The University of South Carolina held its annual fan appreciation day for the 2019-2020 fall sports programs on Saturday, Aug. 10at the Jerri and Steve Spurrier Training Facility in Columbia, SC.
Players from the Gamecocks’ men and women’s soccer, volleyball, and football teams met with fans and signed autographs in the state-of-the-art training facility directly across the street from USC’s Williams-Brice Stadium. The training facility includes an indoor football field, and fans were able to experience being on the field for this special event.
The Gamecocks athletic department put out the invitation for fans to come meet the payers of the college’s fall sports and take part of interactive drills on the football field; and the fans answered the call by showing up in big numbers. Fans flocked to the training facility named after former Head Coach Steve Spurrier and his wife Jerri. Traffic was at a standstill leading into the facility, and the excited fans lined up outside the door waiting to enter the building onto the indoor practice field. Fans of all ages, and from multiple generations attended the family friendly event together—the adorable babies and toddlers could have easily stolen the spotlight from the players.
Once inside the facility, Gamecocks cheerleaders greeted fans and handed out complimentary posters, and the fan driven adventure and experience started. The athletes lined the perimeter of the football filed, divided by teams and positions for the football players. Some fans chose to start their experience with the Men’s soccer team, then continued to the women’s soccer and volleyball teams, but for most fans, the football players were the main draw.
Head Coach Will Muschamp and the quarterbacks/running backs tables drew the longest lines. Fans were able to have posters provided at the event—defense, offense, or individual teams other than football—autographed, and the players also spent time chatting with the fans, and some of the fan favorites happily posed for pictures with fans.
In the middle of the field, numerous interactive drills were set up for the fans to take part of and the beloved school mascot, Cocky, could also be found midfield. Fans from the young to the definitely young at heart took part in running drills racing against one another, passing drills, and field goal kicks. Fans also had the opportunity to talk to members of the Gamecock Club about season tickets for the fall sports and purchase official Gamecocks merchandise while at the event.
As the event wrapped up, promptly at 4:30 p.m. in order to accommodate the football players’ practice, it was apparent the event was definitely a success. The atmosphere was lively and energetic, and fans carried that energy with them as they left the event. Families gathered outside of the event afterwards were overheard discussing their plans for their return to next year’s event.
The South Carolina Gamecocks open their season on August 31, 2019 against North Carolina Tarheels in Charlotte, NC at the neutral Bank of America stadium. If Fan Appreciation Day is any indication of the support and enthusiasm for the upcoming season, the Gamecocks are going to have an amazing season. Spurs Up, Gamecocks!
2 Responses
What an awesome event for the fans and team.