrote about this issue in September and lo and behold, here we are.

The Syracuse Department of Athletics announced Wednesday that it plans to create a 'Cuse Fan Council, comprised of "Orange fans, alumni, donors and Syracuse students and the Department of Athletics." The purpose of the council is to streamline conversations between Orange Nation beyond the use of twitter, email, market research, and whatever other kind of hocus pocus metrics the University uses.

This is not at all unlike the fan advisory committee implemented at Boise State this past May, headed up by current Syracuse Deputy Athletics Director for Administration John Cunningham. Up until this past summer, Cunningham and Syracuse Director of Athletics Mark Coyle were employed by Boise State.

The endeavor has been successful thus far with some describing it as "productive and effective."

If the University is to pull directly from Broncos' model (and why shouldn't it?), we can expect to see a focus on football attendance. Boise started something it calls "The Huddle" (a pre-game tailgate with games, meet-and-greet with red-shirt players, food, and, of course, alcohol) and has seen a better turnout than originally expected. And we're talking thousands-of-people better.

Other things being considered from the Broncos are:

•  Allowing fans to vote for the football team’s uniform combination for a game.

•  Offering more payment plans for season tickets. Hawkes likes the idea of something close to a monthly payment, like Netflix.

•  Finding more ways for fans, and particularly season-ticket holders, to interact with the football team.

•  Permit fans to go onto the field after football games. (HAI, CLEMSON!)

Needless to say, this sounds like something all universities should have, not just those with fair-weather football attendance.

To be considered for Syracuse's council, fill out and submit this application by November 15. The Athletics Department is looking for a variety of fans so all are encouraged to apply. The position if elected is good for a calendar year and plans to meet every month.