Fans rush the field after the Arizona State Sun Devils upset the Utah Utes 27-19 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 11, 2024. Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona State Set to Incentivize Fan Attendance in 2025

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Game week has finally come for the 2025 Arizona State football team.

The Sun Devils are set to open year three of the Kenny Dillingham era on Saturday when the 11th-ranked team is visited by Northern Arizona.

The athletic department has opted to take action on fan attendance in the midst of the season opener - announcing the intention to place season ticket holders who attend every home game in a raffle for numerous prizes.

A letter from Dillingham obtained by ASU on SI reads as follows:

"Dear Sun Devils,

Football is almost back in Tempe!

Last season, thanks to YOU, we went undefeated at Mountain America Stadium - home of the ASU Sun Devils. You packed the house. You made noise. You rushed the field twice in one game. You made Mountain America Stadium a place teams feared... That wasn't just football - that was a community of Sun Devils showing up for each other. And I promise you: we're just getting started...

This season, we're adding something special to reward our most committed season ticket holders. Attend all seven home games (or make sure your seat is filled by another die-hard Sun Devil), and your season ticket account will be entered to win an unforgettable trip to see Sun Devil Football on the road next season - along with other great prizes.

We want you ALL IN. 100% attendance... Let's make Tempe the toughest place in the country to play...

Let's go to work."

Arizona State will have eyes on them from the outside world like few renditions have, but the job that Dillingham has done when it comes to re-engaging a fanbase that had been disillusioned is perhaps the most impressive.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Sun Devil fanbase ceased showing up in droves on a regular basis following the 2021 season due to numerous factors - including stagnation of the program, NCAA investigations regarding recruiting violations, and the untimely loss to Eastern Michigan in 2022 that in turn ended the Herm Edwards era.

Dillingham has now built a team that fans are proud of - with stars such as Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson being extremely likable faces of the program, while also finding intuitive ways to keep fans engaged for the duration of the season.

Improving fan experience through multiple avenues has been a consistent theme for Dillingham and AD Graham Rossini - incentivizing season ticket holders to show up and beginning construction on an indoor practice facility that can be utilized as a tailgating area are just two recent examples.

Read more on the case for Leavitt to be an All-American selection at season's end here, and if Dillingham has any built-in recruiting advantages in his role here.

This article first appeared on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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