Ohio State plans changes, new fees for football season tickets
Feb. 25—COLUMBUS — Ohio State has introduced a new pricing plan for football season tickets that divides Ohio Stadium into six zones and adds a per-seat contribution in all but one of those zones.
The new plan is scheduled to go into effect for the 2022 football season.
Currently many season ticket holders get the chance to buy their tickets by contributing to the Buckeye Club. Those contributions bring in around $14 million a year. OSU hopes to increase that amount to $25 million to $30 million a year under the new plan.
Seats in Zone 1 would have a per-seat contribution of $1,500 a year in addition to the price of the season tickets. Zone 2 seats would cost an extra $1,000 per season, Zone 3 would add $500 to the season ticket price, Zone 4 would require an extra $250 and Zone 5 would have a per-seat charge of $100.
Zone 6 tickets, which obviously are the least desirable seats, would not have an extra charge.
A detailed look at the plan, can be found at ohiostatebuckeyes.com/buckeye-club/psc.
Ohio State is projecting a COVID-19 related shortfall of $60 million to $70 million in its athletic department this year but athletic director Gene Smith said that is not the only reason for the new football ticketing plan during a Zoom conference on Wednesday. He said OSU had been looking at changes in how tickets are allocated for several years.
Ohio State has not yet announced its football ticket sales plans for this season because it is waiting to see how many fans will be allowed at games.
"The Department of Athletics continues to work with state and local health officials on protocols surrounding fan attendance at games. Once more details become available information will be sent regarding 2021 season ticket renewals and seat selections timelines and processes," according to OSU's website.
Smith said no tickets will be sold for Ohio State's spring game, though it is possible some spectators, such as front line workers and families of players and coaches, could be allowed. No date has been set for a spring game but coach Ryan Day said recently that April 17 was a tentative date for that annual exhibition.
