Michigan Football Tickets - Is the waitlist gone?
I remember about 10 years ago when I moved back to Michigan and initially tried to get football tickets in my name I was put on a waitlist that was, as the ticket office told me, about 10,000 people deep. Ultimately I ended up getting my tickets that year where you could pay $1000 and transfer tickets from someone else into your own name and avoided the waitlist.
Now, with the combination of seat licenses, suites, expanded seating, the weak performances of the RR years, the recession and increased ticket prices I've heard rumors that the waitlist is now gone. I'm inclined to deduce that this is true in that there are now multi-game ticket packages that no only made it out of closed sales to the Victors Club first, the Alumni Association/faculty/staff second but are now available to the public. Is it true that the waitlist that we flaunted is now done? Anyone with any info would be appreciated.
Look it up on the website. Its still there
You'll notice it brings you to Victors Club information.
They are interconnected which is what a lot of people don't realize. You pay the $10 to get on the waitlist. To get tickets you have to have active priority points which means a minimum $100 donation. When you sign up it does tell you that you have to donate at least $100 to have active points for that year. If you donate $ I don't think it matters if you are on the waitlist, however if you are on the waitlist and don't donate at least $100 you will be on there forever. I'd be willing to bet there's someone who's been on the waitlist 10 years and can't figure out why they haven't gotten tix yet.
It's different. Essentially the waiting list was for new season tickets and has been replaced by the Victors Club. Not all Victors Club members have season tickets, but they are first in line when new season tickets open up.
Instead of a first in line system, they switched to this Priority Points system in Victors Club. So, those who have donated more money and have a degree get priority over those who haven't. You kind of got screwed unless you donated to the athletic department or school or both.
That said, it seems to have worked out that everyone who donates $250 or more most years will get seasons the following year.
This year, I called the Victors club after people had been awarded their season tickets. I was getting some general information and I mentioned that I had donated $100 the previous year, since that has to be done to activate priority points and be eligible for tickets. I was then told that everyone that donated the minimum $100 was awarded tickets. I was then transferred to the ticket office, they found the record of my donation, and I was given season tickets. This all happened after I had sent in my request for some of the alumni tickets, so it was late in the game. I don't think there is any wait list whatsoever. My priority points were messed up, so my tickets were only based on the 1 point for the donation. I was told that the five for my degree wouldn't make a difference since every person that donated $100 received tickets, so 1 point was all I needed.
About a week after this happened, Dave Brandon spoke about expanding the stadium and mentioned that there were still a lot of people on the waitlist. I don't think that's true. I guess if someone donated $100 and didn't get tickets, I might believe there is some sort of waitlist, but it isn't very long.
Got my seasons in 2009, might have been a season earlier if they hadn't screwed up. Ha!
Another reason there were so many tickets available this year for new season ticket holders is the U put a freeze on giving new season tickets while the construction was going on so that when they widened all the seats they could get the current ticket holders seats in like locations if they had to move them. So this year they began to give new season tickets out again and they had an excess amount due to a bad economy, not a great team the last 3 years and the rich fans moving up to the club level/suites. They were able to blow through the waitlist for anyone that donated this year. Although it seems like they still have quite a few openings for season tickets left I am sure by this time next year the waitlist will begin to grow again. I am just glad I finally decided to donate to try to get tickets in my name back in November because now I don't have to worry about tickets each year.