Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Get your tix fix...

I read today in the Greenville News that Clemson Tickets for Football will not be going up this year. Article HERE.

All that is nice for CU but it reminded me of a article written by Joseph Person at The State paper, entitled - "USC fans face spiraling prices - School says ‘price for excellence’ includes $40 more for season tickets, new parking fee for boosters." The article appeared a few weeks back and for those with less time on their hands here are the highlights of the article. Seems Gamecock fans will have to pay a "arm and a leg" for tickets and parking. Not to mention the price of gamecock club dues......

"The cost for tickets and parking at South Carolina football games is going up this year for Gamecock Club members.

USC’s Intercollegiate Activities Committee voted to raise season tickets by $40, and agreed to levy a parking fee on Gamecock Club members for the first time. The price of the seven-game, season-ticket package is $320, up from $280 last season and nearly twice the $165 price of tickets in 2004.

The increase is expected to generate $2.2 million, although USC athletics director Eric Hyman said the Gamecocks would continue to rank among the bottom third in the SEC in revenue per seat.

In addition to the ticket increase, Gamecock Club members will pay to park for the first time since the club was founded in the mid-1950s. Fees will range from $75 to $595 per space for the season, based on proximity to Williams-Brice Stadium. RV owners will be asked to shell out $875.

Fans who park in the 750 spaces in the paved lots adjacent to the stadium will have to pay $595 to keep their spots. The 6,200 spaces in the State Fairgrounds lots range between $200 and $260, while the fee for the ETV lots is $420.

Hyman said the school spends about $400,000 a year on football parking, a figure that includes leasing space at the Fairgrounds, hiring Highway Patrol and security personnel and paying for maintenance and portable restrooms.

According to Hyman, the fees could generate $600,000 to $800,000 in revenues. Hyman plans to put the surplus toward the purchase of the State Farmers Market property, which he envisions as a parking oasis with plenty of green space and shuttles that would transport fans to the stadium.

USC has state approval to buy the farmers market for $14.85 million.

The board of trustees also signed off on Hyman’s ticket-pricing philosophy, a four-tiered system based on the quality of the opponent.

The priciest tickets are for Clemson (in odd-numbered years) and Georgia (in even years), which have been designated at the Trustees Scholarship Fund games. USC, which traditionally has put $10 from every Clemson ticket toward academic scholarships, will do the same for the Georgia game. "

What are ya'lls thoughts on this?

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