Falcon football one of best values around
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 2, 2008
Air Force football is one the best values in the Mountain West Conference and among all Division I-A college football programs when it comes to ticket prices.
The program is coming off a successful 9-4 campaign in 2007 and has a great home schedule in 2008 including trips to Colorado Springs by Navy, BYU, Utah, Colorado State and New Mexico. The season kicks off Aug. 30 against Southern Utah. Five of the six teams coming to Falcon Stadium played in bowl games last year and three of them were victorious.
The price of Air Force season tickets increased significant for the first time in five years, but fans will receive several benefits for their purchase. The premium seats at Falcon Stadium, the four sections near the 50-yard line (M8, L8, M22 and L22), make up the 50-Yard Line Club and have been raised by 56 percent from $175 to $275 for the season. Fans purchasing tickets in this area will receive $65 in value added to those seats to include a cushioned seat back and each individual game ticket will include $5 in stored value that can be used at concessions stands like a debit card for that particular game. All other sections in Falcon Stadium were raised no more than five percent.
Air Force is one of just two schools in the conference that does not require a donation or a seat license with the purchase of a season ticket. BYU is the other school, but their season ticket for a comparable section costs $1,250. In fact, no other MWC school has a ticket for under $300 when the required donation is added.
Season ticket holders at Army pay $780 ($180 for the ticket, plus a $600 donation per season) for the same sections at Michie Stadium. Season ticket holders at Navy pay $222 for the same ticket, but a season ticket holder at the five-yard line pays the same as one at the 50 yard line.
INSTITUTION PREMIUM REQUIRED TOTAL TICKET DONATION SEASON TICKET PRICE Air Force $275 0 $275 Army $180 $600 $780 Navy $222 0 $222* BYU $1,250 0 $1,250 Colorado State $225 $85 $310 New Mexico $150 $250 $400 UNLV $185 $550 $685 Utah $210 $400 $610 Wyoming $168 $500 $668
* - Price is for the entire side, so ticket holders at the 50 pay the same as ticket holders on the five. Prices above are for the seat equivalent to an Air Force 50-Yard Line Club seat.
"We think our prices are very fair and in line with what other schools are charging and what Army and Navy charge," Chris Peludat, Air Force assistant athletic director tickets and marketing said. "Nobody's giving you $5 per game to spend and not every school provides a seat-back. The price went up, but we're giving 65 percent of that increase back to our fans which few schools do."
Air Force fans are also treated to the finest pageantry in college football with the cadet march-on, Wings of Blue parachute team performances and the flybys. With the price of running a Division I program continually on the rise, fans of Air Force athletics continue to benefit from some of the best prices nationally.
