UGA Athletic Board: New budgets, beer, roster caps and schedule questions
GREENSBORO - The University of Georgia Athletic Board Friday approved a new fiscal budget of $192.7 million, an increase of nearly 10 percent from last year.
Georgia’s 2024 fiscal year budget was $175,217,591.
Of the total, ticket sales from football are expected to increase to $36,210,000, compared to $33,100,000 in 2024.
Other projected ticket revenues for 2025 include:
Baseball - $520,000 (up from $375,000 in 2024)
Men’s Basketball - $1,300,000 (up from $1,200,000 in 2024)
Women’s Basketball - $125,000 (down from $140,000 in 2024).
Gymnastics – $275,000 (up from $260,000 in 2024).
With beer sales set to begin, the University projects to make $2,175,000 on concessions and novelties, compared to $975,000 in 2024.
This year’s SEC distribution is expected to grow to $56,700,000 from $50,400,000 in 2024.
NOTE: The board also approved $950,000 for Sanford Stadium upgrades to accommodate alcohol sales set to begin this season.
Nine-game schedule expected to be broached again at spring meetings
One of the many topics at this year’s SEC spring meetings in Destin will once against center on scheduling, and whether the league will ultimately go to nine games.
The SEC is staying with an eight-game conference schedule for 2024 and 2025.
“I don’t know how much time we’ll have, but it will be interesting to see,” said athletic director Josh Brooks.
“I suspect this topic (NCAA settlement) will dominate the meeting,” president Jere Morehead said.
Brooks tells coaches not to worry about impact of NCAA settlement
On Thursday the NCAA and Power 4 conferences, including the SEC, signed off on a settlement to distribute $2.8 billion in NIL backpay.
Under the proposed plan, the NCAA will play 40 percent of the damages.
The 60 percent that remains will come from the NCAA reducing its revenue distributions to the 32 Division I conferences over the next 10 years.
Broken down, Power 5 conferences will pay 24 percent of the damages. Group of 5 schools will pay 10 percent, FCS will pay 14 percent and non-football conferences in Division I will pay 12 percent.
So, how will this affect Georgia?
Brooks has told his Bulldog coaches not to worry.
“I tell them don’t read anything you see in the media; wait till you hear from us because there’s going to be a lot of speculation. I’m sure you’ve seen a ton of speculation,” Brooks said. “These things have all got to be worked out. Don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t worry one way or the other. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Included is the settlement's impact on potential roster caps, which some have speculated will occur.
“I feel that is something we’ll know more details about with the potential of not having scholarship limits, but being in roster caps,” Brooks said. “That’s just another of the many details that must be worked out. To speculate how that’s going to play, it’s too early to get in on the weeds of any of that right now.”
