Facility Investment Together Surcharge/Fee Coming This Year

[Bonehead]

It's called going all in with 7/2 and hoping they don't call your bluff.

Suited?

 

[Palatine]

Sports facilities are an arms race. You have to upgrade to keep up or lose the war. Given the amount of enjoyment ( and sometimes pain) I derive from UConn sports, I understand and will support the effort. Do what you can.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

My main gripe with this is that it further deincentivizes someone from buying UConn season football tickets.

The extra $5 surcharge on top of all the other BS fees is a lot to ask for people, considering for 95% of the games the past 6 seasons you could buy a ticket in the parking lot for that same $5 dollar fee.

What also kinda makes me question this is why are we risking football ticket sales in order to build a new softball facility for Christ sake. Could anything be more irrelevant? It's a point @Dooley has made before but what is the point of having the biggest G5 budget if we're spending so much of that budget on things that are beyond inconsequential. That's a luxury for a school with a P5 deal. Not a school about to run a $35M subsidy.

If you're going to blow money on facility upgrades at least expand the stadium. From an optics standpoint at least it couldn't hurt if CR comes up again.

 

[UCFBfan]

I kind of agree with the surprise that they are increasing football ticket prices more then the other sports. I get it that there are less games and more people to tax (or whatever you wanna call it), yet football is the one sport where they need to get as many tickets sold as possible. Why not make basketball be the higher fee? The fan base in both men's and women's basketball is solid and not going anywhere. They will sell those tickets with no problem. However, if you increase the football ticket price you run the risk of less fans opting to go to games and watch on tv instead. Or you get the fans who come to tailgate and then just leave and watch the game at home.

This sounds like something that would have been best left unsaid, especially when it was approved back in 2016 as FDNY said earlier. By making this statement you bring it to the public's attention. Just tax folks and let them think prices increased for whatever reason.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Another point, if they just had the tax on the ticket price that was basically a "wink wink" we need to make up around $3.5M shortfall, I'd feel better about it.

Not to harp on it or be a hardo but softball?! Softball facility upgrades?!

 

[geordi]

Let's be real, folks! If someone is a season ticket holder in all five sports, that amounts to another $125 a year total. $10 a month...2 beers. This alone isn't going to get the facilities built. Not by a long shot. Given our current attendance to all of those sports, it's likely to raise only about $1.5 M a year. If every game is a sell out, it's still only a tad over $2 M. We need $25M. Dave is still going to have to be raising lots more to get it done. The end result is that we have facilities the kids can be proud of and will attract even better athletes. Athletic success positions us better for P5 conference inclusion.

This move is brilliant! It formally invests UConn fans in the success of the teams, which is paramount. (The first rule of fundraising is that you have to give yourself first before you can ask anyone else for money.) And it eliminates any issues related to facilities that a P5 conference may have if they look to expand.

I don't have season tickets since I live in South Carolina, but I'll send them the $125 anyway. Hell, I may just buy a season ticket to football anyway.

 

[Ldandy]

Get a new schtick dude.. every chance you get you spit the cut tennis/golf/swimming/track crap out. We get it. Move on. It's getting old and repetitive.

Thank you. I thought I was the only one who ever commented on the repetitive nature of these posts. Its like Dude here hates these teams or something. Maybe he came home and found his wife in bed with the entire tennis team. Beats the hell out of me, but if I'm a Uconn Fan I want to look for ways to retain all my teams.

 

[Ldandy]

I get the whole why tax the fans argument, but athletic facility upgrades happen at every university, and this money has to come from somewhere. Honest question, and I'm sure its the one the athletic department discussed before moving on this in 2016. What are your motivators pro and con for attending a Uconn Football Game.? How often is the price of attending a game a motivator pro or con?

Even with a five dollar surcharge Uconn Football Tickets are still reasonably priced compared to many universities and to other similar entertainment options like The NFL or NBA. Personally I think people go because they love Uconn and they enjoy college football. I don't think for the majority who would consider attending, cost is ever an overriding factor. If you are completely broke, you are probably worried about where your next meal is coming from, not whether you can afford five dollars more for Holy Cross tickets.

 

[dbmill]

Another point, if they just had the tax on the ticket price that was basically a "wink wink" we need to make up around $3.5M shortfall, I'd feel better about it.

Not to harp on it or be a hardo but softball?! Softball facility upgrades?!

I've mentioned before in other threads how far behind the times the baseball field is. The current softball facility is probably in even worse shape.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

My non-alumni friends that are part of our tailgate crew are not happy about it. For the most part they only go to football games and the rare hockey game (Fenway this year). They really don't want to pay for sports & facilities they don't care about. As others have said, they feel UConn doesn't get it and doesn't recognize the 6 year debacle we've just been through.

 

[Palatine]

Another point, if they just had the tax on the ticket price that was basically a "wink wink" we need to make up around $3.5M shortfall, I'd feel better about it.

Not to harp on it or be a hardo but softball?! Softball facility upgrades?!

Equal pay for equal work.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I've mentioned before in other threads how far behind the times the baseball field is. The current softball facility is probably in even worse shape.

Who cares though? As long as softball has a grass field with some dirt, it's a non issue to me. It's non revenue generating and if football doesn't right the ship, the whole AD is tanked regardless.

