With Dougherty’s football season wrapping up in the next few weeks, the most anticipated sport in DV has seen a dip in attendance in comparison to past years.
The Wildcats are 2-6 overall after losing their only two league games. They’re also 1-4 in home games this season, with their sole win coming off of Washington High School on Sept. 29.
“Obviously, our record isn’t the best,” senior varsity quarterback Ritwik Chitgopkar said. “Sometimes, I feel like our record gets in the way of people coming to games.”
In this season’s five home games, the Wildcats have only been down going into the second half twice: a 20-7 halftime deficit against Deer Valley and a 21-0 shutout against Granada. Despite this rare occasion, fans still trickled out of the stands following the first half of numerous games.
“When it’s a close game and you see people leaving, it’s like they’re not invested anymore. So [our] investment levels kind of go down a little bit,” Chitgopkar said. “We do our best to focus just on ourselves, regardless of what happens.”
Football has always stood out in terms of student attendance among fall sports, with other teams not having much presence of a student section.
“For the other sports, it’s about the access and marketing,” athletics booster president Rachel Ratcliff said. “I know the kids do an amazing job marketing on Instagram for other kids to come, but if parents don’t understand what their kids are attending, then they’re not connecting either.”
With almost one-third of the student body participating in DV athletics, school spirit has been a clear staple in Dougherty’s culture.
“I think student athletes don’t feel as support[ed] or as [if] much school spirit is invested in athletes versus our academics,” Ratcliff said. “Our academics are excellent here, and we have over 1,100 athletes. I think they would like to feel a little more support in each of their [respective] sports.”
Despite the low attendance rates, Chitgopkar hopes to finish the season strong, and hopes to do so with the presence of a strong student section.
“It’s on us to play at a level that deserves great student support,” Chitgopkar said. “I think that people understand how much the student support backs us as a team, and it makes us want to play harder and encourages us.”
