Season Ticket Renewal Expectations

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I got another e-mail today reminding me that the early bird renewal process is coming to an end. I'm pretty certain I will renew, but will wait until close to the hard deadline.
My donation tallies $1200 and I realize that renewing in 2017 may have been financially prudent. For me, I don't like to give money that far in advance. Who knows? By then PJ could be coaching the Browns or the football team could implode.
What is the expectation for renewals? Will many have their decision swayed by tax law changes? What about new folks? There is no new PJ luster this year and the win loss record went the wrong way. Anyone have insight? If I were to guess, I'd think the numbers will be down, but only slightly.

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I already did it, tax reasons, but I get that many folks can't make that sizable a commitment at the last minute.

I would expect a decline or nominal situation for overall sales. Outside hiring Saban wins are all that are going to sell tickets and that will lag a year or so.
 

I already did it, tax reasons, but I get that many folks can't make that sizable a commitment at the last minute.

I would expect a decline or nominal situation for overall sales. Outside hiring Saban wins are all that are going to sell tickets and that will lag a year or so.

Careful, Slab. When some suggested that things like filming public service tv spots for county law enforcement wouldn’t lead to increased attendance at least a few were very incredulous. Being very visible and vocal alone isn’t enough. The product on the field will need to be much, much better. I think we’re a year away. Tickets will be down this year, next year, and increase with the team performance in 2019.
 

Careful, Slab. <b>When some suggested that things like filming public service tv spots for county law enforcement wouldn’t lead to increased attendance at least a few were very incredulous. </b>Being very visible and vocal alone isn’t enough. The product on the field will need to be much, much better. I think we’re a year away. Tickets will be down this year, next year, and increase with the team performance in 2019.

Interviews and marketing are the most important things. Dah.


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Us 4 will probably renew, but we are looking for 4 people that want to split our tickets with us this year. We get 4 games and they get 3 games or vice versa. We would rotate 4 and 3 every other year. We would take our total invoice fee per ticket, divide by 7 and that is the per game price (regardless if its non conference, WI, IA, etc.) We would choose tickets with a flip of the coin to see which group picks first and then pick our games like a lottery or draft. We are trying to find 4 people here in Rochester to split them with. We also have a parking pass ($10 per game in lot C86 on the West bank) We are in section 117
 


Although not 100% decided, it looks like my wife and I are considering dropping our 2 season tickets and the $1200 donation. With the loss of the tax deduction and more importantly we only get to one or two games a year because we live in Houston. So tickets cost a total of a couple thousand dollars (I can recoup some money by selling our tickets), airfare is usually a total of $650, hotel for two or three nights is another $500, rental car......well you get my point. Hate to consider giving up our tickets, but reality is quickly setting in.
 

Haven't fully decided yet. $1200 is a tough nut to crack for the product on the field last year. (and likely this and next year) My wife is pushing to drop the season tickets and go with the two or three pack as most of our friends have done.
 

We renewed, entering our third decade as STH. Still among the few, the loyal.....
 

Haven't fully decided yet. $1200 is a tough nut to crack for the product on the field last year. (and likely this and next year) My wife is pushing to drop the season tickets and go with the two or three pack as most of our friends have done.

I lean this way as well. You can get better seats and my kids like going to a number of sports events.
 



It could go south some. Need to improve winning next year and have the young folks buck up for season tickets, a tall order.
 

I predict hard times for ticket revenue for most sports, pro and college. The TV experience is getting too good and people are less and less willing to give up most of a day to attend a game. I see Gophers football as having an even tougher battle as they generally struggle to compete and don't seem to have a lot of marquis wins at home.
 

Although not 100% decided, it looks like my wife and I are considering dropping our 2 season tickets and the $1200 donation. With the loss of the tax deduction and more importantly we only get to one or two games a year because we live in Houston. So tickets cost a total of a couple thousand dollars (I can recoup some money by selling our tickets), airfare is usually a total of $650, hotel for two or three nights is another $500, rental car......well you get my point. Hate to consider giving up our tickets, but reality is quickly setting in.

This was it for me. I live in Chicago and for awhile commuted with season tickets. It's all the spendy things and time that are mentioned above. I used to be in 138 before all the prices went up and those became donation seats...in those days practically no matter what I could at least break even on the games I couldn't travel to. Games like Nebraska and Iowa I usually attended but if I couldn't, I made a tidy profit that covered many of the games I went to.

