In its season opener, Arizona State football made history – just not with its performance on the field.
In the stands, a record-setting 14,280 students filed into the sun-baked bleachers of Mountain America Stadium’s “Inferno” student section to watch the Sun Devils beat Northern Arizona 38-19 Saturday night. The group contributed to a packed stadium, marking the first time since 1998 that ASU featured a sold-out crowd (56,759) in its season opener.
Typically, a Week 1 matchup against an FCS opponent accompanied by triple-digit temperatures doesn’t attract the masses.
Not this year.
On the heels of a Big 12 Championship run and College Football Playoff appearance, Arizona State aimed to take full advantage of the Valley’s budding interest in its football team. Led by athletic director Graham Rossini, the athletic department focused its offseason efforts on improving its home atmosphere, wanting to create an environment that matched the nation’s top college football programs.
Growing the school’s season ticket-holder pool remained at the forefront of Rossini’s efforts. Not only did the Sun Devils manage to retain 96% of their season ticket holders from last season, but they also sold 7,500 new season tickets.
Additionally, ASU enhanced its game day experience. Most notably, it added new field-level suites located behind the north end zone. The seating gives fans an up-close view of the action, with prices starting at $5,000 a seat.
Yet, these changes, coupled with a growing number of season ticket holders, won’t fill a stadium alone.
Enter coach Kenny Dillingham.
Dillingham has lobbied for fans to come out and support his team at almost every turn, coining the phrase “Activate the Valley” to encourage the surrounding community to rally around his team.
Although winning certainly helps this effort, the 35-year-old’s high energy personality has proven to be appealing to the fanbase.
“I think the younger coach (is) bringing extra energy, changing the program and doing things differently,” said Anja White, a season ticket holder for 25 years. “He’s not staying with the old way of coaching and getting people involved.”
Since arriving in Tempe, Dillingham has yearned to create a true home-field advantage for his team, working with Rossini to find creative ways to generate sellout crowds.
Last week, ASU handed out four free tickets to some of its season ticket holders for its home opener against NAU.
“I’m not begging fans to come. I’m educating people on what it takes to be successful,” Dillingham told reporters at an open-house event at Mountain America Stadium. “We’re in the growing stage of becoming, in my opinion, a national brand. … What it takes is what it takes, and that’s sold-out crowds.”
After a record draw for the Sun Devils in their first game of their 2025 campaign, it seems like they’re on the right track.
On the gridiron, ASU sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt felt the buzz of the boisterous crowd and hopes that fans can continue to show up in sizeable numbers for the rest of the season.
“We need that, and thinking about games last year, the juice of the crowd changes the momentum of things and makes it harder for the whole o-line to hear the play call and the snap,” Leavitt said after Saturday night’s win. “It impacts everything, and congrats to Coach Dillingham for getting it to jump like that. It was pretty cool to come out here for game one against NAU and see that.”
The administration aims to keep garnering consistent attendance throughout the season by offering incentives.
Fans who attend all home games this season, or fill their seats with other ASU fans, will be entered in a giveaway for numerous prizes, ASU announced recently. Among these are a free trip to watch Arizona State football play Texas A&M next season, a pair of tickets to ASU men’s or women’s basketball against Kansas and an opportunity to attend an exclusive watch party for a Sun Devils football road game in 2026.
Dillingham also plans to do his part. After his squad nabbed its seventh-straight home victory dating back to last year, he knows what he needs to do to help draw large crowds.
“This city likes winning … so winning.”