if GTAA raise tix prices .....

[ramblinwise1]

So say I just made a fairly large contribution to the AT on 12/31. Am I going to get any credit for this in this PSL scheme? I would have applied it to the PSL if I knew anything was coming. Lets just say I should get much better seats than I have now under the $ being mentioned below.

I'll never give to the AT again if they stiff me this year on my AT contribution and make me pay a PSL this year on top of that. I would probably just not buy the season tickets if thats the case.

 

[hiveredtech]

So say I just made a fairly large contribution to the AT on 12/31. Am I going to get any credit for this in this PSL scheme? I would have applied it to the PSL if I knew anything was coming. Lets just say I should get much better seats than I have now under the $ being mentioned below.

I'll never give to the AT again if they stiff me this year on my AT contribution and make me pay a PSL this year on top of that. I would probably just not buy the season tickets if thats the case.

It depends on what year you gave your contribution to....the July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.....or the July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. AT Points will always matter towards bowl games, away games, and other "ranking" mechanisms.

The only difference with season tickets is that each location will have a 'per seat' right to buy donation requirement along with the ticket price. Thet 'per seat' right to buy amount will count toward AT credit, althougn it is a different fund. The AT points would be tiebreakers, etc. as I understand it.

In other words, you can essentially keep the same seats you have forever as long as you keep paying the 'per seat' additional donation. You can even be a new fan and come in and take advantage of leftover seats in this process...thus hopefully creating additional fanbase.

So...I believe any already money given to the July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008 giving year will be able to be moved. I am in the same boat.

 

[ramblinwise1]

It depends on what year you gave your contribution to....the July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.....or the July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. AT Points will always matter towards bowl games, away games, and other "ranking" mechanisms.

The only difference with season tickets is that each location will have a 'per seat' right to buy donation requirement along with the ticket price. Thet 'per seat' right to buy amount will count toward AT credit, althougn it is a different fund. The AT points would be tiebreakers, etc. as I understand it.

In other words, you can essentially keep the same seats you have forever as long as you keep paying the 'per seat' additional donation. You can even be a new fan and come in and take advantage of leftover seats in this process...thus hopefully creating additional fanbase.

So...I believe any already money given to the July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008 giving year will be able to be moved. I am in the same boat.

I didn't specify. I just sent an echeck. I'll just have to wait and see if they are going to screw me or not. I can usually get better seats from a supplier anyway so it may just be time to do that until we see how this scheme plays out.

 

[clapper]

If you gave a large donation expecting that it would move your A-T points significantly enough to improve your seat location, DRad says there will be a staff member assigned to help you find those better seats. They do not expect each tier to be full, nor do they expect that many people to want to move.

In the meeting the other day, the same point was raised and it sounded like there might be alot of dissent for no reseating. So, they asked for a show of hands of anyone that wanted to be moved. 8 out of close to 150 raised their hands.

In the future, if you ask for a seat upgrade, they will compare your points to everyone else looking to move and give priority that way.

 

[flyjacket]

Hats off to clapper. Please stay with us.

It is very refreshing to have someone that knows something instead of the normal whining posts.

Question. It appears if any fan is low on funds in a year they can continue to pay about the same price for tickets but just be prepared to move?

Also, I believe this is the norm in all the major football programs?


Thanks again.

 

[gr82bfzyb2]

Clapper,
The way I read this is 8 out 150 *life* members would like to move. I don't see how that would apply to the other ~30,000 season tix holders....
Especially for those of us who have been trying to build up points for the next reseating.

*Edit* BTW, thanks for posting your info, and I'm not arguing with you, just stating an opinion...

 

[JTS]

I don't think that life members are very representative of the general season ticket holder as they already have the best seats.

 

[clapper]

Clapper,
The way I read this is 8 out 150 *life* members would like to move. I don't see how that would apply to the other ~30,000 season tix holders....
Especially for those of us who have been trying to build up points for the next reseating.

First of all, just how far were you expecting to move in the next reseating? If you think about it, the PSLs are fairly low priced. What I expect to happen is that there will be jockeying for seats that 'push' everyone closer to the 50. That means the shuffle will take place anyway. And if you have built up the points, you'll jump ahead of others.

(Note: This program only affects the best 18,700 seats. So, there are at least 11,300 of those STH's that aren't going to care either way.)

Also, these PSLs aren't inheritable. When folks leave (by whatever means), seats will become available again. So, instead of having to wait for a reseating, you could be moving closer to where you think you want to be every year.

