UGA received $22.6M in ticket revenue as of December '17, an increase from $19.1M in '16Getty Images
The Univ. of Georgia is "raising ticket prices for home football games" this upcoming season and going with a "two-tiered system," according to Seth Emerson of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The average price will go from $50 this past season to "an average of $66.42 per game" for the '18 season. Games against Tier 1 opponents will be $75 per game, while games against Tier 2 opponents "will be $55 per game." UGA AD Greg McGarity "cited increased salaries for the football staff, among other reasons, for raising prices." UGA saw an "increase in football ticket revenue and football ticket contributions last year." UGA received $22.6M in "ticket revenue" as of December '17, an increase from $19.1M in '16. UGA also got $9.5M in "ticket contributions" compared to $4.3M at the same point in '16 (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 1/31). In Georgia, Marc Weiszer writes the move "comes four weeks after Kirby Smart’s program played" in the CFP title game and "with the Bulldogs putting the finishing touches on perhaps its best recruiting class." McGarity, in a meeting with Athletic Association BOD, said, "The price of a ticket to a University of Georgia football home game remains a great value, especially when compared to other SEC schools." Weiszer notes student ticket prices also "will rise from $8 to $10," marking the first increase for those tickets since '04. The average price of a UGA season ticket now will "rank only behind LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn in the SEC" based on '17 season prices. McGarity also noted that UGA has "about 15,000 football season ticket donors to its Hartman Fund," which brought in about $27M last year (ATHENS BANNER-HERALD, 1/31). UGA this past season averaged a capacity crowd of 92,746 fans at Sanford Stadium, ranking ninth overall in average attendance among all FBS programs and fifth among SEC schools (THE DAILY).
