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The Dartmouth
July 15, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Memorial Field lights bolster football program, attendance

Memorial Field's light installation didn't just bring night games to Big Green players and fans. The 2011 construction project has boosted home game attendance and campus spirit surrounding the College's football program.

Average per game attendance has jumped by about 2,000 since 2009. Last season's home games averaged 6,402 people, while the 2009 average was 4,103 attendees. In 2010, home games attracted 5,971 people on average.

Attributing the rise to the night games and lights, head coach Buddy Teevens said the team schedules as many evening games as possible, as visiting teams find them "rough" after a long trip.

Teevens added that the team's improved level of play and close, competitive games have drawn larger crowds.

D-Block president Freddie Fletcher '14 said last year's night games attracted the greatest student attendance since 1996, the last time Dartmouth won the Ivy League football championship.

Fletcher, who raises money for pregame tailgate parties, said night games better accommodate student schedules.

"There are normally 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. starts, which is night by the time we hit October," he said. "It's early enough for people to go out afterward."

During afternoon games, tailgates may start as early as 11 a.m., before some students are even awake.

Teevens said facility renovations and the 2006 turf installation have also aided the recruitment process and promoted Dartmouth's standing among student-athletes.

"All of that has made a huge difference, certainly," he said. "We were far behind our Ivy League competitors and around the country."

During recruiting, Teevens makes sure to mention campus enthusiasm for sporting events.

"I always talk about points of difference," Teevens said. "When our stadium, by percentage, is more full than other places, it's a good indication that the student population and more and more folks are coming out."

Fletcher said his friends on the football team were thrilled by the prospect of playing night games.

"The players definitely get way more excited about it," he said. "A lot of my friends who are on the team were getting jacked up about the first night game."

Having played only evening games in high school, wide receiver Kirby Schoenthaler '15 noticed a difference between afternoon and night games when he came to the College.

"It seems more electric under the lights," he said. "We get really excited when we have the chance to play a night game."

Fletcher said he is planning a pig roast for the season's first night game on Sept. 28, and expects to manage a $10,000 to $15,000 season budget.

He may approach the President's Office to raise additional funds, which usually provides the most money to D-Block.

At the end of the term, Fletcher plans to encourage attendance by promoting future games with assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions Stephanie Bambury.

"Homecoming sells itself, the first game sells itself," Fletcher said. "It takes a bit more marketing with the later games."

Completing last season with a 6-4 record, the team tied for third place in the Ivy League last year.

Memorial Field's light installations, completed in summer 2011, were mostly funded by Chris Jenny '77 and his wife Andi Jenny.

Noah Reichblum contributed reporting.