University of Evansville AD: Ford Center kicking out player families 'won't happen again'

Anthony Kristensen, Evansville Courier & Press
·4 min read

EVANSVILLE — There's a solution in place between the University of Evansville and Ford Center after a parent of one of the Purple Aces' men's basketball players voiced frustration on Twitter this week about being asked to leave the venue.

UE Athletics Director Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried said Friday evening it "won't happen again" as he delivered a video update on social media for Aces fans. His full comments are below:

"I've always said I'll be transparent: There are things we can do better and there are things we're doing well. One area I have addressed that has recently been out there in the public has been a parent being removed from the Ford Center. We have addressed those concerns and we have a plan moving forward with the Ford Center where that won't happen again. I feel confident in that. We want a first-class experience with our fans, parents of our student-athletes, recruits and eveyone. Again, I've addressed those concerns and we'll make sure we do better moving forward. I know the Ford Center is right there with us."

‘It’s every game’:UE men’s basketball parent upset Ford Center staff kicks out families

Following the Aces' 83-65 loss to in-state rival Indiana State on Wednesday, Ken Strawbridge, the father of the Purple Aces' leading scorer Kenny Strawbridge Jr., waited inside Ford Center to talk with Kenny after the game. This is their routine. They don't have any issues on the road, but they've recently encountered some in Evansville.

Ken was asked to leave the arena by Ford Center staff members before he was able to see his son. So, he went to Twitter to voice his frustration because he claims it wasn't the first time it's happened.

"The disrespect of @TheFordCenter is real," he tweeted. "Kicking the parents and family out of the building before they can see their kid is ridiculous. Drive 3 hours, then have to wait in the cold to see your child. Game after game….sad."

VenuWorks, which operates Ford Center, told the Courier & Press on Friday morning the building must be cleared within 30 minutes of an event for several reasons, ranging from the dismissal of first responders to allowing the clean-up crew access to all public areas. VenuWorks added that this policy is not unique to UE events and applies to all spectators.

Moving forward, however, players' families and others associated with the teams will be exempt from those policies.

The Aces' next home game is Wednesday night against Northern Iowa.

Siegfried also provided the following statement to the Courier & Press in a text message:

"I am working with Scott Schoenike (Executive Director, Ford Center). We agreed that there should be more time allowed for fans (specifically families of student-athletes) to remain in the facility. The time could change, but we agreed that at least 45 minutes should be allowed. We do understand that the conversion (removal of court) is important, but we will have a location where families can move to in order to wait on their kids inside. I want to be careful about overpromising publicly, but we are also discussing a way to identify home and visiting parents. Some schools provide wristbands for anyone on a home or visiting team pass list. This allows ushers the ability to know who are families.

"I also spoke to Mr. Ken Strawbridge. He and I have a pretty strong relationship. HIs goal is to not only make sure he can see his kid, but he also wants to make sure the visiting teams parents have that opportunity. There are other smaller things that will be done. For instance, the leadership of the Ford Center will have a communication process to make sure security/personnel realize that some flexibility will be important. I am also going to have a UE staff member monitor closely the next couple games to make sure we do not have any other incidents."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: UE AD: Ford Center kicking out player families 'won't happen again'