Kansas football: Building fan support is the key to a successful turnaround

Kansas football’s attendance grew significantly last season and continuing that trend is a key to turning the program around.

Despite the 3-9 record last season, Les Miles injected some much-needed excitement into the Kansas football program. It was evident that the stadium seemed more full than the previous season, and that notion was confirmed by Athletic Director Jeff Long.

After the season, Long announced that the attendance at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium had risen 74.3 percent from 2018 to 2019. A total of 237,122 Jayhawk football fans attended games in 2019 for an average of 33,875 per game over the duration of the season.

The Jayhawks even recorded a sellout when the Kansas State Wildcats came to town. While the result of the game was less than ideal, it was good to see ‘The Booth’ completely full. Hopefully, fans will continue coming out to games in 2020.

During the 2010s, Kansas football attendance was less than ideal and directly comparable to the Jayhawks’ play on the field. At the end of the day, bringing in a new head coach can only do so much because it’s the product on the field that’ll either bring people in the stadium or push them away.

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The good news is that Miles still has the support of Kansas football fans. If he can improve on his 3-9 season from 2019, attendance will likely continue to grow through the 2020 season.

A good goal for 2020 would be to average around 38,000 fans per game. It’s a lofty but achievable goal, and it’d be a good indicator that the program is on the right track with the fanbase.

The honeymoon stage of the Les Miles era is coming to an end, and fans’ expectations are going to grow exponentially. If he succeeds, the fans will keep coming; if not, Memorial Stadium will be near-empty on Saturdays.