Maximizing Crowd Impact on the Field

[bandkid]

I was, and remain, immensely proud to to see our crowd sizes start to grow again this season. We outnumbered the Brenham fans in the third round at least five to one. In both the quarterfinal and the semifinal, we sold out our side of the stadium and had fans sitting on the other side of the stadium. We brought upwards of 20,000 fans with us to Arlington. I think it's safe to say that PN-G's fan support is making a comeback.

I think that's tied to the increased success on the field. People like to root for a winning team. And I think we're going to continue to rack up big wins as long as Coach Joseph offices in Port Neches. That, in turn, means that our fan support will likely continue to grow during the seasons ahead, in my view.

With that in mind, I think it's appropriate to have a conversation about the ways we can maximize the fan impact on the games. It was clear as day to me that our fans impacted those last four playoff games. In particular, I'm convinced rowdy crowds chanting "de-fense" at the top of their lungs forced several false starts by the offenses of Brenham, Fort Bend Marshall, Liberty Hill and South Oak Cliff. It also seriously fired our boys up, and you only need to look at their social media to see how much they appreciated it. The same goes for the coaches.

I think our band impacted the game, too. Particularly in the Brenham and Marshall games, Mr. Wells and his staff seemed to get much more aggressive with the band while opposing teams were on offense. The Indian Band played the War Chant a lot more this season than it has in prior seasons, and the effect on the field and in the stands alike was noticeable. Francis Schroeder shared some comments Liberty Hill fans made about it on his Facebook last week.

College teams specifically curate their spirit groups and fan experiences to maximize fan impact on the games. If there's a high school fan base anywhere in the country capable of doing that, it has to be the Indian Faithful. So, now that we're in the offseason, what are some ways that we can do that next season?

 

[bandkid]

I'll start with one potential answer to my own question.

I think it would be wise to break the cheerleading squad up to cover more of the stadium at once. Alabama does this in Bryant-Denny Stadium. Three cheerleading squads are placed in three of the four corners of the stadium at field level, two on the west side and one in the southeast corner directly in front of the student section. The northeast corner is left for the cheerleading squad for the visiting team; the northeast corner of the stadium is where most of the tickets for visiting fans are sold.

The PN-G cheerleaders have always moved along the sideline to cheer where the ball is spotted before each play. When we still had only ten varsity cheerleaders, I think that was appropriate. Now that we have twenty or so, I think it's a better idea to break them up into two or three squads and position them either at both 30 yard lines, or at the 50 yard line and both 25 yard lines, to better engage the full breadth of the crowd on the PN-G side of Indian Stadium. With respect to the "de-fense" chant, specifically, I think the cheerleaders should coordinate with the band and Indianettes to better engage the full crowd in the chant. Alabama's band, drill team and cheerleaders also do this - in fact, there's a whole "defense" cadence Alabama's Million Dollar Band has rigged up specifically for big second, third and fourth downs, and they do it so often that the crowd knows it by heart.

This also means adding more chants. Whenever opposing teams have to kick the ball at Alabama, whether for a PAT or a field goal, the cheerleaders lead the fans in chanting, "block that kick." I tried that a few times at some of the playoff games, and finally got other fans to join in during the championship. I think that would rattle opposing kickers, which could come in handy in close games.

 

[IndianFan]

Having the band and Indianettes in the end zone would allow the entire home side to hear them better. Especially in large stadiums like AT&T and even at home. Things are relatively muffled or silent on the opposite end when they are not. But maybe that is less ideal for the band itself and the nearby student section?

In the last quarter of the finals game, the crowd was mush less enthusiastic. Understandably so but if the crowd is going to make a difference for 4 quarters, they have to be encouraged to yell and get into the game. The band and cheerleaders are the drivers as you said.

 

[bandkid]

To your point, the band sat behind the south endzone at the Brenham game and could be clearly heard all over NRG Stadium. The SOC band sat closer to the goalpost at AT&T. I didn't understand why we didn't do the same thing.

During the COVID season, our band had temporary stands set up behind the north endzone at Indian Stadium. Personally, I would like to see that brought back.

 

[IndianFan]

From at least the mid 70s through the renovations in 2008, the permanent end zone bleachers were in place. Those were quite a bit roomier and as sturdy as the main bleachers. It would be nice to have something similar again for the band to use. Especially if the home crowds grow.

 

[15PNG]

For me its "spectators dressed in purple" vs "FANS". Fans will pull a team through, or psych them up. Spectactors just sit there. Yes we had the numbers, but everyone, and I mean everyone around where I've sat is buried in their phones, socializing, don't even stand for our fight song, talking about how awesome we are at bucees.... (who cares)..... You're AT the game. Make it count NOW, or there won't be another bucees trip next week. I blew my lungs out when I went and I turned around yelling at people to get off their asses (they look at you in shock), it was the STATE SEMI-FINAL. That was frustrating. Because yes, with that many people around, it should rattle the place.

 

[IndianFan]

The greatest generations of fans have passed, although there are plenty that have stepped up in their place. But not enough.

