Eastern Washington football adjusts gameday atmosphere for more fan-friendly experience
When Tim Collins drives around Cheney and Spokane, he sees how many people fly Eastern Washington University flags, sport EWU frames around their license plates or wear the Eagles’ logo on their clothing.
It is with that group in mind, an estimated 44,000 alumni living in Spokane County, as well as its wider alumni base, that Eastern Washington is adding to its football game-day offerings this season.
That season begins Aug. 29 with the first of six EWU home games at Roos Field in Cheney when the Eagles host Monmouth (New Jersey). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
“Our goal is every Saturday to bring as much of our community together as we can to celebrate Eastern Washington University,” Collins, EWU’s athletics director, said on Tuesday. “We want to bring as many people onto our campus as possible.”
And, yes, Collins said, he’d like to get them into the stadium, too.
The changes are multiple, starting with kickoff times. The first four this season will be later in the afternoon or in the evening, a change that allows for more tailgating time beforehand.
“One of the things we do well is tailgate, and that’s impressive considering we’ve only been tailgating at Eastern for two decades,” Collins said. “We wanted to do whatever we could to facilitate that.”
Four of Eastern’s five home games last season began at 1 p.m. The best-attended game was Sept. 30 against Idaho (8,347), followed by the Weber State game on Oct. 21, the only game last season with a 4 p.m. kickoff. Official attendance for that game was 7,514.
Roos Field’s normal capacity is 8,600, but that can be expanded with additional seating. Its record crowd is the 11,702 who showed up Sept. 18, 2010, to see EWU beat Montana 36-27.
Feedback Collins received after last season – he’s been at Eastern for 13 months – was that later kickoffs allowed fans to make better use of the mornings to either prepare to tailgate, to enjoy tailgating longer or to do something else entirely in the morning and then make their way to Cheney before kickoff.
With an eye to the weather, EWU’s final two regular-season home games – Nov. 2 against Montana State and No. 16 against Idaho State – have 1 p.m. kickoffs.
Another change introduced this season is the addition of the end -zone club suites, which will sit behind the south end zone for all six games. Collins said they have sold more than 50% of the season’s suite inventory .
“We needed to have a better social space for our fans,” Collins said. “It’s really for the fans who want to come for the social experience. Not only are they going to be watching it, they will be a part of it. It’s like having a field pass the whole game.”
There will also be food trucks in the stadium during home games this season in an effort to diversify concessions offerings.
“It is a lot at once,” Collins said. “But they’re all connected to support a better fan experience at Eastern.”
Reese Court replacement is on time
The replacement of the floor at Reese Court that began this spring is on track to finish in the next couple of weeks, Collins said.
EWU’s volleyball team is scheduled to host Washington State on Sept. 9 on the new court, which is replacing the original floor installed when the venue opened in 1975.