Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut will not be adding a surcharge to tickets for the upcoming football and basketball seasons, according to the school's athletic director.
The school's Board of Trustees in January approved adding a surcharge of between $1 and $5 to tickets for football and men's and women's basketball games. The money would be used to help fund the construction of new soccer, baseball and softball stadiums.
But Athletic Director David Benedict told The Associated Press he's opposed to springing any price increases on UConn season ticket holders. He said a surcharge is still on the table, but he wants to give people at least six months' notice before it is enacted. Benedict said he expects it will go into effect next season.
The school is trying to raise an estimated $46 million to build the new facilities. The UConn Foundation has said it expects it can raise about $25 million toward that goal. The foundation has raised $14 million so far.
The rest would be bonded and paid back through the revenue generated by the ticket surcharge, according to Scott Jordan, the school's chief financial officer.
Jordan estimates the surcharge would bring in about $1.5 million a year.
The school has said the surcharge would not be applied to student tickets.
Benedict said building the new facilities is among his top priorities, but there is no timetable for the start of construction.
He also said he's working on how to improve the game-day experience for fans, looking at everything from tailgating policies to the time it takes to get through ticket lines and into a venue.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
