Letter To The Trojan Family From USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn
9/1/2021
Dear Trojan Family,
Happy game week! For the first time since November 23, 2019, you’ll be with us at the Coliseum, and we can’t wait!
Few superlatives suffice to express my excitement about the Trojan Family reunion taking place this Saturday. As we simultaneously reflect back and look forward, I want to take this opportunity to say, “THANK YOU!” Our athletics program and student-athletes have endured so much during the past 18 months, as have we all, and we couldn’t have reached this meaningful milestone without you. With the power of the Trojan Family fueling us, we are emerging from this dark period and entering our next chapter even stronger.
This is going to be a season unlike any other in the nearly 100-year history of the Coliseum. From mask mandates and mobile tickets to tailgate passes and Trojan Checks, please know that I recognize the difficulty and disappointment some changes to game day are causing you. Though they are mostly anonymous to you, there are teams of USC employees working tirelessly to navigate this pandemic and plan for your return. We simply ask for your patience, understanding, and compliance with our processes and protocols as we prioritize the health and well-being of the entire community.
To that end, I’d like to share a few thoughts and perspectives in advance of kickoff on Saturday:
- Health and Safety Protocols: We want all Trojan fans to feel comfortable at the Coliseum this fall. Accordingly – and as we have from the onset of this pandemic – we will adhere to state and county guidelines. Specifically, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidance requires all fans, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings or masks within the Coliseum. Facial coverings may be briefly removed while actively eating or drinking. To assist in the creation of a safe environment for all spectators, we kindly request your compliance with this public health requirement.
- On-Campus Tailgating: As a reminder, on August 25th we announced that, at the recommendation of our medical experts, we were making the difficult decision not to host tailgating and other game day activities on campus for Saturday’s home opener. Over the past two weeks, we’ve welcomed back 40,000+ students, faculty, and staff to campus under specific COVID guidelines designed to protect our community. As we are returning to full campus density for the first time since March 2020, it was determined that it is not in the best interests of our students and employees to bring thousands of additional visitors directly onto campus at this time. A final decision is expected soon regarding on-campus tailgating activities for the Stanford game and future contests.
- Off-Campus Tailgating: Since our stadium is located outside the campus Trojan Check perimeter, tailgating will continue on-site at the Coliseum as planned. Please know that we’ve received your feedback on the modified tailgating setup at the Coliseum this year. For brief context, the lots outside the Coliseum are government owned and operated. Therefore, we are responsible for following their guidelines, which were amended this season due to fire code and guest safety concerns. While this tailgating format is new for us, too, we are committed to re-evaluating these plans after the season. We’ll learn a lot from the experience this year, and we welcome your feedback at any time.
- Arrive Early: Even though we are NOT currently requiring vaccine or negative test verifications to enter the Coliseum, we nonetheless expect there will be increased wait times to enter the stadium as we transition to mobile ticketing and face operational challenges associated with the return of mega events to the Coliseum for the first time in over a year. We strongly encourage you to arrive early with gates opening 90-minutes before kickoff. We’ve created a user-friendly guide for mobile ticketing which you can access here.
We understand this is a lot of information! As such, we’ve created a centralized location on our website to house important game day details which can be accessed here. You can also read about other enhancements to the game day experience this season here, including the expansion of beer and wine sales throughout the Coliseum.
Despite so many challenges, we’ve been inspired by how the Trojan Family has responded to the 2021 edition of the USC Football Trojans. Our students are raring to get back into the Coliseum! We’re excited for our freshmen and sophomores to experience the student section for the very first time, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the 2020 and 2021 graduates taking advantage of their exclusive ticket offer. With several days still to go before kickoff, we’ve sold 8,175 student season tickets, which already represents an increase of about 1,500 over the final tally in 2019. If you’re a student and haven’t yet purchased your season tickets, don’t miss out!
I’ve also heard from so many Trojan fans energized by the direction of the football program. As of this publication, we’ve sold 4,177 new season tickets for 2021. Of those sales, 2,527 were purchased by former season ticket holders who dropped their tickets and decided to return this season, while 1,650 reflect first-time season ticket sales. To each and every one of the 1,459 new account holders and Trojan fans who purchased these tickets, we’re grateful for your support and we thank you for making a difference for our student-athletes!
When I arrived at USC, I talked about the importance of listening and learning. The pandemic has delayed but not deterred me in that mission. Two months shy of my two-year anniversary, I’ve still only experienced one football game at the Coliseum with our fans, so your feedback is more crucial than ever. As fans finally return and we’re readying for kickoff, I’m pleased to share two exciting announcements:
- Fan Advisory Board – Today we officially launched applications for our Trojan Athletics Fan Advisory Board (FAB). The FAB will be comprised of a diverse collection of 15 passionate USC Athletics fans, alumni, donors, season ticket holders, students, faculty/staff, non-local/international supporters, and Olympic sports enthusiasts. As representatives of the fans, the FAB 15 will convene quarterly (four times per year) to provide feedback to our athletics department on the game day experience, customer service, ticketing, communications, and other topics that impact fan engagement with USC Athletics. Additionally, FAB members will receive a swag bag and access to exclusive experiences. Applications will be accepted for the next two weeks, and you can submit yours here. Be ready to prove you’ll represent the fans better than anyone else!
- Fan Experience Survey – Following the first two home games of the season, we’ll publish a comprehensive fan experience survey. From tickets and tailgates to parking and promotions, we’re interested in your perspectives on all elements of the game day experience at the Coliseum. The survey will be emailed directly to all donors and season ticket holders during the week of September 13. It will also be shared publicly on our website and social media platforms since we value input from ALL fans alike. Your participation is important, because we’re counting on a significant, representative, and diverse sample size to inform actionable game day enhancements.
Nothing unifies our campus and community quite like the Trojans winning football games in the Coliseum. As we trade lockdowns for touchdowns and COVID tests for Conquest, we can focus on what we want most: championships. We’re thrilled you’ll get to enjoy the journey with us this year.
FIGHT ON!
Mike Bohn
Charles Griffin Cale Director of Athletics’ Chair
