MINNEAPOLIS -- Many Gophers football season ticket holders can expect to pay more for their seats next year.
The University of Minnesota on Tuesday announced a scholarship seating plan that will add an extra donation to most season tickets, starting with the 2015 season. While some seats already included a donation, other season ticket holders who did not previously have to pay a donation will now be asked to pay. That money will go toward things such as travel, equipment, and insurance for the school's student-athletes. The plan will be fully instituted over the course of the next three years, with incremental increases each year.
The seats affected include all chairback seats in both the upper and lower bowls, bench seating in the lower bowl, bench seating in the first nine rows of the upper bowl, and the already existing scholarship seats. The increase per seat from 2014 to 2015 ranges anywhere from $50 to $200 and will go up each year. The university estimates that an additional $1 million will be raised in 2015, $1.5 million in 2016, and $2.2 million in 2017.
"This is essential," said Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague, who noted that this increase will help the Gophers reach levels comparable to other Big Ten schools.
The base price of the season tickets will not go up. Instead, the additional donations will be added to the ticket price to help offset the rising cost of attendance for student-athletes.. It's the first time since TCF Bank Stadium opened in 2009 that the school has increased the scholarship seating donations.
The news comes after an 18-month study that included interviews with thousands of Gophers season ticket holders, the university said. Teague, who took over as the school's athletic director in April of 2012, said this is something he's been talking about doing since his first summer at the helm.
The base ticket prices for Minnesota football, Teague said, are about $200 below the average of other Big Ten schools. Additionally, TCF Bank Stadium -- which has a capacity of 50,805 -- has fewer scholarship seats than most schools.
Teague was asked if the timing of Tuesday's announcement had anything to do with the football team's recent success and another eight-win season, which he said is merely a coincidence.
"We were planning to do this no matter what happened this year," Teague said.
Teague added that he doesn't expect much backlash from season ticket holders, and anticipates the retention rate of season tickets to remain high. The Gophers' season ticket renewal rate has increased from 88.2 percent in 2012 to 91.9 percent in 2013 to 93.3 percent for the 2014 season, according to the university.
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