This year Owatonna started using the HomeTown Fan app. This app allows the user to easily buy their tickets on their mobile device within the app. When the user arrives at the event they are going to attend, they simply scan their phone at the door and proceed to the event. The HomeTown Fan app eliminates all cash and paper factors. 

Sporting fans see both positive and negative sides of the HomeTown fan app. Junior Makayla Mahlman said, “Parents of students who play a sport don’t mind using the app, it’s quick and easy. The struggle comes when we have to pre-order tickets for our grandparents if they want to come to the game because they don’t have a mobile device to purchase the tickets on. The HomeTown Fan app can keep our grandparents from even coming to our home games.“  The HomeTown fan app takes away the positive factor of home games at the OHS. 

The HomeTown Fan app can create a negative impact on home game sports, leaving the ones who watch home games the most to be left at home because they lack a mobile device. Student athlete manager junior Reegan Lindholm said, “Not all high schoolers have their own debit cards and have to manage to find their way to get into home games, having a cash option will get students involved in more home games.” The negative impact the HomeTown fan app has on home games should provide a solution like having both a digital factor and a cash factor. With COVID-19 the change to digital ticketing was the solution to the problem, but the solution has become more of a problem than a solution. Because of Covid-19, OHS partnered with HomeTown fan app to keep the community safe, but taking that step takes away the fans. Activity tickets are available for cost from the school and senior citizens who live in Owatonna can get a free activity ticket.

Students at OHS want a big audience of people to cheer them on while playing on their home field. The HomeTown Fan app makes this possible for many, but without the two factors of digital and cash tickets it eliminates the home game experience for some.