Dec. 3, 2014

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers Athletics is establishing a Fan Advisory Board comprised of 25 Scarlet Knights fans in an effort to connect face-to-face with its fan base on a wide range of issues and initiatives, the school announced today.

Fans looking to be participants on the first Fan Advisory Board can apply for one of the 25 seats on line at www.scarletknights.com/FanAdvisoryBoard until Dec. 17. A committee of athletic department officials will select the first group of 25 fans to serve.

The inaugural year of the Fan Advisory Board calls for quarterly meetings (four per year) and will be private.

The goal of the Fan Advisory Board is to create a dialogue between fans and the athletic department regarding their game-day experiences, with the intent of improving experiences at all of the school's athletic venues. School officials will exchange ideas and accept feedback from the Fan Advisory Board, while also educating the group about any new offerings, such as ticket plans and marketing.

"We're looking to continue to interact with our fans to do what we can to improve their game-day experience," said Geoff Brown, Rutgers' Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Marketing Officer. "I think we've done a good job of listening and taking ideas that have come from our fans in our inaugural Big Ten season to improve their experience at all of our athletic venues. This is another step in that direction."

The tenor of the meetings will be friendly and conversational, with school officials engaging in civil give-and-takes about ideas and suggestions. The Fan Advisory Board meetings will not be a forum for the group to weigh in on the performances of coaches or players, since the mission is to improve the fan experience and is not a discussion session for what happens on the field.

"The Rutgers Fan Advisory is being created in an effort to continue to connect with our passionate fan base on all issues regarding their experience at all athletic events," said Andrew Robinson, Assistant Athletic Director for Creative Services and Fan Experience. "We're looking forward to an open back-and-forth dialogue."

Though the Fan Advisory Board is not a decision-making group, school officials will consider any contrastive ideas or suggestions to improve the fan experience.

The first Fan Advisory Board meeting will be held in early 2015. Further details are forthcoming.