DES MOINES, Iowa — The opening game for the Iowa State Cyclones kicked off last weekend, but not without a hitch.
While Cyclone fans left the stadium happy to secure a 30 to 9 win over the UNI Panthers, ISU senior associate athletic director Ryan McGuire said getting into the game was tricky for some.
"It was a lot of a lot of events that kind of conspired against us, you know. First and foremost, we were unprepared to help our fans kind of navigate the technology that we had added this year," McGuire told Local 5.
Many fans fans were caught by surprise when they went to present their tickets, only to find out it was a barcode they needed off of an app.
"They asked about an app, and I didn't know what that was. So, they gave me a paper that had a barcode, and I scanned it. And at first, it was kind of confusing to use the app," attendee Rachel Joseph said.
Mackenzie Carney also felt the affects of the change.
"People were using the app, but we had no idea about it, and even when we got up for them to like scan our tickets they were really confused when we had the paper one still. Because they were like 'Why don't you have this?'" Carney added.
The university announced it would only allow mobile tickets for game admission earlier this summer — a shift McGuire sees happening all over.
But it's a change for dedicated Cyclone fans.
"This is a new type of mobile ticket, which is different to use," McGuire said. "You cannot use screenshots, you cannot print at home."
ISU sent out instructions prior to the game for the new ticket system but admitted they could have done better to prepare fans. Moving forward they are working to find solutions that help move the line faster.
"We're also going to have additional customer service representatives that the two main gates, in addition to kind of a holding area where when people do have trouble, we can kind of get them out of line and get their problems figured out," McGuire said.
ISU's ticket department shared the best way to avoid the issues you may have experienced last game is by downloading your ticket to your smart phone before you head to the stadium. To read the university's mobile ticketing FAQ, click here.