UGA News and Notes: Ticket prices could be on the rise

GREENSBORO - The cost of Georgia football and baseball tickets may be on the rise.

Thursday, Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks told the UGA Athletic Board that the school is looking at adjusting prices for attending both football games at Sanford Stadium and baseball games at Foley Field.

"We've got to look at all price points, and when I say that, it's not just about raising prices. It may be about lowering prices because we put a big focus on keeping our events family-friendly and family-affordable when we talk about concessions," Brooks said. "We're going to have to take a deep dive and look in. Some of our seats in the 300 level and 600 level, those prices may need to come down a little bit, and then seats in other areas may need to come up that are better seats."

Brooks shot down notions that the school is considering a reseat of Sanford Stadium.

That is not happening.

“We’re not going to reseat Sanford Stadium,” Brooks said. “I don’t want anyone to get panicked about that.”

Georgia has not raised prices at Sanford Stadium since 2018 when tickets for games against other SEC schools and Power 5 programs went from $50 to $75. Other games went from $50 to $55.

Brooks said he hoped to have more information at the next board meeting this fall.

“Before we do anything, if you’ve noticed the way we operate, we don’t like to do things just on a whim,” Brooks said. “We like to be studied and measured so we have more to do to measure that to make sure we have the right plan that’s fair and equitable.”

Foley Field, which is expected to host one of the 16 NCAA Regionals next week, could also see a rise in ticket prices.

Georgia currently ranks in the lower third of the SEC in both ticket prices and donations, per Brooks.

Georgia reported approximately $34 million in football ticket revenue for 2023, while fundraising saw the Bulldogs bring in a record $113 million during the fiscal year.

Brooks said had no update on the upcoming series with UCLA.

“Not yet, we’re still working through it,” Brooks said. “But I would hope we’ll have an update soon.”

The Bulldogs are scheduled to play UCLA in the Rose Bowl in 2025, with the Bruins set to return the game to Athens in 2026.

UGASports has reported that the series is expected to be cancelled.

With former Bulldog Jon Stinchcomb’s term on the athletic board set to expire, President Jere Morehead announced that former Georgia standout and SEC Network studio host Ben Watson will take his place.

Watson will begin his duties during the next board meeting this fall.

…The estimated start for construction on the new track and field facility is August 2024 with an estimated completion date of January 2026.

… Georgia student-athletes boasted a 3.24 cumulative GPA this spring, marking the highest semester on record (not including the COVID 2020 spring semester). The previous high was a 3.22 GPA in the fall of 2022. Seventy-one percent of UGA student-athletes earned a 3.0 or above this semester, which is also a school record.

… Women’s swimming and diving had the highest team GPA this semester with a 3.64, edging out volleyball, which had a 3.635.

… Men’s tennis led all men’s teams with a 3.60 semester GPA.