Cavaliers hope football success will translate to fuller stands at Scott Stadium

If you build it -- a winning football progam, that is -- will they come?

Virginia's football program certainly hopes so. Coming off a school-record 11-win season, the Cavaliers have launched an initiative to fill the stands at Scott Stadium more regularly this fall.

The athletic department recently announced a "Sell Out Scott" campaign for the Aug. 29 season opener against N.C. State, seeking the program's first home football sellout since 2008. The promotion includes family packages starting at $23 per ticket for groups of 4-10.

Don't miss the moment 🏟️

Get Tickets🎟️ https://t.co/Ix92eaCKlZ #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/DC3UcG8x4L
— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) July 10, 2026

Selling out the N.C. State game will be a challenge because it was not originally meant to be a home game. The Cavaliers and Wolfpack were scheduled to meet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but logistical issues forced it to be moved to Charlottesville.

Football attendance has lagged in recent years as the Cavaliers struggled to record consistent winning seasons. According to D1.Ticker, which measures attendance, Virginia drew an average of 38,999 fans per home game in 2024 to Scott Stadium, which has a listed capacity of 61,500.

That figure improved to 48,776 last year as Virginia went 11-3 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title. It included announced crowds of over 55,000 for the Cavaliers' final three home games of the season, against Washington State, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech.

Still, it was a slightly smaller gathering of 50,107 for a dramatic prime-time double-overtime win over Florida State --many of whom ended up celebrating on the turf afterward -- that stuck in head coach Tony Elliott's mind.

"If it's up to me, we're at max capacity, and they're crazy like they were that Friday night," Elliott said at this week's ACC KIckoff preseason media event. "The field storming was awesome, but even before that, there were penalties that were caused, there were communication issues that were caused --you could feel the energy, the students were awesome....

"Washington State, people don't talk about that game, but it was an electric atmosphere. So that's what we can be and who we want to be and who we are and who we should be. That's what I expect, and I've been challenging our fan base. When we show up and we show out, there's no better place in the country. It's right there in the center of Grounds, it's truly a college stadium in a college town. It can be unbelievable."

Virginia's last sellout came in 2008, when a standing room-only crowd of 64,947 fans attended a loss to visiting Southern Cal,

Even with the late-season surge in 2025, Virginia finished ninth in the 17-team ACC in average attendance. While the school has seen an increase in fund-raising, ticket revenue is vital in a new era of college sports that includes NIL money and direct payments to athletes.

The Virginia Athletics Foundation made changes to its season ticket policies before the 2025 season, giving priority to major donors and moving some longtime plan holders to less desirable seats. Still, the team's surprising success helped raise average attendance by roughly 10,000 per game.

"It's show business," Elliott said. "We've gotta show. We've gotta show you that it's worth the cost associated with it. And I'm not just talking about the financial cost; there's a big commitment when fans decide to come to a game. You have to travel, they have to pack up their family. Their Sundays are impacted, their Fridays are impacted.

"There's a big burden and commitment. I just want to make sure they know we're doing everything on our part to make sure that when you make that investment, you're getting a return on your investment because you're having a top-notch experience -- in the stands and also that you're proud of the product on the field."

Add us as a preferred source on Google