Delaware and the FBS

[93henfan]

93henfan,
What are the priority points used for?

For now, they are allowing renewing season ticket holders right of first refusal on their seats if they are willing to pay the required donation. After that, anyone wanting an upgrade has their request fulfilled in priority points order.

Full details: http://www.bluehens.com/tickets/2011FBU ... eating.pdf

As far as basketball goes, I have no idea. I couldn't tell you anything about UD basketball other than we suck.

[GannonFan]

93henfan,
What are the priority points used for?

Our priority points are used in the same manner for basketball as football. I'm assuming UD does not charge extra for seats in basketball like football.

I'm trying to equate my 45 yard line seats and great parking to your fees. 4 seats in section D or K appear to be ($155 + $125) x 4 = $1120. Parking appears to be $1300. So that is $2420 for the equivalent of what I have at ODU.

Since we use the "blind auction" method, I am paying $5000 donation per year plus $151 x 4 tickets = $5604 which includes the VIP parking (as well as VIP parking and VIP Room passes for all basketball games with the purchase of season tickets). But the parking spaces and seats are filled based on priority points. The school would like the prime parking lot be accessable with a minumum $5000 donation, we are not there yet. If you are a first time donor, that is what it will take, but if you are a long time donor and season ticket holder, you will have enough points to get in the prime parking lot with a $3500 donation.

So for a first time person, it is cheaper at UD for the same setup that I have. But I guess nothing carries over to basketball. For a long time person, it is still more expensive at ODU but when you factor in basketball benefits, the gap narrows I guess. (Note: I do use a company match on the donation to make it much more of a bargain).

Actually, yeah, thanks for that write-up - I may even copy it over to the GoHens site. I think we're paying a lot (and I pay the same as 93Hen - same section) for this level of football, but obviously there are others out there paying even more.

[BDKJMU]

Delaware instituted a mandatory per-seat donation this year as follows:

Tier 1 Box - $500 per seat
Tier 2 Box - $300
Tier 3 Box - $175
Tier 4 Box - $125
Sections D & K - $125
Sections E, C, J, & L - $75
Sections B, F, L & M - $50

Seating Prices: http://www.bluehens.com/tickets/2011FBD ... prices.pdf
Parking Fees: http://www.bluehens.com/tickets/2011FB% ... %20Map.pdf

My tickets in Section C were $130/ticket for six home games. Then add $75 per seat mandatory donation and $150 for parking in the gold champions lot.

We also have a priority points system, much like you mentioned for ODU.

FWIW comparison to JMU:

-Club Level: (C): parking in Godwin Field next to stadium, suites all you can east and drink from 1.5 hrs before kickoff to end of 1st qtr, access to patio to watch the game, about 1k extra wide chairback seats with cupholders: 2k "donation, $550 per ticket up to 4, 4 yr committment. So for 4 yrs 2 tickes is $12,400, 4 yrs, 4 tickets $16,800.

-Chairback Level: (Purple) parking in Godwin Lot or Hanson Field, still close to stadium, about 1k chairback seats. $1500 "donation" for up to 2 tickets, $250 per ticket, so 2 tickets 2k per year.

-Priority Club Level: (Orange) Level I'm at, parking in P lot, not far from stadium, $500 "donation", $125 per ticket up to 4 tickets. So for my 2 tickets is $750 for the season (actually $760 since $5 processing fee on each ticket)

-Public Level: $100 per seat, no donation (park on other side of interstate).

-Family plan: $300 per package, 4 tickets and concessions, no donation (park on other side of interstate).

*Edit: the "donations" also cover parking and priority seating for basketball I think, but I haven't been to a B'ball game at JMU since 98'.

[93henfan]

So most are comparable, with JMU's top-end a little more steep. ODU and JMU with major stadium upgrades. Delaware with player posters outside the stadium, and wait for it...











NEW HANDRAILS FOR 2011 !!!!!!!!!!

[89Hen]

NEW HANDRAILS FOR 2011 !!!!!!!!!!

That's right. Have those gone in yet?

[93henfan]

NEW HANDRAILS FOR 2011 !!!!!!!!!!

That's right. Have those gone in yet?

There's a pic on GoHens. Best f'ing hand rails in FCS.

Take that, JMU.

http://www.gohens.net/boards/viewtopic. ... 75#p163915

[CAA Flagship]

After briefly reviewing the UD program, I think the ODU program is better for several reasons.
First, it appears that it is possible to have empty seats in the 50 yard line sections at UD while the other sections are more full. Same goes with the empty parking spaces in the closest lots. That is not a good look on game day.

