Aug. 4, 2008
Entering a new season of Bulldog athletics is always one of the most exciting times of the year for all of us in the Alabama A&M family, and this year is no different. Two of our fall teams, volleyball and women's soccer, are defending SWAC Champions and poised to repeat in 2008, not to mention one of the most challenging and exciting schedules in the history of Bulldog football. Without a doubt, I am proud and enthusiastic about the direction the Alabama A&M athletics department is headed.
The positive direction can be seen not only in the success of all 15 varsity sports on the field, but also in the triumphs off the field for our Bulldog student-athletes. Along with the successes of our student-athletes, the department is also focused on striving forward in many other endeavors as we enter the 2008-09 season. The completion of "Operation Elmore" is a giant step forward in the comfort and convenience for our volleyball and basketball fans and will also enhance our ability to recruit to a refurbished facility.
Convenience and safety are overriding themes we want to stress to all of our fans in 2008-09, and affected by that focus will be our changes to the way tailgating is handled at home football games. After diligently looking at how to improve our overall performance in event management at home football games, we have decided to make some minor changes to a couple areas. Most of these improvements will require an adjustment by our fans in their normal gameday routines, and we understand that, but we also want to stress that safety and convenience for all of our fans are at the core of the decision behind the changes.
As many of you were witness to this summer with the tragedy at the Huntsville Airport Airshow, proper planning needs to be applied in all stages of event management. While our sympathies are with the families affected by the tragic events at the airshow, the event shed light on the preparation needed when hosting large numbers of people at Bulldog sports events, and the decision to make some minor changes in our gameday processed is a direct result.
We are expecting a record year this season as our ticket sales have shown to this point. Certainly there is an excitement on "The Hill" about where the Bulldogs are headed. Again, I am undoubtedly proud and enthusiastic about the direction the program is headed, and we are certainly happy to have all of our committed Bulldog fans along for the ride.