But there are too many casual fans as you said who have no physical reasons not to amp up their participation. Or they leave after the band performs. Or walk out early if the team is behind on the scoreboard.

If someone fits into that lackadaisical group and you disagree or dislike that remark, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Revive the spirit, project that spirit to the players during the games more often. It makes a difference.

 

[bandkid]

The more the spirit groups do to engage the fans from the sidelines and the more the players win on the field, the more fun the fan experience will be and the more engaged the fans will get. It’s the same mix college teams use to sell tickets and pack stadiums.

Coach Joseph and company will handle the second prong of that mission. This thread is intended to figure out how to do the first part.

Here’s another idea: a standard intro video for every game in Indian Stadium. At Alabama, they have one that’s 5-10 minutes long that recaps all the national championships. It pulls footage of all the greatest moments in Alabama football history from the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘90s, 2000s and ‘10s. The memorable plays, shots of the coaches, video of post-game awards ceremonies, with filler shots of the bands, drill teams, cheerleading squads, fans, and student sections mixed in. No matter how many times they show it (it’s barely changed since I was in school, except to add more recent footage), it fires up the crowd every time. It does a really good job of ‘jiggering the memory box,’ so to speak.

Our press team consistently pumps out the highest quality stuff I’ve ever seen at the high school level. I’m sure they could make a summer project out of digging up old footage and pictures of PN-G teams from historic seasons from the 1940s to present. Get plenty of shots of the great players, great coaches and great moments longtime PN-G fans still talk about: Bum and Wade Phillips, Jeff Bergeron, Doug and Richy Ethridge, Ron McGill, Dustin Long’s game-winning drive against Schertz Clemens, some of Chris Gohlke’s legendary tackles against LaMarque, Dre Dunbar’s miracle play to tie up the Central game, Roschon Johnson scrambling up and down the field for big gains, Chance Prosperie’s clutch catch against Montgomery earlier this year. Mix in shots of our huge crowds in the Astrodome and the band doing the Marching I. Set it all to the Indian Nation song.

 

[1989NDN]

Bandkid, you need to send that suggestion in an email or letter to the PN-G Press team/students. From what I have seen, they do high quality productions and a pre-game video of PN-G's remarkable history with snapshots of Bum Phillips, Wade Phillips, Jeff Bergeron, Doug Ethridge, Danny Malone's 1989 bunch, Matt Burnett's 1999 bunch, and the 2022 state finals run would be awesome to see at PN-G home games on the ISD's high quality video board. Seeing the Marching I on video at Texas Stadium would fire up even the most casual PN-G fan. Copy and paste your post above and send it to PN-G Press, the Superintendent, and the school board. PN-G has a unique opportunity to capitalize on the 2022 state title run. Use that good idea to get more students involved, more fans involved, more season tickets sold, more community partners involved, etc. IndianFan, could supply a lot of video, pix, and historical snapshots. He's got a ton of PN-G history saved at www.pngindians.com. Good stuff.

 

[IndianFan]

This effort could be coined as “OPERATION NEXT LEVEL”.

From what I saw PN-G high school was a first class operation at all points in AT&T Stadium. Especially compared to SoC. But let’s take it all a notch higher.

Send all your suggestions, and any others that appear here to the school. Suggestions on what and when the band plays. How the cheerleaders can charge up the crowds. How multimedia can be used to showcase PN-G. There is much to be proud and get the fans better involved. Do it all better. With class. Take it to the NEXT LEVEL.

 

[bandkid]

A few more thoughts, borrowing from experiences at Alabama and some items I've seen from PN-G history.

A few years ago, Saban went on a series of his notorious press conference tirades about the student section emptying out before the end of the fourth quarter. I know some PN-G fans do the same thing, and it's been a recurring complaint at PN-G at least since I was in high school.

To encourage people to stay for the entire game, the Alabama athletics department had little cardstock fans made, mounted on wooden sticks (think tongue depressers), with a "Play for 4, Stay for 4" message on them and a picture of Coach Saban. One was placed in every seat of the stadium for every home game for an entire season. (I think it was the 2014 season, but I could be wrong.) They also rigged up a video with Scott Cochran, the well known strength and conditioning coach at Alabama at the time, yelling in his coaching voice at the fans to get amped up for the fourth quarter. It was played at the end of every third quarter. In short, all of that worked.

I'm not sure exactly how that could be translated to PN-G, but I don't think it would hurt to put a short message in each program encouraging fans to stay for the entire game to show support for all of the 400+ PN-G students involved. A video of Coach Joseph thanking the fans for showing up to the game and for sticking around until the end of the game, to be played at the start of every fourth quarter, might go a long way, too.

On that note, I think we have a problem with fans yelling while our team is on offense. College athletics departments are really good at spreading the message regarding when fans should yell and when they shouldn't. In short, stay quiet when you're on offense, and yell at the top of your lungs when you're on defense. The goal is to mess up the opposing team's snap count, force false starts, generate anxious mistakes, and bust up some plays with miscommunication.

