Many Gophers football season ticket holders will be paying more next year.
The University of Minnesota athletics department announced Tuesday it will increase scholarship seating donations (built-in fees that are part of season-ticket packages) at TCF Bank Stadium for the next three years to help increase revenue due to the rising cost of athletics.
These scholarship donations have been attached to just under 10,000 premium seats since the stadium opened in 2009, but now with the department’s new plan, more than 28,000 seats will have these built-in fees. However, the base price of the tickets will not go up for the next three years, FOX Sports says.
The scholarship seating fees will depend on where the seats are (see map of stadium here). Here’s a breakdown:
- Zone 1 or premium seating: Ticket holders paid a $500 donation this season. It’ll increase to $650 in 2015, $800 in 2016 and $1,000 in 2017.
- Zone 2: Ticket holders paid $250 this season. It’ll increase to $450 in 2015, $600 in 2016 and $750 in 2017.
- Zone 3: Ticket holders paid $100 this year. It’ll increase to $150 in 2015, $300 in 2016 and $500 in 2017.
- Zone 4: The donation amount will be $75 in 2015, $150 in 2016 and $250 in 2017.
- Zone 5: The donation amount will be $50 in 2015, $100 in 2016 and $150 in 2017.
- Student season tickets will not have the scholarship donations attached.
With these added donations, the university expects to add $1 million in revenue next year, $1.5 million in 2016 and $2.2 million in 2017 to help offset the increasing costs of travel, equipment, health insurance and other expenses for student athletes, the Star Tribune reports.
“It won’t catapult us in the top of the Big Ten as far as football revenue but it’s a step in the right direction to fund our programs,” U of M Athletic Director Norwood Teague said Tuesday, KARE 11 reports.
This is the first time since the stadium opened that the U of M has increased the scholarship seating donations.
