December 17, 2005
Trustees OK athletics ticket increases, retain faculty and staff discount
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Board of Trustees today (Saturday, Dec. 17) voted to increase football ticket prices, increase lower-arena ticket prices for men's basketball, and increase parking fees for football and volleyball games.
The action provides an inflationary revenue increase for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, which depends on ticket sales for about 50 percent of its $45 million annual operating budget, said Morgan Burke, director of intercollegiate athletics.
Under the new pricing structure, all football season ticket prices will increase by $1 per game, with the following exceptions: Prime seating between the 30-yard lines will increase by $2 a game, as will seating in the grandstands under the Jumbotron. Single-game tickets for premium games will increase by $2 per game, as will single-game student tickets. Tickets sold on game day for the south stands will increase by $4 a game.
For men's basketball, single-game and season tickets in the lower 18 rows of Mackey Arena will increase by $2 per game. Student season tickets and upper arena seat prices will remain unchanged.
"With football and men's basketball ticket sales providing financial support for all other intercollegiate squads, our ticket pricing is intended to strike a balance between impact on fans and the need to generate new revenue to continue to be self-supporting while funding 18 sports," Burke said. "A number of pricing options are in place to keep our events within the reach of families and make admission affordable for Purdue students."
Beginning with the 2006 season, public football season tickets for prime seating between the 30-yard lines will be $276, up from $264. Faculty and staff season tickets will increase to $221 from $211. For seats outside the prime section, public season tickets will be $210, up from $204. For faculty and staff, non-prime seating will be $168, up from $163.
For single-game tickets in prime seating areas, prices will be $55 for premium games and $49 for non-premium for the public, although seats in those areas are unavailable because they are traditionally purchased as season tickets. For students, premium games will be $24 on a single-game basis and $21 for non-premium. Premium games are identified before ticket applications are mailed, but generally are high-demand games such as Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame.
Season tickets in the south stands will be $108, up from $96.
"We call the south stands the Family FanZone because that area continues to offer a tremendous value for families," Burke said.
All football season ticket and season parking pass prices are based on a six-game home schedule. In 2006 the Boilermakers will play a seven-game home schedule.
Men's basketball season tickets in the lower arena will be $384 for the general public, up from $352. For faculty and staff, season tickets will be $307, up from $282. The price is based on a 16-game home schedule.
Upper-arena men's basketball season tickets will be unchanged at $272.
Single-game tickets for premium games will be $29, up from $27, in the lower arena and $25 instead of $23 for non-premium games. Premium games are decided on a season-by-season basis, but are generally high-demand conference and non-conference games. Upper arena ticket prices will remain unchanged at $18 for non-premium games and $22 for premium games.
In proposing the new ticket pricing structure, Burke stressed that the intent was to minimize the impact on students as much as possible. The practice of offering student ticket prices for football to first-year graduates will be continued.
The Gold Card, a discount card traditionally available to students that provided admission to all sports except men's basketball, will be discontinued under the new pricing system. The former Platinum Card will be rebranded as an all-sport ticket that includes men's basketball. The all-sport ticket will be available to students for $190, the same price as the Platinum Card and a 30 percent discount compared to the price of a student season ticket for all sports.
"The all-sport ticket is the best deal for Purdue students and also helps our Olympic sports build a larger fan base," Burke said. "Whether it's catching a softball game after class or heading over for a baseball game on a Sunday afternoon, we offer great Big Ten action, and the games end up costing very little if you use the card often."
For football and men's basketball, lower-cost options will remain. A three-game mini-season ticket offers an 8 percent discount. For basketball games, the "ceiling fan" promotion, which includes seating in the top five rows of Mackey Arena, offers seats priced at $10.
The discount offered to faculty and staff for football and men's basketball tickets will remain in effect. At 20 percent, the price cut is the maximum allowed by the Internal Revenue Service without the savings being considered taxable income. Football and men's basketball tickets are available through payroll deduction for faculty and staff.
"All of our Big Ten peers are in the same situation as Purdue, with rising costs and revenue streams that are dependent on ticket sales," Burke said. "A few have chosen to scale back traditional discounts offered to faculty and staff, but we will continue to keep our tickets as affordable as possible for Purdue employees."
Football game parking fees will increase for several lots. Parking adjacent to Ross-Ade Stadium will remain a benefit of John Purdue Club membership, with lots priced at $10 or $15 a game and $60 or $90 for six-game seasons.
All remote recreational vehicle lots will cost $30 per game or $180 for a six-game season and $210 for a seven-game season for the intramural field RV lot. Parking in the RV lot nearest Ross-Ade will remain $50 per game and be available only on a per-game basis. Bus parking will increase $5 per game to $30.
A new $2-per-match season parking pass for volleyball games also will be established under the pricing system.
Writer: Jay Cooperider, (765) 494-3197, coop@purdue.edu
Source: Morgan Burke, (765) 494-3189, mjb@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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