From light shows to concerts, Boise State is focused on improving game day experience
Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey’s mantra is “six home games, six sellouts,” and his department has turned to fans to help make that a reality.
Boise State debuted its fan experience committee this year, calling it Experience Blue. It consists of 18 fans who have purchased season or single-game tickets to football games in Albertsons Stadium, and it has been tasked with finding ways to improve the experience on game day.
“This is a people business, and the fans are our No. 1 priority,” Dickey said. “They are the foundation of this great institution, and we wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”
Boise State sent out an open invitation for the committee in December 2021 and received more than 200 applications, according to Cody Gougler, senior associate athletic director. Preference was given to those with season tickets, and organizers also chose fans whose seats are in different sections of the stadium, Gougler said.
“You want to make sure as you’re preparing for the game day experience that you involve your heartbeat, which is your fans,” Gougler said. “The fan experience committee was unbelievable to work with, not only as idea generators but as consultants in a way. We were able to bounce ideas off them, and their feedback was incredibly valuable.”
The fan experience committee includes 15 season ticket holders. Dayton Robison, a 35-year-old CPA from Idaho Falls, has been a season ticket holder since 2015. He grew up in Rexburg and fell in love with the Broncos while completing his master’s degree at Boise State in 2012.
Robison said he was honored to be picked.
“It feels like this administration is taking everyone’s opinion to heart,” Robison said. “I think we had a really good mix of people who have been around for a long time and some younger fans.”
The rest of the fan experience committee: Drew Allen, Dennis Beebe, John Bleymaier, Corey Boehning, Heather Carlson, Jason Haberman, Scott Jurgens, Al Kleinkauf, Mike Koloski, Connor Martin, Nate McClure, Stacy McLaughlin, Jerron R. Moore, Tom Scott, Sandy Stevenson, Scott Stewart and Jessica Toth.
The committee met monthly between April and August. The meetings focused on three primary areas: pregame outside the stadium, pregame during warmups and the atmosphere in the stadium during the game.
As a result of those meetings, more food trucks will be available on the east side of the stadium before the gates open for the Broncos’ home opener against Tennessee-Martin on Saturday (2 p.m., FS1).
Fans will participate in the raising of the Blue Chaos flag before every home game, and several new elements designed to keep fans engaged during the game will debut as well.
Keeping fans in the stadium for the whole game was important to Robison.
“I consider myself a die-hard fan and I’m not leaving early,” Robison said. “But everybody doesn’t feel that way, so keeping people engaged is a big deal.”
Boise State plans to keep people engaged using more video prompts, Gougler said. Whether it’s video of a player asking the crowd to get loud on a big third down or starting the Boise State chant, crucial parts of the game will feel bigger this year, he said.
A new tradition is also in the works that will act as a transition from the third to fourth quarters, Gougler said, but he wouldn’t go into details.
Here is a look at some of the changes Boise State fans can expect on Saturday.
▪ Boise State will debut its upgraded video board in the north end zone. It is 77 feet wide by 37 feet tall, which is about 18 feet wider than the old board. The total viewing area is 2,850 square feet, which is a 25 percent bigger. The video board was updated thanks to a $1.8 million donation from Agri Beef.
▪ Blue Chaos Flag: Between the coin toss and the opening kick, a prominent alum or community member will make their way to a flag pole in the northwest corner of the field. Once a decibel meter on the video board reaches a certain level, they will raise the flag in a tradition similar to the Seattle Seahawks’ 12th Man ritual.
▪ Bronco Light Show: Fans who have downloaded the Bronco Sports App can take part in the game. Select the light show option in the app and the flashlight on the phone will pulse to the beat of whatever song is playing in the stadium. Boise State partnered with a company called Cue Audio for this project, Gougler said.
▪ Locals Corner: A new grab-and-go market will be available on the northwest concourse. It will include several food options and beer from local breweries, including Lost Grove, Meriwether Cider Co., Payette Brewing, Sockeye Brewing and Woodland Empire.
▪ Prior to the Bronco Walk, which happens two hours before kickoff, fireworks will go off over the stadium as a signal for fans to congregate at the Hall of Fame plaza to welcome the team into the stadium.
▪ All the concession stands in the stadium will have new signage designed to make it easier to navigate the concourse, Gougler said. There will also be a new option, Blue 32 BBQ, which is a nod to the year Boise State opened as a junior college.
▪ Fans can order food and drinks directly through the Bronco Sports App.
▪ Bronco Alley on the east side of the stadium will include a revolving list of local food trucks. This week’s lineup: Fly, Mad Mac and Rusty Dog.
▪ The Ford Fan Zone will include more food truck and concession options, and more stations set up for alcohol sales. There will also be a family-friendly zone, featuring inflatables, and the Bronco Kids Club booth will be located on DeChevrieux Field.
▪ There will be a public concert, beginning three hours before kickoff.
- Saturday vs. UT-Martin: Emily & The Tiptones
- Sept. 30 vs. San Diego State: Lounge on Fire
- Oct. 8 vs. Fresno State: Afrosonics
- Oct. 29 vs. Colorado State: Tylor & The Trainrobbers
- Nov. 5 vs. BYU: The Naughties
UT MARTIN AT BOISE STATE
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (35,944, turf)
TV: Fox Sports 1 (Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 1-1, UT Martin 1-1
Series: Saturday’s game marks just the second meeting between Boise State and UT Martin. The Broncos previously defeated the Skyhawks 63-14 at Albertsons Stadium in 2013.
Vegas line: Boise State by 21
Weather: High of 73 degrees, 24% chance of rain, 8 mph winds
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 3:10 PM.
