Following the team's first World Series appearance in 29 years, the Royals said that their "season-ticket base is nearing the level it reached" in '12, when the club hosted the MLB All-Star Game, according to Pete Grathoff of the K.C. STAR. The Royals’ season-ticket base was 14,000 in '93, "but then it slowly declined," hitting 7,400 in '03. Royals Senior Dir of Ticket Sales & Customer Service Steve Shiffman: "We hope to get [back to the '93 level]. That’s a long stretch to go from last year. ... Who knows, maybe we’ll reach that 14,000. That’d be real optimistic and hopeful." The team "sees encouraging signs," as its premium seating options -- the Crown Club, Diamond Club box and Diamond Club seats -- "are sold out." Royals VP/Community Affairs & Publicity Toby Cook said that the number of pre-sold tickets for FanFest, which is Jan. 30-31 at Bartle Hall, "has surpassed actual attendance at any previous FanFest." The Royals "have sold about 10,000 tickets for the event." The increased interest "isn’t surprising, given that the Royals are coming off their first postseason appearance" since '85 (K.C. STAR, 1/23).
