With fall sports underway at the University of Evansville for the 2025-26 season, the athletics department aims to match or exceed its high revenue and attendance numbers from last season.
UE’s sports programs generated more than $800,000 in ticket revenue during the 2024-25 season, the highest amount in more than a decade. Three teams—men’s soccer, baseball and volleyball—achieved their highest revenue in nearly 10 years. With more than 100,000 fans attending home events, the men’s basketball team witnessed its highest average attendance over the last five seasons.
Members of UE’s athletics staff attributed the success to a variety of factors, including building relationships with fans and developing winning teams.
“You have to have a captivating experience. You have to get your fans not only excited about what you’re doing, but also they have to understand that you’re willing to listen and adjust appropriately,” said Joel Zimba, executive deputy athletics director for external relations.
“People want to watch a winning program,” added Robbe Tarver, men’s soccer head coach. “I don’t think you can underestimate how important getting results on the field is to having support like that.”
Ticket revenue
Zimba, who came to UE in 2024, believes the university’s ticket revenue achievement was a culmination of years of effort from all corners of the institution.
“It’s a collaboration between our programs, our coaches, our student athletes and our fans,” said Zimba. “The success on the field, on the court, combined with the willingness of coaches and staff and student athletes to engage on a deep level with the community, that’s been the biggest contributing factor.”
The 2024 baseball season saw head coach Wes Carroll guide his players to win their second Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship, make their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2006, capture their first NCAA Regional title and advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. Zimba said the successful post-season run created excitement for all of UE’s athletic programs during the 2024-25 school year.
Then, during the 2024 men’s soccer season, Tarver led his team to a MVC tournament title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly 30 years.
“To have two sports taking the NCAA by storm in such a short period of time so close to one another, that’s another thing that we’ve made sure to capitalize on,” said Zimba. “[Plus the volleyball program] has been extremely intentional about connecting with club sports, and that tends to bring a lot more young fans to those events.”
Tarver, who came to UE in 2020 as an assistant coach and associate head coach, said the men’s soccer team has significantly progressed since his arrival.
“We had a decent amount of turnover after the COVID year, and we weren’t successful at all. We retained a lot of guys that were committed to turning around the program and then added some guys that maybe could be difference makers,” said Tarver. “That confluence was important to making strides to make us more competitive year in and year out.”
Zimba also credited the sports success to a vision set forth by 2022 athletics director hire Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried, whose contract was renewed in July.
“It’s our job, whether it be external [staff] or our coaches, to work off that vision and essentially bring it to fruition so our fans can feel it and embrace it and get excited about supporting the Aces,” Zimba said.
Fan attendance
Drawing more than 100,000 fans to UE home events has been a longtime goal of the athletics department to build momentum for the future, according to Zimba.
“It’s great to engage your current fans, but we’re trying to build sustainable excitement long after we’re all here. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Tarver said passionate fans, such as UE alumni and former players, have persistently supported the men’s soccer team. He’s glad to see interest spread among the current undergraduates.
“We’ve seen more students come out to games, which is important. And that’s the name of the game for the whole athletics department: ‘How do we engage the student fan base?’ Winning always helps that,” said Tarver.
Regarding the 2024-25 men’s basketball season, Zimba connected the team’s high attendance numbers to the influence of head coach David Ragland.
“If he walks around the community, people recognize him. And there’s a reason for that. They just enjoy being around him. That energy translates to a high level of performance on the court, a high level of commitment for student athletes, and it strengthens the ties between the program and the city,” Zimba said.
Under Ragland, the men’s basketball players more than tripled their wins from the previous season and clinched their first postseason berth in nearly 10 years. Zimba also acknowledged downtown Evansville’s Ford Center, where the Purple Aces play home games, as a fan attraction.
“The experience that we have in the Ford Center, and that we can provide. [The facility] is probably one of the best venues in the MVC,” said Zimba.
‘The future is bright’
For UE’s 2025-26 athletics season, Zimba is focused on building off the success of last season with realistic expectations.
“If we can duplicate what we’ve done, that’s a great starting point. But we’re always looking for ways to be innovative and improve,” said Zimba. “The future is bright, but we all need to come together and continue to push this thing forward.”
For Tarver, setting the men’s soccer team on a steady path during the regular season is one of his primary goals.
“We have high hopes, and we feel like this program should be competing for national championships, and we’re not there yet. It takes time, and you have to be consistent,” said Tarver. “A one-off good year, almost anybody, any program can do that at some point. But consistent success is hard. And that’s what this year is about. Proving to ourselves that we can compete every single year at a high level.”
Keeping up with the changing landscape of collegiate athletics is also a priority for Zimba and his department.
“We have to ensure that we stay on top of it and stay with the times and understand, ‘What are other people doing in the conference? What are the people doing around the country?’” he said. “What mattered last year may not matter this year and may not matter a year from now.”
One new feature this season is the launch of the Purple Aces 50/50 Raffle. Fans can buy tickets at UE athletic events and the Carson Center Ticket Office, with drawings held throughout the year. Proceeds benefit the Purple Aces Club.
“Our fans are going to enjoy that,” said Zimba. “[We’re] staying open to what the needs of our fans are and trying to capitalize on that and provide the best experience possible.”