By Andy Greder

Pioneer Press

Attendance at TCF Bank Stadium was up in P.J. Fleck’s first season as the University of Minnesota’s football coach.

Average attendance for the Gophers’ home games in 2016, Tracy Claeys’ only full season as head coach, was 43,813, the lowest since TCF Bank Stadium opened for the 2009 season. That improved by an average of 545 fans a game to 44,358 last season.

The slight increase is in stark contrast with an average drop of nearly 1,000 fans across all Football Bowl Subdivision home games from 2016 to 2017, according to NCAA figures.

The Gophers’ season-ticket total, however, has dipped 726 from 22,131 a year ago to 21,405 as of Aug. 2, the U told the Pioneer Press on Friday. The renewal rates have been 87 percent in both years, the school said.

Athletics Director Mark Coyle was encouraged by the overall increase in attendance, but wants to push the mark closer to TCF Bank Stadium’s capacity of 50,805.

Coyle pointed to the success of Gopher Loyalty Program, which is in its second year of providing fans with customized experiences for the sports they care about. They’ve solicited feedback from fans in the program and have tailored their offerings, including revised concessions menus at TCF Bank Stadium.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.