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UMass Wins The NCAA/A-10 Pack The House Challenge
March 15, 2012
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass was one of 32 winners in the NCAA Division I "Pack the House" Challenge. "Pack the House" is a national effort in which conferences and institutions compete to build attendance. NCAA Division I women's basketball marketing staffs selected a home game and designated that date as a "Pack the House" game with the goal of setting an attendance record. One winner from each of the 32 conferences and one from a group of independent institutions are chosen each year, with the selections being based on marketing plan creativity and attendance criteria. The NCAA will award prizes and donate $500 to the nonprofit organization of each winning institution's choice. And with 153 institutions participating in the effort this year, attracting more than 431,000 fans, pack the house, they did. UMass hosted 2,504 fans at its women's basketball game on Jan. 18. Events at Army, Baylor, Canisius, Delaware, Georgia, Green Bay, Kansas State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Navy, Sacramento State and Stanford produced sell-out crowds. Sixty-nine programs surpassed their single-game attendance highs from last year. "In the fifth year of this initiative, we are pleased to see the continued increase in attendance, excitement and exposure for our women's basketball programs," said Greg Christopher, chair of the Division I Women's Basketball Committee and director of athletics at Bowling Green State University. "The year-in and year-out success of Pack the House is a direct tribute to the commitment level put forth by the personnel at each campus. These efforts continue to help grow the game."
The ideas to market the games were as diverse as the membership itself. At UMass, for example, Field Trip day allows students K-8 the opportunity to experience a UMass Women's Basketball game for free with their school. Each student was provided with an information packet including UMass Women's Basketball player information, basics of
basketball, fun quizzes and games.
Winners of the 2011-12 NCAA "Pack the House" Challenge are:
CONFERENCE WINNERS
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