BATON ROUGE — LSU has announced a new plan that will affect the price of football tickets and reserved parking for games at Tiger Stadium for the 2007 season.
The new ticket plan, which will increase the cost of tickets $4 for some games and $9 for others, is subject to approval of the LSU Board of Supervisors. Also, a Tradition Fund contribution will be required to purchase parking passes, with various levels based on the location of the lots.
Under the new pricing plan that will be effective with the 2007 season, tickets for games against non-conference opponents will cost $40 each, and tickets for games against Southeastern Conference opponents, plus non-conference opponents designated as “premier games,” will cost $45 each.
“This ticket plan is critical for LSU to properly manage its athletic budget, to maintain a superior coaching staff, to continue our facility enhancement plan and to provide quality service to our customers and our student-athletes,” said LSU athletic director Skip Bertman. “Ticket price increases are inevitable for athletics programs such as this one that must pay its own way with the use of no state tax dollars.”
With an athletic budget of over $63 million, inflation alone results in an increase of nearly $2 million in expenses annually. Also, Bertman cited rising costs in several areas of LSU’s athletic budget as incentive for increasing revenues from ticket sales. Costs associated with football game days, travel, utilities and risk management in particular have risen considerably in the last two years. In addition, LSU will begin payment on debt associated with new baseball and softball stadiums this year.
In 2007, tickets to LSU’s games against Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech will cost $40 each. Tickets to LSU’s SEC games against South Carolina, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas will cost $45 each. Also, LSU’s game against Virginia Tech will be designated a premier non-conference game and tickets to that game will cost $45. The total cost of a season ticket in 2007 will be $305.
In 2006, tickets to all games cost $36 each, with the exception of one SEC game that was priced at $45. With eight home games, the cost of a season ticket in 2006 was $297.
There will be no increase in the Tradition Fund in 2007, the contribution required for the purchase of approximately 45,000 season tickets in Tiger Stadium. Also, there will be no change in the price of student tickets in 2007.
LSU will also propose the requirement of a Tradition Fund contribution to purchase reserved parking passes near Tiger Stadium for football games. The contribution level will vary depending on the lot location and whether the pass is for an automobile or a motor home.
The cost of an automobile parking pass will remain $300 per season. Beginning in 2007, an additional $200 Tradition Fund contribution will be required for reserved numbered space automobile passes in lots nearest Tiger Stadium, and $150 for lots near the stadium that do not have reserved numbered spaces.
For reserved lots further away from Tiger Stadium, a $100 Tradition Fund contribution will be required.
Motor home passes in Touchdown Village 1 and Touchdown Village 2 will remain $500 for the season. Beginning in 2007, an additional $500 Tradition Fund contribution will be required for Touchdown Village 1, and $250 for Touchdown Village 2.
Motor home passes in Lot CA on the front row next to South Stadium Drive will cost $500 for the season plus a Tradition Fund contribution of $5,500. Last year these passes cost $5,000 each with no contribution required. Motor home passes in Lot CA on the back row near lot C will cost $500 for the season plus a Tradition Fund contribution of $4,500. Last year these passes cost $4,000 each with no contribution required.