And there are also those who have been holding seats with points, but haven't been contributing, who will give up PSL seats to move somewhere else. Freeing up assitional seats.

Finally, DRad has been through this twice before. I think he might know what he's talking about.

 

[thwg]

Hi folks. First time poster. I found you while trying to keep up with Chan-o-rama.

IPSLs kick in this year, likely $500 per seat for West Stands between the 40s, $375 out to about the 20s and the East Stands, $200 or so elsewhere. That covers the best 18,700 seats of the stadium. Club seats basically already have a $600/$400 PSL and won't change. There is a similar graduated plan for AMC.

All of this is 80% tax deductible. It also replaces the 'level giving' A-T donation program. The PSLs will still generate A-T fund points for parking, seat upgrades, postseason, etc. Anyone still giving to A-T will receive double points, but PSL points are expected to be the norm.

Thanks a bunch for a very informative post. Just to clarify, do you think/know if there will be a PSA for all lower level seats. My folks have seats around the 30 in the lower west and I assume their annual AT contribution will meet the fees needed. However, we have lowers on about the 20 in the East. Could we move to say the endzone without having to pay fees?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[thwg]

*sigh*

gotta pay da bills.......








hmmmmm, lessee.....didn't O'Leary say something like "either expand the stadium, or I'm gone"?? We bend over and let him, uh poke us good and then he leaves anyway, pokin' us once again.

CORRECT!!!!!!

We built 8000 more seats than we needed to keep OLiar so that UGAG,AUB, CLEM fans can come to the games for $35 a ticket while GT fans pay much more than market price to see the same game.

If we had just kept about what we had after the first season of construction, we woud have had tens of millions of less debt and could actually increase ticket prices and PSLs as demand might come close to meeting supply or possibly even exceeding it.

Of course, the Club fiasco costs us a ton also. O'L screwed us so royally and some still worship him.

 

[midatlantech]

This doesn't really sound like a PSL. My PSL in Baltimore has grown by 5 times the original price due to demand, etc. This DRad PSL sounds more like an annual surcharge. It is not transferable, it is not a one time event. It's really just raising the ticket prices 3 fold in one year.

I think it's pretty aggressive and will be doomed quite frankly. I am particularly worried about more non Tech fans infiltrating more sections in the middle of the stands.

Also, when you said the 20 yard line, do you mean the 20's on both the west and east? Does that mean that I am not at risk if I have tickets on the 18 yard line of the Upper East?

 

[clapper]

This doesn't really sound like a PSL. My PSL in Baltimore has grown by 5 times the original price due to demand, etc. This DRad PSL sounds more like an annual surcharge. It is not transferable, it is not a one time event. It's really just raising the ticket prices 3 fold in one year.

I think it's pretty aggressive and will be doomed quite frankly. I am particularly worried about more non Tech fans infiltrating more sections in the middle of the stands.

Also, when you said the 20 yard line, do you mean the 20's on both the west and east? Does that mean that I am not at risk if I have tickets on the 18 yard line of the Upper East?

You're right. It isn't a true PSL. It is really a means to guarantee giving, instead of relying on the fluctuations of a level giving plan - more sustainable income. And it is aggressive, but shame on anyone that didn't know it was coming when they hired him. He was the point man for LSU's program. Also, after looking at the financials, it's pretty clear something needed to be done right away. And it isn't just ticketholders pitching in. The students get hit hard and the school is (finally) helping out.

As far as sections, I want to say it was basically between the 30's on both sides, upper and lower, plus a few front rows in the upper deck of the north stands that they are trying to stake out. It could have gone to the 20's, but it seemed like it was the West side center section and 2 sections either way from there.

 

[midatlantech]

I can't get into the Annual Report. I thought someone posted that we lost $6M last year of which $4M was depreciation. So cash loss was $2M. Now over time, there is no doubt that depreciation is a very real expense. For every $4M not reinvested/expensed annually into the stadiums, for example, there will come a day that they will have to be upgraded and then it's a hefty fee again. But in the short term, it will not bankrupt our type of program (the future wealth, potential energy really, comes in the form of our donors and not a normal business plan).

$2M annual cash deficit will however kill us very quickly.

In trying to find answers, I don't understand why the AA would destroy the recent momentum generated by the program. We are still not at a strong enough point in the supply/demand curve. IMO, we have a chance to continue with solid slow growth that may put us so much stronger in just five or so more years (if we added another 5,000 season ticket holders, we'd be golden).

