ASK THE AD: October 2016

ASK The AD: September 2016

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions using the online form. I look forward to answering as many questions as possible each month.

Ross Richard
Why can't debit/credit machines be added to all concession stands in Cajun Field?
Thanks, Ross. As you know, Cajun Field opened in 1971 and does not have the infrastructure to provide network connectivity throughout the entire stadium. Making upgrades to an older stadium can become very costly. Some projects, such as running fiber lines throughout the concourses, will be included in the upcoming renovations to Cajun Field.

For fans that wish to use their credit or debit card, there are a few options available. When the South end zone was constructed prior to the 2014 season, fiber was added as part of that project to enable credit card transactions at the new south concessions stands. Also, three ATM machines are located inside the stadium: first and second level concourses on the west side and the south end zone.

A third option to use your credit card at games is utilizing the new partnership with WAITR. Fans can now order food from the concessions stands from the convenience of their seats. All you have to do is download the WAITR app onto your phone. Once downloaded, you can order concession items and pay using the credit card information on file with WAITR. As an added benefit, fans that utilize the app can also avoid the lines on the concourse and pick up their order from one of the WAITR Express Pick Up locations. Click here for more information.

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Tigue Update
Several fans emailed questions about the M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field construction. Instead of answering each one individually, I will attempt to address each question with an overall construction update.

The most popular question is, "When will the stadium be ready?" At this point, all I can say is that it will be ready at some point during the 2017 season. In a recent construction meeting, I was pleased when the Lemoine Company mentioned that the recent floods only delayed the project about a week. The most recent tentative projection has us playing baseball at the Tigue in April.

We are currently working on a variety of ways to limit the number of home games that will be affected by the construction. Some of those include: flipping a home/away series to play on the road first and then host the home game later in the season, and changing a non-conference home series into a tournament that will now be hosted in Hammond, which should actually help strengthen our RPI.

There may be a possibility that we play a few home games at an alternate site such as Fabacher Field. It is too early in the process to determine if this will be necessary. Once determined, the appropriate measures will be communicated to our fans.

There are still a few remaining seats from the Tigue grandstands available for purchase. Fans can email the completed seat order form to cajunbaseball@cox-internet.com, drop it by the baseball office or mail it in to the address listed on the form.

A few fans have inquired about the right and left field bleachers. Those bleachers will remain as part of the new stadium, but will now connect to the renovated grandstand area by an upper concourse added behind the top row of the stadium. This will allow fans to walk continuously from one side of the stadium to the other and give the stadium a more intimate feel.

Fans may now follow the construction progress with the RaginCajuns.com Construction Cam.

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Consultant Report
Earlier this year, a team of consultants came on campus to help us identify areas of growth for the Athletics Department. Their report included twenty recommendations. Several questions last month inquired about those recommendations.

Just like many consultant reports, there are recommendations that we agree with and plan to implement (or already have) in the near future; some recommendations will involve securing the necessary resources upfront before moving forward; and there are some recommendations that we do not feel like are a fit for the Department at this time. Currently, eleven of the twenty recommendations have been completed or are in progress.

In regards to partnering with a third-tier media rights holder (i.e. Learfield or IMG) to maximize sponsorship revenue, we are currently analyzing the financial benefits of keeping sponsorships in-house vs. partnering with an outside company. Should the decision be made to keep this in-house, additional staff solely dedicated to selling corporate sponsorships is needed. The primary benefit of keeping it in-house is that we would keep 100% of the revenue without splitting it with the media rights holder.

Conversely, a couple benefits of partnering with a media rights holder is that the University would be guaranteed a minimum fee each year of the partnership that would not fluctuate from year to year and the salaries of the additional sales staff would be the responsibility of the outside company.

The good news is that both options will add more staff to maximize sponsorship revenue. One of our core values is "sound fiscal responsibility" and we are doing our due diligence to make sure that the direction chosen will provide the most growth for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Approximately three years ago, the conscious decision was made to control all of our media rights. Currently, there are no agreements that extend past the current fiscal year. Should we decide to produce and sell our own content, we would be able to bundle various media elements quickly.

Another recommendation was invest in the necessary equipment to produce and distribute our own video content. This would enable more games from each of our sports to be broadcasted on TV and the internet. This is another element that would help grow the Ragin' Cajuns brand and sponsorship revenue. However, this decision comes with a hefty upfront start-up cost for the necessary equipment and staff. The University is currently working on strategic options to tackle this area.

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Thanks again to all of the fans who submitted questions this past month.

This will be a very important year for the growth of the Ragin' Cajuns as several key projects will take place during the 2016-17 athletics season, such as the RCAF Priority Points System, the renovations and re-seating of both the Cajundome and M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. These projects help provide the necessary resources to fulfill our core mission: To inspire champions and prepare leaders by fostering an environment which enables student-athletes to realize personal, academic and athletic aspirations.

Thank you for your continued support. Soccer, Volleyball, Cross Country and Football are all in the heart of their seasons. If you have not had a chance to attend one of their home events, I encourage you to do so.

Geaux Cajuns!

Scott Farmer
Director of Athletics

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

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