Friday, February 25, 2005
Long-time season ticket holders and donors to KU athletics will receive an extra benefit with the implementation of the Kansas Athletics Department’s priority point system for football next season.
Fans who have had season tickets for 15 years or more and are Williams Educational Fund members, are guaranteed to sit within the 20-yard lines on the west side of Memorial Stadium regardless of point totals, said Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director for external affairs. It costs $100 per year to be a Williams Fund member.
“When department officials were planning the implementation of the point system to football, we wanted to find some way of recognizing the contributions of long-time donors, especially those who have had to sit through some tough football seasons,” Marchiony said. “I think people will be very pleased that we are giving a great deal of consideration to people holding season tickets for a long period of time.”
With the exception of the guaranteed seats policy and a few other tweaks, the points system is the same as the one that was implemented for the 2004-2005 basketball season. Seating locations are determined by point totals. Donors are assigned points based on several criteria, including the number of season tickets purchased, membership in various clubs, alumni status, the number of years they have donated and the amount they have donated. The points system applies to any athletics event where there are assigned seats.
Other changes include moving visiting fans to the southeast sections of the stadium. This will provide better location for Family Zone ticket holders, who sit in the north end of the stadium. The student section has also been moved farther to the north on the east side of the stadium.
And in an effort to ensure that Williams Fund members have priority for seat assignment, the department will hold a month-long “Select-A-Seat” campaign in May. During that month, Williams Fund members will have first pick for their seats.
Marchiony said the department informed donors last year that the points system was forthcoming in football. He said he expected less of a reaction from donors to the football point system because they had already had time to get used to the system for basketball.
Gary Smith, Lawrence resident, and his family have been long-time donors to KU athletics. A Williams Fund member, Smith, 66, did not specify how many years he had donated, but said he had racked up quite a few points. He said he liked the fact that the guaranteed seating was rewarding people for their contributions. He also said he liked the idea because it could help bring people to Memorial Stadium.
“I see nothing wrong with it because they have so many more seats to sell,” he said. “We need to fill it up.”
Smith said he never understood the upset surrounding the points system. It makes sense that people who donate more money should get better seats, he said.
Smith said it was important to support all KU sports. He and his family have season tickets for women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball.
“We just want to support all the programs, and we encourage others to do the same,” he said.
Edited by Kendall Dix
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