If we need $2M today, then raise it. I agree with the three forms of the plan: students being charged the going rate (particularly since it's fairly reasonable), the state helping more (particularly since other states' do it), and the alumni/ticket holders bearing more weight.

When Rad asked us to give more, I looked at things and realized that we could give some more. And I did. I also think things like the UGA ticket should be $100 minimum, $200 for good seats. Let the Dawgs pay for their seats as much as we do.

Effectively we'd raise our season tickets cost, say $100, or a reasonalbe 15% or so, which would raise about $3,000,000.00 (30,000 x $100) extra. Additionally, the UGA tickets for single games would add another $500,000 ($50 extra x 10,000). When I compare the excitement and demand for this game versus say the NFL, I think the two compare closely or in fact the UGA game is bigger. So price them aggressively.

Add in the extra $1.2M from the students and we'd be well on our way in the short term to take care of things. But we wouldn't destroy the momentum we've earned.

I believe the current plan as heard is going to destroy momentum AGAIN! When are we going to learn?

Having said that, we should realize that this type of thing is coming and in another ten years, so will another creative plan. We should appreciate that the donation thing has nice advantages for all of us. On average, I'd think we'd save 15% to 20% of the donation, so that helps.

I know it's coming regardless, I just am struggling with the numbers that I'm hearing. I suspect that the fan that has seats between the 20's in the Lower West, is already giving $500 a year or whatever annually. I suspect that the real net effect has been looked at and it won't move that many people, but Rad will get his numbers out of it.

 

[ken04thompson]

My question is will it really work and actually end up raising substantially more revenue or will it end up like the chairbacks. It is really just an enforced annual contribution. According to some posts on the Hive, it will be equivalent to AT donations for tax purposes

 

[cyclejacket]

midatlantech .....

Have you sent an e-mail to DRad. I think you make a good point and it is certainly worth considering. The biggest concern I have about DRad's thinking is that he comes from a football factory background at LSU and what works there may not work here.

 

[pocket_watch]

Re: midatlantech .....

The biggest concern I have about DRad's thinking is that he comes from a football factory background at LSU and what works there may not work here.

Exactly. Even though we desperately need it, now isn't the best time to be raising prices. If things had worked out differently last week, many more would want to give.

 

[midatlantech]

I have to agree that DRad must have been steaming over the latest controversy with Tech football. I agree that the short term momentum isn't quite there right now and the coaching thing just slows it a bit.

As I posted, I just don't see the need when there are other short term things he could do to remedy the situation. The plan as I've heard it is coming no doubt. I just don't understand the necessity of killing momentum just when we seem to be moving forward again. That is fan base is growing, the team is doing reasonably well.

 

[clapper]

Re: midatlantech .....

Have you sent an e-mail to DRad. I think you make a good point and it is certainly worth considering. The biggest concern I have about DRad's thinking is that he comes from a football factory background at LSU and what works there may not work here.

That isn't his background at all. Prior to LSU, he was at American University (which has no footbal team), South Carolina (which is not exactly a football powerhouse), Long Beach State (which disbanded their team while he was there), and Miami (which is private and funded entirely differently than us). His real background is on the business end of things, which is where he's leading this program.

And what is this momentum or whatever y'all are talking about that we have to maintain? From reading this board, you'd think we had Bill Lewis and Dwane Morrison were back.

 

[cyclejacket]

Re: midatlantech .....

His real background is on the business end of things, which is where he's leading this program.

LOL, you might want to check the OC thread, many of the posters believe he is a football coach.

 

[GTwig63]

I also understood that Clough hired Radakovich for his financial acumen rather than for his football background. If improving the football program had been the driving force behind Clough's decision, he probably would have hired Curry. Clough deked the GT fan base because he hired someone from LSU, which convinced a lot of people that Radakovich would have a strong football background. What Radakovich does know now is that CCG really put a damper on his money raising plans by losing the last three critical games and then flirting with the pros, hardly events that would make existing supporters want to open up their wallets and hardly conducive to attracting new season ticket buyers either. Looks like the romance between the GT sports message boards and "DRad" may be cooling off a little. It would have made his job a lot easier if we could have won a couple of those last three games, or if CCG had departed and we had a bright new coach coming on board. Oh well, at least DRad hasn't suggested, as his predecessor did, that we play our home games against UGA in the Georgia Dome.