HUNTINGTON -- Whether picking up season tickets or purchasing single game tickets at Cam Henderson Center, Marshall University fans will see a new smiling face thanking them for their purchase.
And, it will likely be a familiar face they have seen at Marshall events for the last several years.
Aaron Goebbel has moved over from his position as director of events to associate athletic director of ticketing. He replaces Matt Monroe, who went to work at the University of Maryland.
"They each have their level of stress, but as far as a day-to-day basis, this is a little more enjoyable to me because there is a structure to it," Goebbel said. "A lot of what I did as an events guy was working on a whim, and that's regardless of where you are at -- Marshall, East Carolina, Texas or Ohio State. Selling tickets and processing all our orders isn't going to be affected by a 4 o'clock storm."
While actual thunderstorms might not affect Goebbel's new duties, he comes into the job right in the middle of a virtual thunderstorm.
The hiring of Goebbel comes at a time when Marshall's ticket office is at its busiest. Those in the office are not only processing football ticket orders, but sending out all the orders that already have been placed.
Goebbel also has been busy finishing his responsibilities with the operations department, including getting the stadium ready for fall camp and the parking lot paved and lined in anticipation of the season.
While Goebbel has his feet to the fire, he says the experiences he gained as director of events and in the operations department will help him let prospective customers know about how much Marshall cares about having the community at athletic events.
"I can tell that person what we have to offer, whether it is the functionality from an operational side or how customer-friendly we are," Goebbel said. "When you have insight on the seating situations of the stadium, it makes it much easier when it comes to seating people and making them comfortable."
To only be 26 years old, Goebbel has an immense amount of knowledge on the intricacies of an athletic department and now -- four years removed from getting his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University -- he is an associate athletic director for an NCAA Division I program.
Goebbel said he never expected his career to progress as quickly as it has. He credits Marshall for not only giving him his current opportunity, but providing several opportunities that other universities would not entrust to younger workers in the business side of sports.
"This is one of the best places that I ever could have made a transition like this, from an appointment that was vastly different from what I was used to," Goebbel said. "With the amount of support we have here and the people we have in the community, there has been a great response and a smooth transition which I don't think you will find in a lot of places."
The biggest transition for Goebbel's new position will come Aug. 30 at 4:30 p.m. when Marshall opens the football season with Illinois State at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Prior to the game and until halftime, Goebbel will be tallying fan totals, but late in the third quarter, he will be able to do something that he hasn't since he was midway through his undergraduate work at BGSU.
"From the third quarter until the end of the game, when I can actually sit as a spectator and watch the game, I don't know what I'm going to do," Goebbel said. "All my life I've had my friends going to games and doing what they do and I haven't been able to sit down. It's going to be great to sit down at that point and relax a little bit."
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