The Univ. of Kentucky athletic department yesterday proposed “a price increase for men’s basketball tickets next season,” according to Kyle Tucker of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. In a vote to pass a $91.9M athletic budget for the next academic year -- “up from $87.9 million in 2011-12” -- the school’s Board of Trustees Athletic Committee “also approved increases in K Fund donation requirements for season tickets and in the actual per-ticket prices.” For season-ticket holders, prices “will go up $5 per game.” Single-game tickets will “increase by $7 in the upper level of Rupp Arena and $10 in the lower level.” Those who had to give $5,000 to the K Fund per seat last season “are the only ones unaffected -- because their required donation spiked from $1,350 a year ago.” But those who previously had to donate $1,500 “now must give $1,900.” Those who gave $1,000 “now must give $1,250,” the $700 donation was increased to $850 and finally those giving “$400 per seat now must give $450.” The overall increase for K fund donors “ranges from 6.88 percent to 19.78 percent.” The increases will provide “an estimated $3.5 million in new revenue,” and AD Mitch Barnhart said that the amount “is necessary to cover raises for coaches, rapidly rising travel expenses and increased tuition costs for scholarship athletes" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/20). In Lexington, Jerry Tipton notes this is the “second time in three years” UK has increased basketball ticket prices. The K Fund donation increase is for “6,689 of the 7,081 priority seats in Rupp Arena.” Prices for student tickets “will not change" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 6/20).