Like I mentioned earlier, we did that pretty well in the playoffs this year, but I noticed our fans would start to chant back at the opposing crowd when they would chant while we were on offense, too. That only made it more difficult on our own players. Including a short message in the programs explaining the right times to yell would be beneficial, I think. Maybe even direct fans to watch the cheerleaders, band, Indianettes and so on, so they know which chants to participate in when, too. Provided, of course, that we aren't violating any UIL rules by doing so.

Lastly, someone posted pictures of an old PN-G playoff program from the '70s on Facebook last week. I noticed a page in there displaying the hand signals the refs use and explaining what each of them mean. I think that would come in really handy for a lot of the moms in the crowd. (Mine included.)

I feel like I'm dominating the thread. Y'all bring some ideas to the table!

 

[IndianFan]

The video board software could be leveraged to display animated or plain messages to be quiet or yell at appropriate times. From the very few times I’ve seen the stadium in recent years, the video screen was not used to maximum capability. Observing how colleges use it and obtaining the necessary software, graphics and know how would be great. Cy-Fair ISD’s FCU Stadium is an example of really using it effectively.

 

[IndianFan]

The last few years have seen dramatic improvements in media and print. Something that was lacking for decades. I also agree that PN-G’s outstanding media program can be the gold standard in the state. PN-G academics and sports have the history and the future potential to provide plenty of material. Excellent media representation packages that in a way that makes a huge difference in motivating and attracting people as well as bringing attention to all things PN-G.

 

[NDNzeke]

The more the spirit groups do to engage the fans from the sidelines and the more the players win on the field, the more fun the fan experience will be and the more engaged the fans will get. It’s the same mix college teams use to sell tickets and pack stadiums.

Coach Joseph and company will handle the second prong of that mission. This thread is intended to figure out how to do the first part.

Here’s another idea: a standard intro video for every game in Indian Stadium. At Alabama, they have one that’s 5-10 minutes long that recaps all the national championships. It pulls footage of all the greatest moments in Alabama football history from the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘90s, 2000s and ‘10s. The memorable plays, shots of the coaches, video of post-game awards ceremonies, with filler shots of the bands, drill teams, cheerleading squads, fans, and student sections mixed in. No matter how many times they show it (it’s barely changed since I was in school, except to add more recent footage), it fires up the crowd every time. It does a really good job of ‘jiggering the memory box,’ so to speak.

Our press team consistently pumps out the highest quality stuff I’ve ever seen at the high school level. I’m sure they could make a summer project out of digging up old footage and pictures of PN-G teams from historic seasons from the 1940s to present. Get plenty of shots of the great players, great coaches and great moments longtime PN-G fans still talk about: Bum and Wade Phillips, Jeff Bergeron, Doug and Richy Ethridge, Ron McGill, Dustin Long’s game-winning drive against Schertz Clemens, some of Chris Gohlke’s legendary tackles against LaMarque, Dre Dunbar’s miracle play to tie up the Central game, Roschon Johnson scrambling up and down the field for big gains, Chance Prosperie’s clutch catch against Montgomery earlier this year. Mix in shots of our huge crowds in the Astrodome and the band doing the Marching I. Set it all to the Indian Nation song.

One of the best ideas I have heard in many years. Here’s another: If available to buy, I would buy that video.

 

[IndianFan]

Make sure and put a few plays in there of the Indians big offensive gains and crushing stops against SOC.

 

[bandkid]

Make sure and put a few plays in there of the Indians big offensive gains and crushing stops against SOC.

That opening touchdown drive, scoring on the third play of the game against one of the best defenses in Texas, will always go down as a great moment in PN-G history, regardless of the game’s outcome.

For what it’s worth, the band member kicking the field goal during the commercial break was another great moment in PN-G history. The crowd went wild for that, and the band striking up Cherokee after he made it was perfect. The whole thing was golden.

 

[bandkid]

The video board software could be leveraged to display animated or plain messages to be quiet or yell at appropriate times. From the very few times I’ve seen the stadium in recent years, the video screen was not used to maximum capability. Observing how colleges use it and obtaining the necessary software, graphics and know how would be great. Cy-Fair ISD’s FCU Stadium is an example of really using it effectively.

Yes, that right there is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about. That’s an excellent idea.

 

[90NDN]

I barely heard our band playing during the game itself at Jerry's house, but I could more than hear SoC because they were projecting towards us. I'm sure the team could hear them just fine though ....not sure what you can do though other than having them in the endzone at big venues if you want to have the fans hear them that in higher decks.

 

[IndianFan]

I barely heard our band playing during the game itself at Jerry's house, but I could more than hear SoC because they were projecting towards us. I'm sure the team could hear them just fine though ....not sure what you can do though other than having them in the endzone at big venues if you want to have the fans hear them that in higher decks.

Ditto. That band wasn’t playing any music though. Just constant, senseless drum beating.

 

[bandkid]

Ditto. That band wasn’t playing any music though. Just constant, senseless drum beating.

Notice when the SOC band would amp up the drums, though. Every time the center set the ball and the snap count started, they turned up the volume. That's exactly what college bands do.