“I probably will go ahead with it, but I’m a little bit reluctant,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been reluctant about it because I’ve been retired for over 20 years, and I just think it’s getting a little bit ridiculous now.”
But he added: “I just enjoy UD basketball. And I like what (coach) Archie Miller has been doing and I’d like to see what’s going to happen in the next couple of years with him.”
UD officials have come to expect some initial resistance with each new round of price increases, but they are banking that the majority of fans ultimately will decide to stay on board, despite the extra expense.
While prices for the tickets themselves will remain the same, the fees to purchase about 5,800 season tickets in the lower bowl will go up between $50 and $250 depending on location.
The Arena Seating Program was introduced in 1997 as a way to generate revenue for the athletic department. UD interviews a cross section of fans and confers with an outside consultant before setting the fees, which change every five years.
UD said the renewal rate for the three previous installments has been 96 percent or higher.
“Every time we’ve done this — this time included — the market analysis would tell you that you could probably charge a little more than you were charging and still be fine,” UD Athletic Director Tim Wabler said. “That’s not the intention here.
“We’ve been very purposeful — not seeing how much you can charge, but what is fair and reasonable. It’s more about the relationship at the University of Dayton with our fans than how much money can you generate.”
If the Flyers have 20 home games again, like last season (counting the two exhibitions), tickets in the center red sections will cost $97.36 per game, while those in the 100 level around the court will cost $50.90.
The least expensive seats are in the second level of the end zone and go for $27.91. Students are admitted free.
Tim Brabender, a longtime season-ticket holder and UD graduate, is looking at spending $9,200 in ASP fees, $700 more than last season.
He has two seats in the Flyer front row and two behind those in the center section.
“For me, it’s what I give back to UD,” the Centerville resident said. “It’s kind of like a contribution. ... If they doubled it, I might get a little concerned about it. But it’s all I do in the winter time. It’s what I like to do and what I enjoy.
“To me, what makes Dayton bearable in the winter time is UD basketball.”
Ron Morton of Tipp City has six court-side seats, and although he’ll pay $177 per game for each ticket, he’s looking to buy two more in the same section.
Why?
“Two words,” he said. “Great bargain.”
He added: “I’ve been to games all over, and that’s not bad. To pay ($177) for a front-row seat, I’m very happy with that.”
Wabler knows some fans have grumbled about the home schedule, and he said UD is trying to give them more bang for their buck.
The Flyers hosted Alabama, Mississippi and Seton Hall at UD Arena last season — the first BCS teams to play UD at home since sixth-ranked Pittsburgh visited in 2007.
Many fans also have been restless with the product on the court. While UD has reached the postseason in each of the last five years, it has made one NCAA tournament trip since 2004.
Even Wabler concedes the expectations for the program are higher than that.
“We’re coming out and saying it,” he said. “There’s no doubt we’ve gotten ourselves to be a bubble program. We’re one game in or one game out pretty much the last five years.
“We’re a bubble program, and we need to make the next step, which is being in the NCAA tournament more often than not. Period.”
UD expects to generate $3 million annually in revenue from the ASP, and that money is spread throughout the athletic department, which is about 67 percent self-sustaining (the other 33 percent comes from university support).
Flyer teams have won 41 conference titles and earned 32 postseason berths since starting the program in 1997. In the nine years before that, they won seven league titles and made one postseason trip.
“There’s a direct correlation between our fans’ support and their investment in our programs with the success of the Dayton Flyers,” Wabler said.
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