http://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/fsu/football/2016/03/26/fsu-football-ticket-renewals-strong-despite-price-increase/82306660/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
"Despite an adjustment to Florida State’s ticket priority policy, the Seminoles are on pace to surpass last year’s number of season tickets sold for the 2016 football season.
Jack Chatham, FSU’s assistant athletic director of ticket operations and service, said season ticket renewal percentage is trending at a rate comparable to the record-setting mark in 2014.
The Seminoles sold 45,000 season tickets following their 2013 national championship season.
Chatham expects 2016 renewals to reach 40,000 – an increase over last year’s mark of 38,500 and the most it can accommodate due to Doak Campbell Stadium renovations and opponent ticket guarantees.
Stadium capacity will be reduced from 82,300 to 78,000 due to the new construction in the south end zone that is replacing about 9,000 bleacher seats with the indoor-outdoor premium seating Champions Club.
“We are trending right now comparable to where we were in 2014 as far as renewal percentage at this point and time,” Chatham said Friday.
“We all know how ’14 turned out from a sales and attendance standpoint. We are much ahead of last year; we are almost 10 points ahead of where we were this time last year and light years of ahead of where we were in 2013.”
Thursday is the deadline for season ticket holders to renew for the 2016 season. Chatham said FSU has received just under 24,000 season ticket renewals and 2,000 in new sales."
The numbers would appear to reflect the excitement surrounding the upcoming season, even if the cost to watch FSU football games for Seminole Boosters and season-ticket holders has increased.
Changes included an increase of slightly more than 8-percent across every Seminole Boosters, Inc., donor membership level and a method that sets minimum per-seat requirements by section.
The ticket holders most affected by the new policy are those who have purchased the full allotment of seats in the highest demand sections (west side middle sections) and have contributed only the minimum donation required for those seats in past years.
It represented the first change in the policy by the FSU Athletics Board in 10 years."
"School officials have said FSU, even with the adopted changes, still is below the average donation requirement of most of its geographic peers in the ACC and SEC.
Jerry Kutz, senior vice president of Capital Campaigns and Projects for Seminole Boosters, Inc., the fundraising arm of the athletics department, explained the revenue generated by the new policy requirements will allow it to help offset the $2 million annual increase in scholarship costs brought on by the cost of attendance for student-athletes.
The money also is funding the new scoreboards, ribbon boards and sound system in Doak Campbell Stadium.
“We do appreciate the sacrifice our donors make to have a nationally competitive product on the field and a great weekend experience when they come for a home game,” Kutz said. “We feel these priority changes were absolutely necessary in order to deliver what our fans want at Florida State."
While coming off a 10-3 season that ended with a 38-24 defeat to Houston in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, pundits expert the Seminoles to be significantly better this year.
FSU plays seven home games, highlighted by showdowns with ACC rival and national champion runner-up Clemson (Oct. 29) and state rival Florida (Nov. 26). It also features a Friday night game against Boston College on Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
Doak Campbell Stadium is undergoing one of its largest renovation projects with the addition of the 5,827-seat Champions Club.
The new premium indoor-outdoor seating section in the south end zone is on schedule to be completed for the Seminoles’ home opener against Charleston Southern Sept. 10.
Approximately 2,600 seats have been sold to the Champions Club, according to Kutz. He said the organization’s goal is to reach 3,000 seats sold by FSU’s home opener."
"Average Home Attendance
Last Five Years
2015: 73,219
2014: 82,211
2013: 75,421
2012: 75,601
2011: 77,842"
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