Norfolk, Va. – At a time when college football attendance is declining nationally, Old Dominion University’s ticket sales have increased dramatically.
A week before its home opener against Virginia Tech, ODU saw a 72 percent increase in season ticket sales. ODU sold 7,200 tickets last season, but had sold 12,364 through Thursday.
That’s up from 5,164 season tickets and counting.
The Virginia Tech game will be sold out soon, possibly until Friday. As of Thursday night, 19,667 tickets had been sold for the game. SB Ballard Stadium seats 21,944.
Remaining tickets will go on sale to Old Dominion Athletic Foundation members beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday morning and sales will continue through the weekend.
Only season tickets and two, three-game mini plans are still available for purchase. Smaller plans (Virginia Tech, Marshall and Arkansas State or JMU, Liberty and Georgia Southern) cost $125 each.
Show tickets starting at $150 and small plans remain on sale while tickets last. To purchase season tickets, click here
It costs at least $100 to join ODAF, the university’s fundraising organization. The more than 2,000 ODF members can purchase unlimited tickets starting today, priced at $65.
To join ODAF, click here.
RJ Scruggs, assistant athletic director for tickets at ODU, said ODU has sold 443 mini plans that include the Virginia Tech game.
This will be the second time ODU has sold out its game against Virginia Tech to the public. ODU sold out Old Foreman Field in 2018 when the Monarchs upset 11.Th-rank Hokies, 49-35.
ODU’s season ticket sales compare favorably with Sun Belt rival James Madison, which is moving to the FBS this fall. JMU is approaching a school record of 8,000 season tickets.
“This is a tribute to the hard workers in our department and our fans who care so much about our program,” said Dr. Wood Selig, ODU’s director of athletics.
“And especially for the head coach Ricky RahneHe quickly turned our program around.
ODU has the capacity to sell about 14,500 season tickets. The rest of the stadium’s 6,500 or so tickets are given out to students, sold to visiting teams or used as supplemental tickets for the families of players and recruits.
ODU’s once-strong season ticket sales have declined in recent years in part because the team had a 10-26 record from 2017 to 2019, including a 1-11 record in 2019. .
The epidemic, which has been blamed on a steep decline in college football attendance nationally, has also affected ODU, even as some fans were reluctant to attend in public last season.
Dr. Selig attributes the improvement in sales to several factors.
First, ODU’s performance under Rahne last season kept many fans coming back. The Kings started last season losing six of seven games, but won five in a row to earn their first bowl bid since 2016.
ODU took 5,000 fans to the Myrtle Beach Bowl, where the Kings fell to Tulsa, and their fan base was a hit with bowl officials and ESPN.
ODU returns 19 starters – 10 on offense, seven on defense and two on special teams.
The move from Conference USA to the Sun Belt Conference, as well as scheduling Virginia Tech, were other factors, he said. The Hokies have a huge following in Hampton Streets and Tech fans will definitely be pumped for this game because of the loss to ODU four years ago.
Joining the Sun Belt has improved ODU’s schedule. It gives ODU an annual matchup against James Madison, an in-state conference rival for the first time in a decade, as well as East Division rivals Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and Georgia Southern. Marshall, the Kings’ archrival in Conference USA, also joined the East Division.
“We knew from the response of thousands of fans when we moved to the Sun Belt Conference that they were very excited about the change,” said Dr. Selig. “We are delighted to see that Desta has secured over 5,000 new season tickets.”
Rahne said at Sun Belt media days, ODU fans didn’t show strong feelings against their Conference USA rivals. This is because Conference USA was a geographically dispersed league. He estimated that ODU’s 1,000-mile road trip average last season will be cut in half this fall.
“Our fans care about their games against teams like James Madison and Upstate,” he said.
And the Sun Belt East Division is arguably the best in the country on this powerhouse side.
ODU also eliminated seat membership fees and reduced the price of many tickets that do not require a fee, effectively reducing the cost of most tickets.
ODU implemented a marketing plan that included a heavy focus on social media, and the university sent letters from Rahne to thousands of former ticket holders.
There was also a media campaign funded by donors.
The campaign was led by Jerry Davis, president and CEO of the Davis Advertising Agency, which has offices in Virginia Beach and Washington, D.C. Dennis Elmer, president and CEO of Advance Automotive, also played a major role. ODU has placed hundreds of ads in local media.
“I want to thank Jerry Davis and the Davis Advertising Agency for their efforts,” said Dr. Selig. “This was truly a team effort.”
The university should sell more than one this season. The regular-season finale against JMU on Nov. 12 appears likely to be a sellout. Like Tech, JMU is expected to bring a large fan base to Norfolk.
Most premium seating at SB Ballard Stadium, Priority Automotive Club, all suites and all seats in the Cox Business Loge Lounge are sold out. From 2009 when ODU started playing football until last season, all premium seats have been sold out.
To meet the demand for additional premium seating, ODU opened a new area called The Deck, featuring a buffet, soft drinks and cash bar and meeting space with clear views of the field and the TowneBank scoreboard. It also offers three large screen TVs.
The area is being marketed to corporations as a place where business people can gather and enjoy a game of football, as well as meet potential clients or business partners. Although it is designed for corporations, it is open to all enthusiasts.
Call for information on The Deck Justin Ross at (757) 683-3360.
To purchase season tickets, click here
