Purdue is currently operating under a benchmark of 25% capacity for Mackey ArenaPURDUE UNIV.
The modified proposed budget for the Purdue athletic department is $10M "less than the one submitted prior to the coronavirus pandemic," according to Mike Carmin of the Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER. Purdue AD Mike Bobinski said that the initial revenue forecast for FY '20-21 was $103M, but that figure "has been reduced" to $93M. Whether that is the final number "remains to be seen." Several factors "will play a role, including how many fans will be permitted in Ross-Ade Stadium for the 2020 season, and what attendance will be for the men's basketball season at Mackey Arena." Purdue is currently "operating under a benchmark of 25% capacity -- which would be around 15,000 fans per game during the six-game home season -- but the number could slide up, or down, based on the spread of COVID-19 and what local and state health officials allow." At 50% capacity, Purdue "could likely satisfy its season-ticket base along with students." Reductions will "likely be made in event-related expenses, team travel and other areas." Purdue, as a school, is "trying to avoid furloughs and layoffs in the next fiscal year but the athletic department's biggest expense is salaries, wages and fringe benefits," projected in '19-20 at nearly $41M (Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER, 6/15).
STRONG START? The JOURNAL & COURIER's Carmin noted Bobinski based the 25% starting point figure on "current social distancing guidelines and recommendations by the NCAA, Big Ten and university health officials during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic." Bobinski last week said, "We're favorably inclined to believe that the benchmark number of 25% that we use sort of as a planning principle will be just that, and we'll be able to do better than that." Carmin noted two groups will "receive priority -- season ticket holders and students." Mini-game packages and single-game sales "won't be available at this time," and those seats "may open up later but not right now." Purdue believes it is "important to reward fans who are willing to make a season-long financial commitment along with the students, who deserve to be in the stadium." As of last Thursday, the school "has sold more than 26,000 season tickets, including 1,400 new season tickets and 6,300 student tickets." Nearly 11,000 students "were sold last season." If capacity remains at the low end, fans who "regularly purchase several season tickets might be asked to reduce their inventory for one season." Bobinski said that there is "no hard deadline to finalize a decision on the capacity question right now" (Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER, 6/12).
