MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia football season ticket sales are lagging behind the pace of recent years.
As of midweek the school had sold 28,800 season tickets, a nearly 8 percent dip from last summer’s year-to-date commitments, said associate athletics director Matt Wells.
Current sales are 10.4 percent off their previous four-year average:
2014: 28,800
2013: 31,300
2012: 35,000
2011: 31,500
2010: 30,700
Even after discounting the 2012 spike—which followed the Orange Bowl rout of Clemson and capitalized on WVU’s debut in the Big 12—the current sales are more than 7 percent off average since 2010.
Slumping sales are not a surprise considering the Mountaineers are coming off a 4-8 finish—their first losing season since 2001—and being picked among the bottom of the Big 12 again this season.
The current campaign recently concluded its priority period for Mountaineer Athletic Club donors to renew season tickets or add seats to their packages.
Now the remaining 10,000 season tickets are being opened to non-MAC members, Wells said. Some seats in the family and green zones are available at face value of $365 and don’t require a donation. Tickets near the goal line in the gold zone ($250) and the upper-level orange zone ($125) require a MAC gift.
“We’re a little behind on previous years’ sales,” said Wells, who noted the university’s online ticketing software allows fans to gain a perspective of the stadium view afforded by various seats. “We’re trying to make sure the process is customer-friendly in order to give our fans an accurate idea of exactly where there seats are at time of purchase.”
West Virginia plays six home games in 2014, highlighted by visits from Oklahoma (Sept. 20), Baylor (Oct. 18), TCU (Nov. 1) and a Thursday night matchup against Kansas State (Nov. 20).
Fans also can obtain mini-packages that include tickets to the Oklahoma, Baylor and K-State games, Wells said.
The school designated the Sept. 6 game against FCS member Towson for its “Family Day” promotion that offers four tickets and a $25 concessions voucher for $150.