Winston-Salem State Betting on Night Games to Boost Attendance to 10,000

Winston-Salem State University is turning on the stadium lights and rolling out an ambitious plan to pack Bowman Gray Stadium this fall. Athletics director Eric Burns has set a bold target: 10,000 fans per home game, and he's banking on a return to night football and aggressive season-ticket sales to make it happen.

The Rams will launch their home schedule with two 8 p.m. kickoffs, hosting Mars Hill on September 5 before welcoming Johnson C. Smith on September 12. These prime-time starts aren't just about nostalgia — they're a calculated strategy to remove barriers for alumni, families, and fans traveling from Charlotte and surrounding areas.

“The goal is to put 10K in Bowman Gray,” Burns told HBCU Gameday during freshman move-in on August 8. “That's what we're trying to move to.”

The Challenge Behind the Goal

The 2025 numbers reveal just how ambitious this target is. Winston-Salem State reported 33,685 fans across four home dates last season, with an official average of 8,421 — the fifth highest in NCAA Division II football. But that figure tells only part of the story.

Homecoming against Livingstone drew 16,500 fans and accounted for nearly half the season total. The other three home games drew 5,500 against Lincoln, 5,685 against Virginia State, and 6,000 against Virginia Union. Strip away Homecoming, and the Rams averaged just 5,728 fans per home game.

Bowman Gray Stadium seats approximately 17,000 spectators, the third highest capacity in Division II football. A crowd of 10,000 would fill close to 60 percent of the historic venue.

Why Night Games Make Sense

Burns said he studied attendance data from previous WSSU night games before setting the early 2026 schedule. New head coach Tory Woodbury also championed the move to prime time.

“Coach Woodbury, he was very adamant about, 'Hey, man, we want to play at night. We want to play at night,'” Burns said.

The 8 p.m. kickoffs give fans more time to reach Winston-Salem, especially those whose children participate in Pop Warner football or other Saturday activities. “A lot of times that 1:00 doesn't allow them to be able to get to the game,” Burns explained. “Now we take the excuse out of the way. The game is at 8:00.”

The later start also creates breathing room for tailgating. “Now you don't have to compete with those trying to tailgate versus coming into the game,” Burns said. “You have your tailgating time. Now let's come into the game. Let's cheer on the Rams.”

Season Tickets Leading the Charge

Beyond game-time logistics, the department is building its crowd before gates even open. Burns said season-ticket sales are running ahead of last year's pace, providing guaranteed revenue and stronger numbers for sponsorship conversations.

“It's big from a sponsorship standpoint,” Burns said.

Winston-Salem State has priced general-admission season tickets at $130, covering all five home games including Homecoming. Individual tickets cost $30 for each of the four standard games and $50 for Homecoming. Buying all five separately would cost $170, making the season pass a $40 savings.

“To me, it's a no-brainer,” Burns said. He also encouraged ticket holders who cannot attend every game to give their tickets to other supporters rather than letting them go unused.

The first answer will come September 5, when Woodbury leads his squad into Bowman Gray for the first time as head coach. For WSSU and its fans, the lights will be on — and the expectations even brighter.

Originally reported by HBCU Gameday.