Guide to UTRGV football

Some may have heard their peers, friends or family talk about the UTRGV football team but not know how to go see them or what the game entails. 

Pulse talked to Nicholas Swanson, the assistant athletic director for ticket sales and operations, to find out the information to help new UTRGV football fans. 

Tailgate

 Going to a tailgate is a big part of attending a football game, but how does it work at UTRGV?

There are different tailgate areas at the stadium: the north and south lots and the HEB tailgate zone. 

Swanson defines the north and south tailgate lots as more of a do-it-yourself tailgate since they do have to set the area up themselves with their own materials. Fans who purchase a season pass for a spot at the tailgate will receive a 20-by-20-foot space to set up their things. 

“We’ve got folks that’ll bring out RVs or barbecue pits to fit in their area,” Swanson said.

Swanson explained the HEB tailgate zone is an area with freestanding pavilions and tents that are set up by QualityTents, which is partnering with UTRGV for home games. With this partnership, everything is already set up for the fans purchasing the spots. 

Many fans enjoy the games, such as broadcast communications junior Christian Cota who said he enjoyed the first football game and tailgating experience. 

“It was pretty cool, we stayed there until they shut down… There was a lot of free stuff,” Cota said. 

Free food and items are a reason fans may enjoy the tailgate. 

“Everyone out there is super friendly, really welcoming,” Swanson said. “You’ll be walking around, people are giving out free food, free hot dogs, free burgers to everyone walking by. It’s a really good time out there.”

Tailgates start seven hours before kickoff, meaning most will start at noon. However, the tailgate for the final game will start at 10 a.m. 

Tickets

Students get to claim one free ticket per game through the student ticket portal paid for by the athletic fee in their tuition. General tickets go on sale every Monday the week of the game. Any tickets the visiting team doesn’t buy go on sale on Fridays. Standing-only general admission tickets also go on sale on Fridays.

According to Swanson, the tickets are affordable, and the highest-priced ticket is $50 for a seat on the 50-yard line.  

“Our tickets range from $15-$50, so we want to make it as accessible as possible for everybody,” he said.

Swanson added that season tickets are sold out. There is currently a waitlist of over 15,000 people, and for reference, the stadium holds 14,000. 

Parking and Transportation

Swanson said a lot of people utilize the free shuttle service that is provided by the university, which brings fans to and from the stadium from various points, including the university. 

“So we’ve got a shuttle service that picks up here at the university and drives them the 10 minutes down the road to the stadium,” he said. 

Cota and Aleena Harris, a criminal justice sophomore, didn’t know where the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium was located. 

Cota said, “I didn’t know where it was, I had to Google it the day of.”

Harris also claimed she was unsure of where it was and just knew it was in the area. 

Swanson said the stadium is actually 5-10 minutes away from campus depending on traffic and is on the corner of Raul Longoria and Freddie Gonzalez. The official address is 1616 S Raul Longoria Rd #9169, Edinburg, TX 78542. Because the stadium is not on campus, where are students supposed to park?

According to Swanson, parking right in front of the stadium is reserved for season pass holders, but there are several free parking options in various areas. Fans can park at the CESS building, Edinburg Municipal Park, as well as the orange and gray lots on Doolittle Road. 

For more information on parking spaces, visit the RalleyTheValley website. 

Just Enjoy

For students who have never been to a game, it’s never too late to go to one and enjoy it. 

Harris said she has never been to a football game but plans to go to one. 

“I did go to the basketball and volleyball games last semester, so I do wanna check out the football team, see how they are,” she said. 

Swanson said it’s a good time and the student section itself gets really rowdy during games, and it’s just an overall good environment. 

“This program wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the support we had from the university and from our students,” he said. 

For Vaqueros who want to know more information about the football games, visit the UTRGV football website.