Penn State makes changes in football ticket pricing

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November 24, 2009

BY GENO C. ARMAS The Tribune-Democrat Tue Nov 24, 2009, 11:11 PM EST

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State released details Tuesday of changes to season-ticket pricing guidelines going into effect in two years.

As expected, Beaver Stadium seating will be divided into four new pricing zones starting in 2011.

Seat location will be a new factor in determining giving levels to the team’s booster club to renew tickets, along with number of tickets and parking.

Currently, Nittany Lion club members must contribute at least $100 a seat to renew season tickets, regardless of where they sit in the stadium.

The new pricing guideline starts at a $100 donation per year per seat, primarily around the end zones.

There are $400 and $600 areas closer to midfield, and a $2,000 section for a small section of seats at midfield with seat backs.

The athletic department has said the actual

$55 price of a ticket will not change.

The 21,000-seat student section will also be moved to the lower level wrapping around the south end zone, opening up more desirable locations to season-ticket buyers closer to midfield.

The end result is that some fans might have to contribute more money to the Nittany Lion Club to stay in current seats, or can pay the same amount but possibly be moved to a less desirable location – say someone going from seats on the

40 to behind the end zone.

Others may already be giving enough and may not have to move.

Athletic Director Tim Curley has estimated that more than half of the school’s roughly 75,000 season-ticket holders likely won’t be affected by the new pricing plan.

The plan also gives booster club members “a first-time opportunity” to transfer those tickets to someone else – for a fee, according to information on the athletic department Web site.

Curley has said the changes were necessary to help address budget pressures, along with a need to maintain and improve sports facilities while remaining financially independent from the academic arm of the university.

Penn State’s athletic department oversees

29 varsity sports, but the most popular one, football, generates the most revenue and helps pay for most other activities.

The plan “will allow us to carry on the great traditions associated with Penn State Athletics, while also positioning the athletic department to better serve you and meet the many challenges that come with competing today at the highest level of college sports,” Curley said Tuesday in a statement posted on the site

The most recent filing with the federal Department of Education shows Penn State athletics had nearly $96 million in revenues, and roughly

$77 million in expenses last year. The expense figure does not include $11.3 million of debt service.

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