Michigan State To Raise Price Of Football Tickets To Help Spartan Fund

Michigan State University is raising its season ticket prices. MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis says the move could raise anywhere from 1.5 million to 3.5 million dollars a year.

That’s money the MSU Athletic Department plans to spend to build its sports programs to consistently compete on a national level.  Season ticket holders will have to shell out more money to keep their seats for Spartan Football.

MSU athletic officials hope fans and alumni and donors will understand the need for an increase.

Under the new ticket pricing plan, MSU will ask football season ticket holders to become members of the Spartan Fund. The price of the ticket will stay the same, but fans will be asked to make a contribution to help fund the higher cost of doing business in major college football.

“This was done in a very thoughtful way and it spreads out the financial burden, I think in a pretty equitable process,” said Hollis.

That process means roughly two-thirds of season ticket holders will be asked to donate 100 dollars per ticket, per season, to the Spartan Fund. The donation is tax deductible. Those that choose not to donate will have their seats moved to a less desirable location.

“It’s more than buying a ticket now, it’s investing. And that’s important to our culture that we have people that are buying into the program at that level. It’s very common at Alabama,” said Hollis.

Hollis says this is the first time the university has raised its football ticket prices since 2008. Under the plan, student ticket prices will also go up by $4 a ticket.

A rise in ticket prices may not be the only thing in store for Spartan Football fans. Friday morning the MSU Board of Trustees will also decide whether to spend $10 million on a new stadium score board. The plan would remove the existing scoreboards at both ends of Spartan Stadium and replace them with new ones. The new ones would feature a better sound system.

University officials say the money is coming from athletic funds and not from the general fund.

The trustees will also vote on whether to extent the contract of football coach Mark Dantonio. The Outback Bowl-winning coach already has a contract though 2016. Friday’s vote would push the end date to January 2017.

Dantonio has led the Spartans to back-to-back 11 win seasons. If approved, the package is worth a little more than $1.8 million per year.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/25/3688274/utas-new-sports-arena-comes-fully.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/25/3688274/utas-new-sports-arena-comes-fully.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/25/3688274/utas-new-sports-arena-comes-fully.html#storylink=cpy