University of Texas at San Antonio had a successfully popular inaugural season.
College football is right around the corner and as fan support grows so does the number of teams fielded. This season, there will be five new institutions fielding college football teams (Bluefield College, Lindenwood University-Belleville, Misericordia University, Point University, and Wayland Baptist University). The expansion does not stop here. It is anticipated that 17 more institutions will launch teams between 2013-2015. Since 2008, 28 new football teams have sprung from Dordt College in Sioux City, Iowa to Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Football popularity is at an all time high and so is the amount of money to be made. Institutions who lack a team see the potential value in investing in a football program. With a successful program comes benefits to include raising the school’s profile, attracting better students and more money, but most of all, creating visibility. This was evident when the University of Texas at San Antonio launched its program last season which averaged 35,521 attendees per game despite a 4-6 record. This exposure had a positive impact on the school increasing donations and applications. Additionally, the RoadRunners saw its annual fund drive steadily grow. Even if the program was to not turn a financial profit, the mere fact of having a football team played a significant role in increased exposure and provided a certain buzz on campus.
This is not to say football will always generate a huge cash flow or positively impact the school. In 2009, Northeastern University dropped its football program because of financial reasons. The university could no longer justify spending the money on a failing program. At the end of the day though, an institution’s return is directly associated with its investment. And programs that do not invest on the best coaches, facilities, and players will suffer at the hands of programs that do.
To date, there are 640 football teams playing in the NCAA, 92 playing in the NAIA and 68 playing in the NJCAA. If history is any indication, and if the RoadRunners are an example, there is an opportunity to cash in on the slice of that football pie.
Schools to launch programs from 2013-2015
- Alderson-Broaddus College (2013)
- Berry College (2013)
- Florida Tech (2013)
- Hendrix College (2013)
- Mercer University (2013)
- Oklahoma Baptist University (2013)
- Reinhardt University (2013)
- Southwestern University (2013)
- Stetson University (2013)
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2013)
- Warner University (TBD)
- College of Idaho (2014)
- George Fox University (2014)
- Houston Baptist University (2014)
- Kennesaw State University (2014)
- Finlandia University (TBD)
- University of New Orleans (TBD)
