As a new season quickly approaches and we have all had time to let the high of becoming Champions fade away it is never too early to look ahead to next season and all of the exciting things to come. With season tickets available, and the holidays upon us it is the perfect time to discuss our ticket options and how it compares to the rest of League One, along with some of the possible season ticket holder only events in our future!
When you look at all the options we have available to us its plain to see that prices have gone up since last year. Now that may not be what we all want to hear, but it is inevitable. You don’t win a championship and expect everything to be exactly the same. You’ll be glad to hear though that the pricing model for this year is still extremely good value for the money!
Let’s talk about value. For an end line seat you’ll be paying under $300 total. If you want the seatback, you pay slightly higher at $285 per seat, or $205 for the berm. Which if you split up into the 16 total matches included you’re only paying $17 and $13 respectively. Where else can you go to get great entertainment for under $20?
The average movie ticket is $9.37, and popcorn is an astounding $9.09 for a large, and $6.29 for a large soda. $24.75 for one night at the movies which I guarantee if you try to cheer or chant in you’ll be prematurely removed. Fancy dining is much higher as well at around $30. To me the choice is simple. Plus you get to take out some anger by screaming and chanting for 2 hours.
Taking a look at the rest of the league we are comparable to everyone else, who might I add are not reigning champions. Runner up Greenville only has one end line option, which is the supporters section coming in at $150. Which is roughly $10 per match. But who are we kidding, they play in a high school stadium, which lowers the cost of tickets. Love the people, don’t love the stadium option.
Looking at the No Bantz FC, up in Madison their options for end line tickets are on the higher end, and also based on the available information, places them at the top of pricing for this next year. Sitting at a whopping $324 for supporters’ end tickets that places their price per match option at $20.25 per match, yet is still cheaper than a movie or a fancy dinner. You only have to worry about which of the nine kits they are going to wear that day, and if they’re going to switch at half.
Next stop in our theoretical road trip is The Kickers of Richmond. Slightly less than our previous team, they come in at $150 per season ticket. And includes 15 matches, making my job easy by taking my weakest subject in high school out of the equation, at $10 per match you’re sure to get your money’s worth, even if you have to watch The Kickers play in a recycled Arsenal Kit.
North Carolina FC is next up in our list. That is if all of their players finished their chores at home to be able to play in the match. Season tickets come in at $140 for the end line, non supporters section, and $168 for supporters as of last year. Current information is not available at this time. Making them contenders for the top spot for once, in a complete reversal from the table standings. Setting the bar high at $9.30 per match.
Moving on to Tennessee and the Red Wolves of Chattanooga. $126 for end seats and $154 for supporter sections. Beating NCFC for the top spot in value. Coming in at $8.40 per ticket! That’s great value. The only downside being if you’re prone to heart issues this may not be the team for you as they seem to only be able to score in stoppage time. One cool addition is the ability to take unused match tickets and roll them over to another match. So, if you can’t attend one week you can get two tickets to the next week, one perk that should be adopted by more teams in the League. [Editor’s note: *cough* Union Omaha *cough*]
The last team on the East Coast is League One newcomers Charlotte Independence. Giving you all 15 League One matches and 6 W League matches this also has pretty decent value. $99 for supporters end tickets and $180 for end line, this is the cheapest option in the League. We all know there are behind the scenes issues which I won’t discuss here, but at $6.60 per match, nobody can say that the seats aren’t cheap.
Northern Colorado is another new face here. However, there is no information on season tickets as of yet. Which is disappointing. Almost as disappointing as finding out there is no easy way to take a train out there for a match from Omaha. And that drive through western Nebraska is not fun.
Central Valley Fuego was also without season ticket information. I sent in a request and received no word as of this article. Really not much else to say about it, I was in California once, I hated it, Death Valley is a cool place to be for a day, not a month like I was. It gets cold when you’re sleeping on a cot next to a HMMWV in the sand.
Speaking of sand, FC Tucson is up. $150 will get you into the supporters section all season long. Pretty much in line with the rest of USL-1. Bright side of being at a Tucson match though is that you have a high chance of being on TV, and the soccer is pretty good too.
Finally, saving the best value for last heading over to South Georgia Tormenta, their stadium will be going through renovations during this next season so they have only two options for their season tickets. A premium seat, which is next to the GA area, and a General Admission stand. The general admission stand comes in at $160, but does include League One, Two and W league matches. If you attend all the matches from the three Leagues that puts the value at $3.50 per match. A great value for the money to be sure, even if you have to worry about getting a nail in your tire.
I reached out to Supporters Groups around the league, only receiving two answers back. They were both very happy with ticket prices as they are. They are also extremely excited about season ticket holder events returning this year. While no specifics were available at the time they were all optimistic about the possibilities. These events really do mean the world to a lot of fans, it’s nice to have your club do things for the season ticket holders. It really makes you feel like part of the organization.
So as you can see USL-1 teams are all great value for the money you are shelling out every year. All of which include a gift, (usually a scarf) and season ticket holder only events are starting back up now, which is great for everyone involved in this sport. It gives us a chance to meet everyone and do something really cool in the process. I know I’ll be there getting autographs, even if the players are 10+ years younger than me.
Season ticket holders really do become a family. I look forward to seeing the people I sit with every week, learning about them and their family. The fact that we get to watch silverware caliber play is just a bonus. I remember all of their names and can not wait to reconnect with them as soon as we get back to the park. First match back I’ll probably buy my whole row a beer (or soda if my seat neighbor brings his grandkids again). So, here’s hoping that $2 beer before the match returns next year, but even if it isn’t I’d be happy to share the time with my second family.
Who Gives A Hoot? 