Illinois Looks For Fan Input On Football Game Days

It's no secret that attendance at Illinois football games has been falling for the past few years. A camera shot at Memorial Stadium shows thousands of empty seats on most game days and a small, if passionate, student section.

How do you fix that problem? A coaching change can give fans new hope, but Tim Beckman's teams have shown improvement each year he's been in charge and Illinois' athletic director already has promised Beckman at least one more year. Winning, of course, will draw people in. The Fighting Illini's six wins this year makes them bowl-eligible but getting blown out by top teams, like Ohio State, means there's a long way to go to be competitive week in and week out.

In the meantime, the University of Illinois is setting up a council of fans to provide feedback on the game-day experience. Officials say they're looking for input from a group it will choose from current season-ticket holders for Illini sports. Interested applicants can apply through the school's sports website.

Attendance has dropped at Illinois football games from an average of 61,707 a game in 2008 to an announced average of 41,549 this season.