UCF Athletics Director: "We need a bigger stadium"
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Students are showing up in big numbers to support the UCF Knights during football season.
In some cases, students are being turned away.
Now, the UCF Athletics Department is trying to figure out how to accommodate the strong student fan base.
"As the team keeps doing well, more and more people are going to want to go," said UCF student Flannery Hurley. "It's honestly not surprising. This is the second time this season already that it's filled in."
68,000 students attend UCF, but there are only 12,000 seats designated for students.
Students are now arriving earlier to ensure they get a first-come, first-serve seat.
The last home game, students waited in line for more than an hour in the scorching heat.
"It was just a really long line," said Jordan Murga, a UCF student.
"It was probably about an hour before I got in," said Connor Hoffman, a UCF student.
UCF Athletics is scrambling to find a solution. One student is suggesting more student seats.
"I think a few more would help, but we also don't want to turn away the community and alumni that come back and watch the games as well," Hurley said.
Some are recommending an expansion.
"Expand the stadium at some point probably," Hoffman said.
That is exactly what UCF is looking into.
"The long-term solution is we've got to expand the stadium. We need a bigger student section. We need a bigger stadium, and we're looking at the viability of that, but that's not something that happens overnight," said Danny White, UCF Athletics Director.
In the meantime, why not cap the student tickets at the number of seats available?
"We see tickets that are retrieved that the student then changes their mind and doesn't come, and there would be a lost opportunity for another student," White said.
UCF Athletics hopes to have some kind of solution by the next home game to make the long lines more comfortable for students.
The upcoming home game is September 28 at 7 p.m. against UConn.