April 10, 2009

Trustees approve men's b-ball ticket increase; other sports, student tickets unchanged

The adjustment applies only to general public and faculty and staff tickets. Student prices will not rise, nor will the cost of the student VIP card, which includes a men's basketball ticket.

Because there will be fewer home games on the 2009-10 schedule, the cost of a general and public and faculty/staff season ticket will be lower than this past year's price. The price increase is the first since the 2007-08 season.

The action will enable the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to make up some of the revenue lost by hosting fewer games. Men's basketball, which is the second largest source of athletic ticket revenue at 8.5 percent, will have 17 home games in 2009-10, three fewer than last season. Without the increase, revenue would drop more than $560,000 from 2008-09. The approved increase is projected to offset approximately 45 percent of the shortfall.

Intercollegiate Athletics chose to forego a rise in football ticket prices for the 2009 season, an increase that could have generated $350,000 to $500,000. Football ticket revenue represents 24.5 percent of the department's total revenue.

Purdue Athletics depends on ticket sales for approximately 34 percent of its annual budgeted revenue. The department is self-financing and receives no state or university funding.

"Budget pressures are responsible for our request of a modest inflationary increase in one sport," said Morgan Burke, director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "We strive to be nationally prominent and excellent while also maintaining our status as a self-supporting enterprise."

Mens' basketball season tickets for the general public in the lower arena will be $442, down from $488. For faculty and staff, lower-arena season tickets will be $354, down from $391, reflecting a 20 percent discount off the public price.

Upper-arena season tickets will be $337, down from $362. Faculty and staff season tickets in the upper arena will be $270, down from $290, again reflecting a 20 percent discount off the public price.

Single-game prices will be $22 in the upper arena and $29 in the lower arena. Single tickets for premium games also will increase $2, to $26 in the upper arena and $33 in the lower arena. Premium games are decided on a season-by-season basis, but are generally high-demand conference and non-conference games.

Writer: Greg McClure, 765f-494-9394, gmcclure@purdue.edu

Sources: Morgan Burke, 765-494-3189, mjb@purdue.edu

John R. Shipley, interim vice president for business services and assistant treasurer, 765-494-9706, jshipley@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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