Increasing Attendance at UBC Varsity Sport Events
Creators: name: Donkor, Manny
name: Gaskell, Sophie
name: Hugens, Elise
name: Neustaeter, Sydney
name: Sandilands, Karine
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2024

description: This research project focuses on addressing the declining attendance at UBC varsity sports events, particularly among off-campus students. The study aimed to identify factors influencing student attendance, gather demographic data, and provide recommendations to enhance attendance. The research design involves the distribution of an online survey to offcampus UBC students, with a total of 70 participants meeting the inclusion criteria. The data was analysed using a combination of descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis. The literature review highlights the significance of university sports in fostering community pride and engagement, as well as the challenges faced by student-athletes in balancing academics and sports. The results section presents demographic data, attendance patterns, and factors influencing game attendance, such as the role of social media, knowing players on the team, and preferences for game features and promotional incentives. The discussion section interprets the results and makes recommendations to enhance attendance, including improving social media awareness, offering rewards for regular attendance, organising meet-and-greet sessions with athletes, and providing discounts and promotional giveaways. The study’s focus on off-campus students, along with the detailed analysis and strategic recommendations, positions it as a valuable tool for UBC Athletics to bolster spectator interest and engagement in university sports. The recommendations include short-term strategies such as improving social media engagement and offering promotional giveaways, as well as longer-term goals like organising monthly meet-and-greet sessions and rewarding top attendees at the end of the school year. The research findings and recommendations have the potential to significantly impact attendance at UBC varsity sports events and contribute to creating a more vibrant and engaged university community. In conclusion, the research project provides valuable insights into the factors influencing attendance at UBC varsity sports events and offers strategic recommendations to enhance spectator interest and engagement. The study’s comprehensive approach, including demographic analysis, data interpretation, and strategic recommendations, positions it as a valuable resource for UBC Athletics to address the declining attendance and foster a more vibrant sports culture on campus. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”