Once those seats and most of the others went up dramatically in cost (and interest in the Gophs waned a bit), it became very difficult to even come close to getting face (+donation) for all but the top home games. I've had recent games against solid teams like Northwestern on Senior Day go unsold at any price.

It simply doesn't make sense to buy season tickets when losing money on most of the games you can't make. If I lived in the TC I would have season tickets every year and seldom miss a game, but the economics for out-of-towners since 2016 or so are clearly in favor of pay-as-you-go.
 

I expect the gophers to decline like all of CFB. The product isn’t there nationally woth the TV broadcasts (minus the announcing) being more than acceptable. Tailgating and then watching at the bar seems convenient and cheaper than this asinine pricing, especially when you can get in the door for pennies on the dollar compared to Season tickets.
 



We renewed before the end of the year. We're fortune to have seats without a huge "donation." But as others have said, it was difficult to even give tickets away last season.
 

Sticking with my stubhub season ticket package. Easy to come by cheap tickets for every game I'm interested in, and "donation" free!
 

Already renewed our two seats. Considering moving to section 113 or 114. Will see when seat adjustment time comes.
 

Also that schedule... doesn't exactly sell tickets:

Web-FBSeasonTicketSchedule-121317-v2.jpg
 


Wow. I hadn't really paid much attention to the schedule. That's pretty putrid.

Yeah it's basically Iowa, Northwestern ... and some teams that we would be embarrassed to lose too, but still could.

I don't envy folks selling tickets for this season, and I don't think I'll have to arrive too early to most games.
 

Yeah it's basically Iowa, Northwestern ... and some teams that we would be embarrassed to lose too, but still could.

I don't envy folks selling tickets for this season, and I don't think I'll have to arrive too early to most games.

Even those tickets will go for cheap on the SeatGeek plan. Even when the Gophers were pretty darn good in '16 I heard of lower bowl tickets going for under $10 to Iowa on a nice weather game day, and I couldn't sell my higher end Northwestern tickets last time they were in town at any price. Offered them for $5/ea for 2 days online and got no takers.
 

Even those tickets will go for cheap on the SeatGeek plan. Even when the Gophers were pretty darn good in '16 I heard of lower bowl tickets going for under $10 to Iowa on a nice weather game day, and I couldn't sell my higher end Northwestern tickets last time they were in town at any price. Offered them for $5/ea for 2 days online and got no takers.

I gave up my season tix of a couple decades a few years back. I still go to games when I can and now each and every time I go I sit in better seats for less than I did as a STH.


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My group is out, only because one of the three moved to vegas though

I'll probably make 2-3 games though, but I'll miss it. If my buddy ever moves back to MN, we'll be getting season tickets again. If there was any chance of us being able to sell our tickets we would've renewed
 

I gave up my season tix of a couple decades a few years back. I still go to games when I can and now each and every time I go I sit in better seats for less than I did as a STH.


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Ditto.

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I think product on the field previous year trumps everything. We had the best attendance in about 20 years the year after the new years bowl game with Kill. You can't market a team who's signature win last year was a Nebraska team in complete free fall. I renewed my tickets before the end of the year to take advantage of the tax break, but I'm expecting attendance and season tickets to be down from last year which was already a weak year. Looking at the schedule there is almost no way to capitalize on having a good season to put butts in the stands with in season sales. BEST case you win through the non-con (which no one cares about and doesn't move the needle for ticket sales) and you beat Maryland AND Iowa. Now you have a chance to sell some in season tickets but your remaining home games are Indiana, Purdue and Northwestern. No great draws there.
 

Personally I see this as a very ominous sign. GH is a collection of diehards and more are fading out and not renewing. Who will fill those seats is hard to say
 

Personally I see this as a very ominous sign. GH is a collection of diehards and more are fading out and not renewing. Who will fill those seats is hard to say

agreed. not a fan of the direction of the fan base right now. it's a shame.
 

Still have my four and the wife and I are always there. Sometime the two extra seats don't get used, but that doesn't,t happen to often. Die hard Gopher fan and always will be.
 

Also that schedule... doesn't exactly sell tickets:

Web-FBSeasonTicketSchedule-121317-v2.jpg

Well, if we go 4-0 into Iowa, I hope the trophy game along with homecoming will make that a decent turn out. However, I agree, that schedule is doing us no favors as far as attendance draw.
 

I don't think I've even gotten a renewal email request yet...anyone else? I'm in for my two but will renew late in the process.
 




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