GL, do you know if the Athletic Dept delayed the new seating initiative becuase of the current circumstances (sub-par season, legal difficulties, etc) or was the timetable always for the 2011-2012 season instead of 2010-2011? I have to admit a substantial hike in ticket prices coming on the heels of one of the most disappointing seasons in Gopher BB history (compared to pre-season expectations) would be a tough sell and a delay makes sense. Are you aware of any further details about the plan that you can share with us?
As to the price for public tickets, I reported earlier this season that the B10's most successful program (Michigan State) was currently charging $26 per game for lower deck tickets, $$20 for upper chair tickets and $11 per game for upper bench tickets - quite a departure from the $31 per ticket ($35 face value) we're paying. Michigan State will undergo a re-seating initiative beginning next season (seat selection this June using the same company that the Gophers used for TCF Stadium and the Twins used for Target Field). From an initial reading of the MSU Men's Basketball Seat Adjustment online brochure, it looks like they'll be charging annual seat premium fees of $400 for the center section on both sides of the arena and $250 for the sections on either side of the center sections (we've been charging $500 and $250 for equivalent sections in Williams Arena for years). Remaining lower deck seats will require a $125 fee; no premium fees for upper deck seats. Because MSU seats its students in the first dozen or so rows all the way around the arena except for 3 sections on one side, there are actually quite a bit fewer $250/$400 premium seats than we already have at Williams Arena.
Once MSU's season has concluded, I'll research their seat adjustment plan further - I believe this is the plan Maturi will use as a model for our plan. Good luck to the Spartans this afternoon and for the rest of the tournament.
