EXCLUSIVE: Villanova AD Eric Roedl’s Vision for Wildcats Football

Villanova Football will host an FCS semifinal game for the second time in program history when they take on the Illinois State Redbirds at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20. 

Their last time out against Tarleton State, the No. 12 seeded Wildcats played on ESPN and helped draw a television audience of more than 1.5 million viewers, a level of attention seldom seen for an FCS team — much less one taking part in a noon kickoff. That increased share of the national spotlight could give Villanova a recruiting boost, but many programs operate at a loss for postseason events outside of the major revenue generators like FBS football and men’s basketball.

Philadelphia Sports Now spoke with Villanova Vice President and Director of Athletics Eric Roedl about those challenges, and how the Wildcats plan to make the most of their playoff run in spite of them. 

“When you host postseason NCAA championship events there’s a financial model, and the NCAA requires some guarantees and significant shares of ticket revenue. It’s not gonna be a significant financial driver to host NCAA postseason [events],” Roedl said. “When you host NCAA events you create a budget, you create pricing, and we’ve got some financial obligations to the NCAA… What we want to do from a financial perspective is try to cover our costs as best we can and mitigate the obligations that we have to the NCAA.”

Per a report from Eric Olson of the Associated Press, that financial obligation can climb as high as 85 percent in the case of the Montana State Bobcats, last year’s runner-up. 

Savoring the Moment

While Roedl and his staff do their best to break even despite that handicap, they also want to focus on the moment at hand.

“The big thing we’ve really been focused on has been creating the best atmosphere and doing everything we can to attract fans to come out and support the team… [It’s] such an amazing opportunity for our football student-athletes and for our program, and they deserve a great atmosphere for a national semifinal,” Roedl said. “Through a combination of pricing and all the incentives and the gameday enhancements that we’ve rolled out, we feel that we’re gonna have a great crowd and provide a really good experience.”

Villanova’s incentives include extending on-campus housing another 24 hours to accommodate students wanting to stay for the semifinal; $2 beers and hot dogs during the first quarter, free chicken sandwiches and Santa hats issued to some of the first fans in the gates, and a chance to win tickets to the Big East Tournament or for the rest of the men’s basketball season.

Roedl praised Villanova’s administration across the board for how they’ve risen to the challenge of getting fans to come out during winter break: it helped that they had a test run during their First Round win over Harvard, which took place during Thanksgiving break.

“I’d say it’s been kind of a large-scale coordinated effort with the athletic department, including [Villanova Football Head] Coach [Mark] Ferrante and our football program, and really broader campus: the president’s office, the advancement office, the alumni association, student life,” Roedl said. “We pulled everybody together early in the process and said ‘let’s be really aggressive with this and try to create as much buzz as we possibly can.’”

Renewed Focus On Football

Roedl cited the competitive Philadelphia sports media market, with half a dozen universities, and teams in each of the four major sports leagues (as well as other professional leagues like MLS and NLL), as another challenge he wants to take on, ensuring Villanova Football succeeds in the cutthroat landscape of college sports.

“Football is something that we are definitely prioritizing, and it’s gonna be a big priority as we move forward…we want to be really intentional and creative and aggressive when it comes to football, because we’ve long had a great football product and a really successful football program. I know many people have invested a lot in football over the years, and we want to just continue to build on that foundation that’s been established,” Roedl said. 

“[We understand that] we’re in a really competitive market here, and if we’re gonna look to move the needle and create more energy and excitement around Villanova Football, that we’re gonna have to be aggressive with how we go out and promote and create visibility and market the program. So our team is really aligned on that objective, and this playoff run has been a great asset in trying to build a foundation for the future.”

Other recent steps to ensure the Wildcats’ success include a move from the CAA to the Patriot League, widely considered a step up, which will happen ahead of next season.

Nova Nation

Eric Roedl said he thinks that Villanova, both as an administration and as a community, is up to the challenge they face. A 1997 graduate who served as co-captain of the Wildcats’ tennis team, he knows firsthand how tightly-knit the university, its students and alumni are.

“I think Villanova really leverages the strength of the Villanova community really well… and I think now it’s just a matter of really emphasizing specific events and being really intentional with our strategy. Trying some creative, fun new things to get excited about coming out,” Roedl said. 

“I’ve always had a great understanding of Villanova I think generally since I was a student. But to come back here as the athletic director in that type of a leadership role and be able to immerse myself in the community, and just getting out and being around people and listening and learning and seeing the way that people connect with our university, the passion that Villanovans have, I think, is unique.” 

Roedl continued.

“The type of community we have here is unique. And the alignment that our board, the leadership of the University with Father Peter and his cabinet and the great team that we have here in athletics, we’re poised to do some great things here. We’ve had many good coaches and administrators through Villanova Athletics that have helped build that foundation, and I’m just honored and blessed to be here and excited to continue to help lead us into the future.”

The next step in that journey begins on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.