Teal smoke and fire towers. What did fans see at CCU’s first home football game?

New CCU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Chance Miller was animated on the sideline early during Coastal Carolina’s first home game of the season.

An administrator known for his love of winning, Miller donned a light teal blazer and jumped up and down, swinging his arms up and down to hype the Chanticleer student section and 19,214 fans before the game started — the fourth-biggest crowd in Brooks Stadium history. Once Coastal’s matchup against William & Mary got started, Miller’s spirit for the school didn’t dissipate, matching the jubilant energy of the cheerleaders standing nearby.

And when CCU quarterback Ethan Vasko connected with wide receiver Tray Taylor for a 39-yard gain on Coastal’s first drive, Miller was intently clapping on his new team. The game is the beginning of his makeover of home games at Coastal.

Miller has experience making upgrades for home football games. At his former school, the University of South Carolina, Miller said one expenditure stood out as the best purchase the school ever made.

It converted a close to 80,000-seat Williams-Brice Stadium into an EDM dance floor. The Gamecocks added LED lights to the stadium, starting a new tradition of lighting up the gridiron and generating a cacophony of fan reaction.

“It just allowed you to change the game environment, especially as you know, when the time changes and the sun starts setting earlier, you can change the environment quickly and get people fired up,” Miller said. “So that’s one thing I really wanted to do here.”

Indeed, when Miller first came to CCU, one of his primary goals as athletic director — which included increasing revenue generation — was to upgrade the fan experience for Coastal fans at Brooks Stadium, he said in an interview on Sept. 3. And once CCU took the field for its first home football game against William & Mary on Sept. 7, Miller’s changes from 2023 were notable.

The stadium received a new scoreboard with video effects and a new ribbon scoreboard along the bleachers. The team ran out of the tunnel for the start of the game, met by teal smoke and fire towers.

One of the changes was familiar, though, as motorcycles formed the entrance for the Chanticleers as they charged onto the teal field. In 2023, motorcyclists greeted the Chants as they ran out of the tunnel before Coastal’s Sept. 21, 2023, loss to Georgia State. Miller said motorcyclists are now a permanent addition to the entrance.

The entire production was an experience, and Miller said the goal is to build a more profound culture for the university that carries into the future.

“We would love to see new traditions be formed, and (students) can come back 20 years from now and say, ‘Hey, I started that.’”

Many aspects of the overhaul drew reactions from the student section, which sometimes dissipated after halftime during 2023. While the game featured a boost in energy, the student section again thinned after the first half. However, building culture takes time, and Miller said students need an incentive to stay engaged.

“If you’re asking them to stay, you’ve got to give them something other than the game,” Miller said. “It has got to be a production.”

Miller said the school wants to revamp the student section, renaming it the “Conwave” after the city of Conway and the nearby beach. Miller said the student section will feature a DJ, and after every touchdown, students will get to surf the “Conwave” using teal boogie boards.

While Miller said several changes would be in place for Coastal’s first home game, he also said more were in the pipeline.

As the Gamecocks did with Williams-Brice Stadium, Miller said Brooks Stadium would add new lights and a laser show, possibly mid-season. The team’s entrance tunnel will also light up with teal lights.

“You’re going to continually see more things added to the fan experience all through the year,” Miller said.

These additions could entice more attendees to stay throughout the game. Still, the enhancements to the fan experience also coincide with one of Miller’s other priorities of revenue generation for Coastal athletics, as creating a dedicated fanbase out of students now could also make a loyal base of donors in the coming decades.

“You’ve got to be able to have great experience to generate revenue,” Miller added. “People don’t want to spend money and attend your games if they don’t have a good experience.”

Beyond college athletics, consumer trends in the Myrtle Beach area and elsewhere are changing toward more experience-based shopping and live events — with customers willing to spend more for a moment or adventure. Part of upgrading the fan experience will also include providing those moments.

Miller said that for CCU’s home game against Virginia on Sept. 21, fans will be able to buy additional opportunities, such as taking a photo with the mascot and a coach at the 50-yard line, running out onto the field with the team or other “experiential” things.

While the teal smoke and towers of fire were notable changes, others were subtler.

The changes will also include new amenities for patrons. Free water bottle stations were added, additional concession areas are set up along the concourse area, and people entering the stadium through the gate near South Carolina Highway 544 will get 30% off from all Teal Nation Stores.

Miller also said that concessions will go cashless to improve the speed of lines. He added that those with cash can convert it into a concessions card using reverse ATMs on the east and west sides of Brooks Stadium. Miller said these reverse ATMs should be ready by the Virginia game.