Second, there is an artificial cap on the amount of money the school can bring in with the UD program. The UD guide says you will get a seat in a certain section at a certain price. If that section is sold out, I'm sure they will tell you and take less money for a less desireable section. At ODU, seating selection based on priority points ensures the best seats are full. And since the priority point ranking is somewhat "blinded", many people, myself included, will ante up more money to ensure they get the seats and parking that they desire (but it is a guess as to what the minimum amount will be). Once you donate the money, you get your ranking and the table is set. There is not much of a chance to "downgrade" at that point. This may be bad for the fans but I'm thinking it is better for the school. But then again, it is only bad for the fan if he wants to gamble on better seats and parking. We still have fans that simply buy tickets and do not donate. There are not many of them but the folks on the waiting list can simply bump the non-donors by giving a small sum. Parking comes with every ticket order whether you donate or not. But the worst parking lot is not much worse than what is shown on the UD map (essentially a 3-4 block walk).

Third, the UD program has no carryover to basketball. ODU's program (priority points) carries over to basketball as well. This helps sell basketball tickets. Many people hate to let value go unused and with the popularity of ODU basketball, many donors take advantage with basketball seating/parking as well. This essentially means that there is no extra cost for basketball other than the tickets. Basketball parking is broken into two groups, VIP and non-VIP. There really isn't much of a difference between the two since everyone parks in the parking garages next to the arena. Then there are two hospitality rooms. Large donors get into the VIP room (Free beer, wine, cocktails and finger food before the game) and smaller donors get into the Big Blue Room (Free beer before the game). Both are cash bars at halftime. The point is that all donors get into one of the hospitality rooms by simply purchasing tickets.

I could probably explain this better but the post would be much longer. I think you can see the difference though.
So which would you prefer as a fan, and which would you prefer if you were the AD?

[93henfan]

Delaware is a football school. If I am ever penalized for not wanting to watch or not contributing to the bullshit sport that is basketball, I will stop being a season ticket holder for football and never send another cent to my alma mater.

All I care about is football.

[∞∞∞]

Is UD's stadium made of metal or concrete? I can't tell from the pics (not that it really matters...just curious).

[BDKJMU]

After briefly reviewing the UD program, I think the ODU program is better for several reasons.
First, it appears that it is possible to have empty seats in the 50 yard line sections at UD while the other sections are more full. Same goes with the empty parking spaces in the closest lots. That is not a good look on game day.

Second, there is an artificial cap on the amount of money the school can bring in with the UD program. The UD guide says you will get a seat in a certain section at a certain price. If that section is sold out, I'm sure they will tell you and take less money for a less desireable section. At ODU, seating selection based on priority points ensures the best seats are full. And since the priority point ranking is somewhat "blinded", many people, myself included, will ante up more money to ensure they get the seats and parking that they desire (but it is a guess as to what the minimum amount will be). Once you donate the money, you get your ranking and the table is set. There is not much of a chance to "downgrade" at that point. This may be bad for the fans but I'm thinking it is better for the school. But then again, it is only bad for the fan if he wants to gamble on better seats and parking. We still have fans that simply buy tickets and do not donate. There are not many of them but the folks on the waiting list can simply bump the non-donors by giving a small sum. Parking comes with every ticket order whether you donate or not. But the worst parking lot is not much worse than what is shown on the UD map (essentially a 3-4 block walk).

Third, the UD program has no carryover to basketball. ODU's program (priority points) carries over to basketball as well. This helps sell basketball tickets. Many people hate to let value go unused and with the popularity of ODU basketball, many donors take advantage with basketball seating/parking as well. This essentially means that there is no extra cost for basketball other than the tickets. Basketball parking is broken into two groups, VIP and non-VIP. There really isn't much of a difference between the two since everyone parks in the parking garages next to the arena. Then there are two hospitality rooms. Large donors get into the VIP room (Free beer, wine, cocktails and finger food before the game) and smaller donors get into the Big Blue Room (Free beer before the game). Both are cash bars at halftime. The point is that all donors get into one of the hospitality rooms by simply purchasing tickets.

I could probably explain this better but the post would be much longer. I think you can see the difference though.
So which would you prefer as a fan, and which would you prefer if you were the AD?

JMU is the same or similar way as UD. I can almost guarantee that at the prices JMU is asking for the Club and Chairback levels (a huge jump from last yrs Chairback Level (didn't have Club) that those 2k or so seats for the 2 combined levels are going to have a lot of bottom deck empty seats between the 30 yard lines. Thats not going to look good. And if JMU decides to then sell individual game tickets at the Club and Chairback levels, even for $550 and $250 a pop respectively, that is going to piss a lot of high paying donors off who had to make the minimum 2k and $1500 donations to get season tickets there.

As far as the "blinded" process that you speak of, the downside is many will donate less to get certain parking and a certain # of tickets in a certain section.

[93henfan]

Is UD's stadium made of metal or concrete? I can't tell from the pics (not that it really matters...just curious).

Concrete on both sides with metal benches. Both endzones are metal.

Here, you can see the concrete:

[JMUDuke2002]

JMU is the same or similar way as UD. I can almost guarantee that at the prices JMU is asking for the Club and Chairback levels (a huge jump from last yrs Chairback Level (didn't have Club) that those 2k or so seats for the 2 combined levels are going to have a lot of bottom deck empty seats between the 30 yard lines. Thats not going to look good. And if JMU decides to then sell individual game tickets at the Club and Chairback levels, even for $550 and $250 a pop respectively, that is going to piss a lot of high paying donors off who had to make the minimum 2k and $1500 donations to get season tickets there.

