Kansas athletic director Travis Goff addresses football season ticket sales, more in Q&A

LAWRENCE — There’s a lot going on within Kansas Athletics, and that means a lot for KU athletic director Travis Goff and his department to be working on.

Here’s what Goff, in his third year on the job, had to say Thursday in a Q&A — which was edited for length and clarity:

Topeka Capital-Journal question: When you look at this athletic year, is there a game, event, season, anything that stands out most to you that you’re most excited to see?

Travis Goff: “I really mean this sincerely, I don’t think I would have been able to say it 12 months ago, but looking ahead to 2023-24, I really believe we’ve got a chance to be better in every sport. And I don’t think that’s hyperbole to say. Literally soccer, I think, is going to be better. Volleyball has got a chance to be better. Football, in terms of fall sports, we believe is going to be better. Men’s basketball, women’s basketball, even though they both had good years last year — and/or great years.”

Goff added that applies to Kansas’ other sports, too, and that he feels it is uncommon to believe every team has a chance like that. The men’s basketball team’s national title his first year, and football team’s bowl game in his second, are two events that had a significant effect that went beyond those teams.

“I think we do this for a reason. I think we do this because we seek and aspire for those kinds of really special things to occur that have a chance to impact really widespread.”

Q: Is there something that’s the most challenging, whether it’s good or bad. Like, it could be the Gateway project with the $10 million donation just announced (from Dana Anderson on Thursday). But is there a challenge that stands out most to you that you or your department has to tackle?

Goff: “I think it’s a variety of things. I think it’s this whole, kind of, idea — how do you continue to maintain momentum? Sometimes I think it’s easier to get momentum than it is to maintain and sustain momentum. So, we’re more — we’ve got good momentum, we’re excited about that, but how do you tend to that and nurture that and try and strike in every manner you can? And I think we feel the opportunity, and then therefore you feel kind of the pressure, to keep that momentum.”

Goff added that momentum could come in a lot of ways, such as fundraising, team successes and Kansas’ place as a leader in the Big 12 Conference.

And he noted, too, they’re thinking a lot about risk management because of how many athletes they work with, how many programs they have, the business side of things and being a part of higher education.

“I think the risks are significant, and so, you can only do so much, probably, to be fully mitigating that. But I do know we talk a lot about how to manage the risk environment.”

Goff added that level is rising in college athletics, and the name, image and likeness (NIL) space is one thing that has added layers.

Q: (The football team’s season-opener is Sept. 1 against Missouri State). A lot of momentum around the team, and just ticket sales also. How do you things look with this first opener, and maybe also Illinois and some of these later ones as well?

Goff: “We are really pleased in a lot of ways. Football season ticket sales, we just got this this morning, is a 50% increase over last year going into the season. And that’s pretty stark when you see the difference. And, of course, last year compared to the prior year had a pretty significant boost. People were excited. They saw some indicators from the first year with Lance (Leipold) and the staff. And so, there was good buzz a year ago. And then, of course, to be 50% ahead of that at this moment, it says a ton.”

Goff, who indicated there’s momentum with men’s and women’s basketball, added it shows their supporters are paying attention to what’s happening in football and want to be a part of it. But while they’re pleased, they’re not satisfied. They hadn’t announced a sellout yet for the season opener, Goff explained, because at the time of the interview it was not sold out.

Q: This week we saw in Nebraska just what they did for the volleyball game that was in their football stadium. … I saw on social media the (Kansas) volleyball team react to that. Obviously, there’s a long way to go for that (Gateway) project before that’s done, but do you envision something like that ever happening here?

Goff: “I think the project gives us a whole lot of different ways to think about special events and unique events. I mean, I think a profoundly enhanced Allen Fieldhouse, conceivably — and I’m not just talking about volleyball or whatever, I’m just talking about in general — the investment in these facilities should create unique, impactful opportunities that we haven’t had before.”

Goff commended what Nebraska did, which saw an announced crowd of 92,003 people view a women’s volleyball game between Nebraska and Omaha. He added it shows there’s an appetite for the sport, and women’s sports in general, that’s largely untapped.

Q: Is there any expectation for that (NCAA infractions case concerning the men’s basketball program) to be ending soon or at some point, maybe before the season, or during, or after?

Goff: “Any time I’ve allowed myself to have expectations, I’ve probably missed the mark there. And so, I’ve finally gotten … myself to the place, until notified I just don’t have expectations. I don’t know what to expect and I don’t know when to expect it. And basically, the way we’re thinking about it is, be prepared at any juncture but we haven’t really held our breath either.”

RELATED: Why Cole Ballard’s fall camp emergence, further development, is vital for Kansas football

RELATED: Jalon Daniels is expected to start at quarterback for Kansas football in its season opener

RELATED: Kansas football not overlooking FCS opponent Missouri State ahead of season opener

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas AD Travis Goff talks football season ticket sales, more