7:00 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3. Under the lights, Westfield was waging a fierce battle against Phillipsburg in the North 2, Group 5 Sectional semifinals. The seniors on the team were playing one of the last games of their athletic careers. In the bitter fall cold, fans huddled close in the stands. The Westfield faithful packed the meager away stands while Phillipsburg’s fans stared them down over on the home side. The lively Blue Devil marching band pumped a potent heartbeat into the crowd. The State Liners’ instruments on the other side of the field boomed in response. Their student section, right behind the marching band, screamed and stomped in support of their team. The Westfield student section, nonexistent.
A school that has just under 2,000 students, along with a fantastic athletic program, should never have to worry about student attendance at games. However, when half the school cannot drive and most of the drivers are unwilling to travel far to away games, teams end up playing in front of weak audiences. Westfield needs to utilize the bus system to give students a way to transport themselves to games with fan buses.
After the Phillipsburg game, senior captain of the football team Chris Rossetti said, “We only had about ten students there,” noting that “it was a far drive.” He also stressed the importance of having an energetic student section at games. “When there’s a lot of school spirit at a game it brings up the energy of the team and the entire stadium, so I feel like it’s important that students come,” he said.
The Instagram account, @dubfieldathletics, has been used for years at Westfield to generate student support for athletics by reminding followers of game dates and organizing themes for student sections. Ava DeSena, a student administrator of the account, concurred with Rossetti on the power of fans at games and the need to attract more students to games. “I don’t think enough students show up. And I think that’s because finding access to rides is really hard, especially because more than half the school can’t drive yet,” she said. “If they have access to transportation, there’ll be a lot more people at the games which is needed because the energy in the stands really shows through the energy on the field.”
For some students who cannot drive, they can find rides with other students. Westfield student Will Kirby said, “As a junior, some of my friends have licenses,” but sometimes he cannot find a ride with a friend. “I’m always willing to pay an Uber to [drive me there] so I can support the team. It’s always worth it to get out there and support my friends,” he said. Not all students have close friends who have licenses, especially underclassmen. There is a severe lack of transportation to games, and fan buses can solve that issue.
As for students who can drive, the distance is the problem. The question is whether student drivers are willing to drive far for games. “You can see from the Phillipsburg game, an hour-long drive, not that many people showed face. Based on that, I’d say no,” said senior Evan Alvarez. Once again, a fan bus solves the problem of drives that are too long.
The cost of these fan buses can be mitigated by funds from the Boosters Association and by fees to get on the bus. As Kirby stated before, some students are willing to pay ride services such as Uber for drives to games. A $10-20 fee for two-way transportation from a game will be paid by students who ride on the bus. DeSena believes that the cost is not an issue: “I think [fan buses] are a viable solution [for creating more student attendance] because if we do fundraising on our own we could definitely afford it. We’d pay fees to get on the buses, and people would take the opportunity to go on the bus, especially because they’re with all of their friends.”
The bus ride itself would be an unforgettable experience for high school students. “I think the [environment] would be electric in a fan bus,” said Kirby. “I can’t think of a better situation with everyone hyped up to go see the game.” The bus only adds to the fun of going to see a game. “The energy that having all of those students together before the game would definitely be fun and would transfer to the energy in the stands,” said Alvarez.
There are roadblocks in the way of implementing fan buses into Westfield. SGA official Kaitlynn Czarnecki said that “the SGA would 100% support fan buses at Westfield,” but the administration opposes the idea. Also, in the midst of a severe shortage of bus drivers that has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, finding drivers for a fan bus will be difficult. It may be easier for some games that are not during busy times, such as the weekends.
Nevertheless, Westfield needs to push for fan buses. The school needs to take advantage of its stupendous athletics and get students to games. Sports are the greatest unifying factor in a high school community, and fan buses will be the glue that holds fans and athletes together.