 

[whaler11]

Let's be real, folks! If someone is a season ticket holder in all five sports, that amounts to another $125 a year total. $10 a month..2 beers. This alone isn't going to get the facilities built. Not by a long shot. Given our current attendance to all of those sports, it's likely to raise only about $1.5 M a year. If every game is a sell out, it's still only a tad over $2 M. We need $25M. Dave is still going to have to be raising lots more to get it done. The end result is that we have facilities the kids can be proud of and will attract even better athletes. Athletic success positions us better for P5 conference inclusion.

This move is brilliant! It formally invests UConn fans in the success of the teams, which is paramount. (The first rule of fundraising is that you have to give yourself first before you can ask anyone else for money.) And it eliminates any issues related to facilities that a P5 conference may have if they look to expand.

I don't have season tickets since I live in South Carolina, but I'll send them the $125 anyway. Hell, I may just buy a season ticket to football anyway.

Yeah none of us diehards here are worried about the $ - we are worried about what it means for the casual fans.

It is always great how everyone NOT HERE and actually going to games has such strong opinions

 

[Ldandy]

My non-alumni friends that are part of our tailgate crew are not happy about it. For the most part they only go to football games and the rare hockey game (Fenway this year). They really don't want to pay for sports & facilities they don't care about. As others have said, they feel UConn doesn't get it and doesn't recognize the 6 year debacle we've just been through.

I'm only speaking for myself, but if the cost of a Mcgriddle and small coffee is enough to keep you from going to a game, how invested were you in going in the first place? JMO but when you attend a college event it is different than going to see The Giants play. When you buy a ticket to Met Life, the proceeds are 100% to pay for and generate profit for the players, workers, and owner of The Giants. When you buy a ticket to a football game, that money goes into the AD's Coffers to be spent on a multitude of things. They could have simply raised the price of tickets and said nothing. Instead they chose to be upfront and explain how the additional fee is benefiting the school you support. No harm no foul.

 

[J187Money]

Well we could always have just added the cost to the student fees.. like Rutgers did..lol

We have done enough of that - I think that's fine for operating expenses, but not for capital.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Double whammy for hockey tickets considering the prices already went up this past season $2-$6. $17 was the door price for the inaugural season (14-15) now we're looking at $21 box office price for non premium games for 17-18' and $25 for premium (BC, BU, PC). Pretty substantial 2 year increase.

 

[Ldandy]

Yeah none of us diehards here are worried about the $ - we are worried about what it means for the casual fans.

It is always great how everyone NOT HERE and actually going to games has such strong opinions

You're right in that I don't have a dog in this fight. I follow Uconn because of an association with the family of a former player. I've not been to a game, although I'd like to in the future. That said fans are fans and what you are describing happens everywhere. I'm not sure casual fans are dissuaded that much by cost unless it becomes prohibitive. If a ticket costs 40 dollars and then the next year it costs 80, you will probably lose most of these fans. Speaking only from my experience with attending different events at all levels of competition, the casual fan is much more motivated by other things than a small ticket surcharge. My kid has a game on Saturday. The weather looks like crap, The teams stinks this year, I'm not sitting in the cold for 4 hours to watch that. These IMO are more the reason. When the team fixes the third one, more people will come regardless of an extra 5 bucks.

 

[Waquoit]

It is always great how everyone NOT HERE and actually going to games has such strong opinions

This will never not frost me. I think it's time for Ldandy's of the world to pony up some of their McGriddle money to the AD.

 

[hardcorehusky]

I understand the facilities need an upgrade. Soccer got a big matching grant and baseball might have or will from former players. I think softball has the upgrade due to the fact they need it AND if we do the other sports and not softball, there could be a Title IX issue.

 

[huskymedic]

I understand the facilities need an upgrade. Soccer got a big matching grant and baseball might have or will from former players. I think softball has the upgrade due to the fact they need it AND if we do the other sports and not softball, there could be a Title IX issue.

... the fact that the current softball field will be displaced by proposed location of the new soccer stadium.

 

[huskymedic]

Daily Campus: Roundtable: Which UConn athletic facility needs repairs the most?

 

[dbmill]

Daily Campus: Roundtable: Which UConn athletic facility needs repairs the most?

Interesting and timely discussion. I find it a little funny that in the Daily Campus discussion of the soccer/baseball/softball facilities, there is no mention that their are no onsite bathroom facilities with running water at any of the fields. Maybe college students can hold it in better. Of course, for soccer fans the ice rink and its bathrooms are next door, but the idea of having to leave a stadium to use the facilities is a bit odd.

 

[UConnDan97]

I understand it. However, like some other folks have already mentioned, it seems to me that UCONN should focus on creating incentives to be a season ticket holder rather than not. There's more money to be had in that way.

If you prorated the packages whereby the surcharge is the lowest for a season ticket holder, mid range for a three pack purchase, and highest for a single game, I believe you would not only maximize your income but also create a better fanbase response in the process. People spend a little more and go to more games in the process...

 

[whaler11]

This will never not frost me. I think it's time for Ldandy's of the world to pony up some of their McGriddle money to the AD.

It's not ldandy that bothers me. He isn't a UConn fan. It's the UConn fans from other places who drive me nuts.

 

[uconnbill]

It needs to be done and I have no issue doing this to help the other programs. I am still wondering when they are going to do something Frietas needs work by 2019 and should be done. I would love to see 4500 seats on campus.