Too much purple in Memorial Stadium two years ago has prompted a change in Kansas University’s football ticket package.
KU Athletic Corp. board members unanimously approved a 2004 football ticket plan Friday that includes a hefty price hike for its popular Family Zone package.
“We were being taken advantage of,” said Mike Maddox, a Lawrence banker who heads the KUAC finance committee.
Two years ago, when the plan was instigated at the suggestion of athletic director Al Bohl, it seemed like a good idea to fill empty seats in the stadium’s north bowl by offering a package ticket that would allow two adults and two children to attend every home game for only $100.
At the same time, the single-game ticket price for the KU-Kansas State game was boosted to $45. Consequently, as soon as those 1,000 Family Zone tickets went on sale, many were snapped up by K-State fans who realized they could save $80 by purchasing one and using it solely for the K-State contest.
Other Family Zone tickets were purchased by scalpers who sold them to KSU fans at a profit. KU fans were able to buy some of the 1,000 tickets, although it was impossible to tell how many.
Friday, the KUAC board retained the 1,000-seat limit on the Family Zone package, but hiked the price to $200 and boosted the cost of a single-game ticket to the KU-KSU game Oct. 9 at Memorial Stadium to $65 — the highest ticket price ever charged for a Kansas home football game.
Clearly, the Family Zone ticket remains a bargain for a K-State fan, but KU officials hope to do a better job of monitoring sales.
“It’s a difficult issue,” Maddox said. “We want to encourage families to attend games, but we have to be careful. I don’t know if we can craft a perfect solution.”
KU fans can avoid being soaked for the $65 single-game ticket price by buying a season ticket for $185 — a savings of $45 — or by purchasing a mini-pack to the KSU, Colorado and Texas games for $105, a savings of $30. CU and Texas single-game tickets will cost $35.
Incidentally, Kansas State is charging $65 a ticket for its home games this fall against Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Also Friday:
l The board approved a restructuring plan and the basics of a priority points system for men’s basketball (story on page 3B).
l Williams Fund director Jay Hinrichs listed contributions at $3.8 million — $863,000 more than last year at the same time.
l Faculty rep Don Green reported that Big 12 Conference CEOs will meet in Dallas during the conference basketball tournaments to discuss, among other things, reports of recruiting improprieties at Colorado.
