Season Tickets
I have season tickets for the first time ever this year. I got them from someone that had extras they bought and couldn't use. They are in different spots each game but its been nice going to the big games and not paying ridiculous premium prices or scrambling from the bloodsuckers for tickets like I usually do every year. I really want to have season tickets of my own and I am on the waiting list but I have been told so many different ways to get invited by the university & by different season ticket holders as to the rules & costs year in & year out etc. I don't know what is real & what isn't. The official site doesn't explain this and its a tad frustrating. I am sure somebody on here would have a breakdown. Some inside knowledge. I would really appreciate it. I am 33 and have a 2 year old son & a daughter on the way. I would really like to have my foot in the door and have seats so when they are old enough I can start a tradition & take my family down for years to come.
Thanks--
November 13th, 2009 at 12:36 PM ^
Come in and enjoy one of our game suites. I'm sure your family will be much more comfortable in one of our suites then with the 100,000+ every week.
- Bill Martin
On the serious side: Ebay usually has people selling season tickets in August, sometimes the costs aren't too bad.
The waiting list will last forever.
November 13th, 2009 at 12:37 PM ^
Why not call the ticket office directly?
November 13th, 2009 at 12:43 PM ^
I dug up an old email I sent out to some friends that may help you out. The information comes from explanations from current season ticket holders and the Victors Club site as I'm not a holder myself. If any of this information is inaccurate and someone on the board can correct me I'd be very grateful.
"Season tickets work on a point system, so if you sign up for the waiting list you'll be on there with 5 points for being an alum. This probably won't be enough points to get offered a seat that season.
Make a $500 donation and you're up to 15 points (2 points for each $100). If you're lucky your company will match your donation 1:1 (check Victors Club site) and you're up to 25 points.
So say for that season the minimum points to get offered a season ticket package is 12 for 2010. With the donation to the Victor's club you'll be offered up to 4 seats in the 15 point range of the stadium. If you want a "preferred seat" you pay a premium on top of face ($150/ $250/ $500 per ticket).
So by my estimates you're looking at about $2,500 for a pair of season tickets. You can probably make some of that back selling the big games -- but why would you want to?"
November 13th, 2009 at 12:51 PM ^
can the donation be to any department at Michigan or does it have to be to the Athletic department? Thanks!
November 13th, 2009 at 1:03 PM ^
Points are only awarded for a donation to the Athletic Department. This is kinda a bummer for me as the company I work for will match 1:1 for donations to the University but not towards the AD.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:11 PM ^
I believe unrestricted AD donations in the current year count for 2 points, while restricted AD donations and gifts to other departments count for 1 point.
November 13th, 2009 at 12:58 PM ^
I did call the ticket office but I have gotten several different answers etc. Its been frustrating.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:07 PM ^
I got on the waitlist at the end of the 07 season. I gave $500 when they sent the PSD form in December and that year I got the go blue pack which game me seats to every home game except homecoming. This year I gave $2500 and requested 4 seats (you can request how many you want and where you want to sit) and I got 4 season tickets in the endzone row 1. The waitlist does not take forever as everyone keeps saying. It's based on how much money you give to the athletic department each year. The donation levels are tiered so the more you give, the better chance you get what you request. You do have to buy the tickets (around april-may) and they cost $500 a seat this year. Just email the ticket dept. if you have questions, they are very helpful. Hope this helps
November 13th, 2009 at 1:07 PM ^
This year, all it took was a $100 donation to the Victor's Club to get offered renewable season tix. Not bad seats either, I'm in section 19 row 90. I bet next season will be the same.
In the past it's taken $500 to get into the tier with ticket privileges. IMO, the best strategy is donate $100 per season until you get offered renewable tix. And, even if you don't get offered renewable tix, they typically offer you the "go blue pack", which is a non-renewable season ticket minus homecoming.
Now is the time to get renewable tix, IMO. When the team is actually good, they'll be much more difficult to get.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:10 PM ^
Maybe, as mgoblog gets even more popular, one of the effects will be that it will become a place where people sell tickets but with no scalping allowed: in other words, face value or less. Since mgoblog pretty much has everything else a UM fan could want, this is not out of the question.
On a side note, I can remember being a teenager when Don Canham took over. The only games that usually sold out were MSU or OSU, whichever was home any given year. Sometimes, the Stadium would be less than two-thirds full. Canham did mass mailings for season tickets to everyone in Ann Arbor, as far as I could tell.
I guess it worked out pretty well.
November 14th, 2009 at 1:42 PM ^
I actually asked Brian about this..
He said it was in his long term plans, but did not have time to address it in the near future. As a result I have been managing a google doc (stickied post) for who is looking for, and who has extra tickets.. dont know if you saw it..
Hopefully brian will have something better in the future..
November 13th, 2009 at 1:14 PM ^
My wife and I were able to get great season tickets by doing a "one-time transfer" from an existing ticket holder into my wife's name a few years back. This was a family friend who was getting older and had no immediate family to give them to, so we took them.
It cost $500/ticket for the transfer, but worth it.....they're on the 35 yard line, about 40 rows up, home side, aisle seats (4 tickets).
