Kentucky season ticket sales up from last year but lag most of Mark Stoops era
This year’s season-ticket sales for the University of Kentucky football team seem to have gotten a boost from last year’s historic campaign, but they still trail all but one year of the Mark Stoops regime.
UK through Tuesday had sold 33,178 paid, non-student season ticket packages, UK Director of Strategic Communications Guy Ramsey told the Herald-Leader. More than 5,000 of those packages were new sales.
That total is up from 30,212 such packages in the 2018 season, a 9.8 percent increase year over year, but is the second-lowest total under Stoops. Football season-ticket sales at the school from 2017 to 2018 — a year in which the Wildcats eventually finished 10-3 and as Citrus Bowl champions — dropped 11.3 percent. The program sold 34,060 ticket packages in 2017.
Mark Stoops’ first season remains the highest mark for season-ticket packages during his tenure. UK sold 40,872 season tickets ahead of the Wildcats’ home opener against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 7, 2013; it was one of two games the team won that season. The second-most season tickets sold under Stoops came in 2015, when 38,658 packages were purchased.
Ramsey also said “plenty of” single-game tickets are available for UK’s season opener against Toledo and that the school isn’t expecting a sellout Saturday.
Season-ticket sales as well as attendance in general across college football have trended downward in recent years for a variety of reasons, among them pricing and increased access and improved quality to live game experiences at home. Missouri and Mississippi State, whose stadium capacities are most comparable to Kroger Field in the Southeastern Conference, both have season-ticket packages available for this season; Mizzou has sold about 28,500 season tickets. LSU sold a school-record 74,350 season tickets in 2015 but has seen its sales dip to about 70,000 each of the past three years. Even Alabama, which this decade alone has won four national championships, has a limited number of season-ticket packages available ahead of its home opener against New Mexico State on Sept. 7. Florida State, another program with mighty football tradition, as of July was on track to sell fewer than 25,000 season tickets.
It’s not all bad news on the ticketing front. Kentucky’s third home game, against Florida on Sept. 14, was announced as a sellout on Monday. The school in the last two weeks announced that it has sold out several other multi-ticket packages that it offers. A total of 1,082 four-game flex packs — which allow fans to select four home games from a specific allotment — were sold, and about 900 pocket passes — a mobile ticket package — were purchased. Mobile season ticket packages for students also sold out last week.
UK is now selling partial season-ticket packages for its final five home football games starting at $185. Three-game flex packs are also available. You can purchase tickets through UKFootballTix.com.
UK football season ticket sales
Year-by-year totals since Mark Stoops has been head coach:
2019: 33,178-x
2018: 30,212
2017: 34,060
2016: 33,658
2015: 38,658
2014: 35,801
2013: 40,872
x-Through Tuesday
This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 12:36 PM.