As far as the "blinded" process that you speak of, the downside is many will donate less to get certain parking and a certain # of tickets in a certain section.

That has been my concern about the Club Level seats all along. But, having said that, of the 1,006 club level seats, 630 have been sold. Hopefully, it won't be half empy.

http://www.dnronline.com/sports_sunday_ ... 56730&sub=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"JMU has sold 3,739 season tickets - including 630 of the 1,006 club seats - for the upcoming season. The 630 doesn't include about 40 seats reserved for VIPs and university use. JMU assistant director of athletic ticketing Michael Hughes said Monday the ticket office is on pace to beat last year's season ticket mark of 5,002. In fact, it set a minimum goal of 6,500 season tickets, Hughes said, but is hopeful to sell as many as 8,000.

Season tickets went on sale Sept. 10, 2010. The club seats have been available since 2009.

JMU has also sold an additional 4,300 single-game tickets so far. Those tickets went on sale March 1"

[93henfan]

JMU only plans to be in the 6-8K range for season tickets? That surprises me. I though the goal would have been more in the 10-15K range.

For comparison purposes only, Delaware's season ticket base was in the high 11K's in 2008, but has dropped the past two season to under 10K. My guesstimate, with the new donation policy, is that our base will be around 7.5K this season.

With JMU's fancy new stadium, I really expected them to blow Delaware's attendance and season ticket base away.

[State Line Liquors]

Is UD's stadium made of metal or concrete? I can't tell from the pics (not that it really matters...just curious).

I got a laugh out of that question, envisioning how dilapidated and lead paint encrusted a metal stadium built in the 1950s would be.

It was a fine question, but man oh man, there would be some serious bellyaching from the stadium whiners if that place was like a rusted hot plate in August/Sept.

[CAA Flagship]

As far as the "blinded" process that you speak of, the downside is many will donate less to get certain parking and a certain # of tickets in a certain section.

Not sure what you mean. The lower you are on the ranking, the later you pick, and the less you donate, the less number of season tickets you can purchase (because of the waiting list). So if you can get 4 tickets without donating, you may not find 4 seats together by the time you pick your seat location.

The other thing that helps the school by using this process is the shape of the stands. There are less seats at the goal line than there are at mid-field. If you are like me and like a higher seat to see the field, they are simply not available at the goal line. This helps feed the "blind auctioning" too. High seats along the sidelines are not as plentiful as at Delaware so you are penalized even more the further you are away from mid field. If standing in the middle of the field and looking at the sideline stands, IMO, the ideal seating is above an imaginary "V" drawn in the stands, with the low point maybe 10 rows up at mid-field. Our stands are shaped like an "A" so that cuts out ideal seats in the upper corners.

[BDKJMU]

-Club Level: (C): parking in Godwin Field next to stadium, suites all you can east and drink from 1.5 hrs before kickoff to end of 1st qtr, access to patio to watch the game, about 1k extra wide chairback seats with cupholders: 2k "donation, $550 per ticket up to 4, 4 yr committment. So for 4 yrs 2 tickes is $12,400, 4 yrs, 4 tickets $16,800.

I misspoke about the top JMU section for 4 tickets. Its actually:
1-2 tickets is 2k donation, 3-4 tickets is 3.5k.
2 tickets: 2k "donation" + $550 per ticket, $3100 a yr, 4 yr committment, $12,400
4 tickets 3.5k "donation" +$550 per ticket, $5700 per year, 4 yr committment, $22,800

Last I heard those tickets were $500 if ordered by Dec, $550 with the 4 yr committment, $600 without 4 yr committment. Don't think people are having to sign a legal contract for the 4 yr committment just to save $50 per ticket, think its just a pledge.

Obviously I don't know exactly because even though I am a die hard JMU FB fan, I'm not forking over that kind of cash!

[easterntennhen]

I am certainly willing to pay more for the games that I return home to see. We are certainly one of the top 5 programs in the country at the fcs level and i will pay more for our continued sucess. I just want to see continuing progress on stadium improvements as we go along. Delaware is one of the most successful programs in the past 70 years at the division 2 and fcs levels, though I am sure jbb would say we have'nt started our 4th dynasty yet like north dakota state has(lol). Hold the administrations feet to the fire if we the blue hen nation is going to pony up all this extra money.

[ODUalum11]

Delaware is a football school. If I am ever penalized for not wanting to watch or not contributing to the bullshit sport that is basketball, I will stop being a season ticket holder for football and never send another cent to my alma mater.

All I care about is football.

wow not a criticism but that is a complete turnaround in regards to attitude compared to VCU. Some VCU fans say they will never support the school if they get football. You say you'll never support Basketball...