I realize this isn't an option for some people, but I wanted to share that this is another option beyond donating and earning points with the Victors Club.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:17 PM ^
The AD doesn't allow than any more. Except, I believe, to immediate family members.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:17 PM ^
Before the Penn St. game I did a tour of the club seating and suites. The suites are extremely pricey for the average fan but the club seats are manageable. You are high enough up that you see the game action great so the view is good on the ends where each seat is required to make a $1500 donation. 80% of the donation is tax deductible so for just under $4000 a year you can have club seats w/ $2400 of it being tax deductible. They were filling up but there was no wait list and it was first come first serve. I think you can check out the renovation web-site and see the seats that are still available like an airplane chart.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:43 PM ^
I think buying season tickets or packages in other sports helps as well. There are some basketball packages available right now... at least you get something in return while you maneuver for football tickets.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^
http://www.mgoblue.com/victorsclub/priority-points.html
1 Point - Ticket Loyalty
One point is awarded for each year of consecutive season ticket purchase in every season-ticketed sport since 1992.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:43 PM ^
i dont know if this helps you, ezmikep, but i will be a senior next year and there are always a few ppl, be they grad students or undergrads that have no intention of buying their season tickets when they have the spot reserved. crazy i know
if u get back to me sometime in march (if you remember) i am sure i could hook u up with the right ppl who are willing to ship their season ticket package to you and make a few bucks over cost if your donation/point system doesn't end up working out
November 13th, 2009 at 2:55 PM ^
I will keep that in mind, & I appreciate the effort alot.
November 13th, 2009 at 3:50 PM ^
EZMIKEP,
I actually sold my pair of season tickets this year on ebay for a little under the per game cost, as I didn't have a taker for the 2nd seat this year. (I've been sitting with friends or buying tickets on a game-by-game basis instead.) I expect to be in the same boat next year. Shoot me a note at [email protected] and I would be happy to work out a similar arrangement next year. Go Blue!
November 13th, 2009 at 3:07 PM ^
I could entertain clients...I might even be able to land the Henderson account!
November 13th, 2009 at 4:53 PM ^
"EZMIKEP;" I pretty much followed the same route "mfein" did. I started donating $100-150 total each yr....not per seat; at the end of the 06 season. Upon my 1st donation I was offered the "go blue pack." So pretty much I donated $100 dollars after one of the greatest seasons of late and was able to get tickets for every home game excluding homecoming...not a bad deal. Anyway I think these packs are now called the "all in pack" I'm assuming your friend purchased this pack above and beyond his since he was a season ticket holder and this option was offered to season ticket holders to spur more ticket sales. Thus he sold them to you for this year and this year only as these are not renewable on a yearly basis. Some people that attain these packs have different seats each game, but I always had the same seat not sure why. This year I was offered the true season tickets that are renewable. Granted I'm guaranteed tickets from here on out as long as I continue to make the PSD donation each year, but my wife and I were a bit disappointed as we ended up in similar areas to mfien....row 90....only 96 rows in the stadium. Granted the vantage point in fine, but the fans are different. With the “go blue pack” we were always down by the field about the 15-20 yard line (Section 20-21) 5-10 rows up. I felt like I could actually reach out and touch the players. The fans down there were way more into the games and educated about it also. Granted you stand more but I appreciated it as I felt it promoted one to cheer and spur on the team as opposed to where I’m at now…. beside a gentlemen who falls asleep during the game. I don’t want to come off as a person who sees the glass ½ empty…..I have season tickets why should I complain. Guess all I’m saying is in my opinion I feel I got penalized by being a season ticket holder now by moving up to the top tier as opposed to being down by the field. I contacted the university asking why they didn’t honor my requests of staying in the location I was since I had the same seats game in and game out, but they really couldn’t give me a straight answer. Granted one can improve their seat by donating more to the PSD, but I’m not one to fork over $500 per seat every year so I can be with the bluehairs. Guess its like the airlines penalizing their biggest customer…the business traveler b/c of charging so much for short notice flights.
November 13th, 2009 at 8:03 PM ^
I realized that there are a lot of details involved depending on where you donate & how etc. I just want to make sure I know what I am doing before I do it and alot of the people who posted on here really helped. I appreciate all of this because I got a lot of info the ticket office was iffy about.
November 13th, 2009 at 5:38 PM ^
The whole point system and giving money to the AD sounds kind of confusing. My Dad applied for season tickets after the '94 season and the whole Gary Moller fiasco and we got them right away. No waiting, I could not believe it. We have two tickets in Section 18 and do not pay the personal seat license. It is pretty close to the field but there are usually a lot of visiting fans mixed in the section which I hate. Though, I feel pretty lucky to have season tickets and should not complain. I think if we want to move to a better section my Dad would have to pay the personal seat license and he doesn't want to do that, so I guess we are stuck in our same spot.
I am glad he got the tickets before the whole personal seat license thing, that seems like a rip off. Also, could my Dad transfer the tickets to my name at some point or is that no longer allowed? Thanks in advance for anyone who might know the answer to this question.
November 13th, 2009 at 6:35 PM ^
Here is my question about obtaining season tickets. If I give a donation of $500 and receive an offer to purchase renewable season tickets in the endzone seats. Do I need to give that $500 donation every year or does it just become the cost of the tickets every year after the first year?
November 13th, 2009 at 7:00 PM ^
is that once you get the renewable season tickets, all you need to pay for is the manditory donation associated with those tickets. For endzone seats I believe it is $50 per ticket (those of us with endzone seats prior to the donation program are exempt from the $50 per seat unless we change seating locations). For 50 yard line it is $500 per seat. There is nothing required above and beyond that.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:34 PM ^
How much would one expect to have to donate in order to get tickets in the endzone around row 30-40. That is where my "all in" tickets are this year and I absolutely love the seats
November 13th, 2009 at 9:41 PM ^
"mgoblue7;" it's $50 a ticket no matter the location in the endzone be it row 10 or row 96. It gets progressively more per seat as you move closer to the 50 yard which is $500 per seat. When filling out your PSD form online you can request a certain location, but there are no guarantees. They ignored mine last year which I still don't understand since I had the go blue pack and was not a season ticket holder at that time.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:04 PM ^
I was curious about donation amount, would $500 donation give me a good opportunity to get seats in the endzone, or would I need to give more.