GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - The Green Bay Phoenix has announced plans to restructure ticket pricing for women's basketball starting with the upcoming 2015-16 season. The restructuring comes as a result of fan feedback provided through focus groups held over the early part of the summer. Over 100 random Phoenix fans were invited to participate in focus groups.

“We have the best fans in the land and they are the team behind our teams.  We wanted to include them in the process of finding solutions,” Associate AD for External Relations Craig Sandlin said. “We appreciate those that joined us at the focus groups. Their input is extremely valuable as we attempt to provide a top-notch experience for our student-athletes, fans and donors.”

Lower bowl season ticket prices will increase $1 per game while upper bowl season ticket prices will remain the same. Individual game tickets will also increase by $1 per game and game day walk up prices will increase $2 per game. There will no longer be discounted season ticket prices for the lower bowl.  

“Women's basketball ticket prices have not seen an increase since the doors of the Kress Events Center opened in 2007 and the overwhelming feedback in the focus groups was it's overdue,” Director of Athletics Mary Ellen Gillespie said. “Given the changing landscape in Division I athletics that allows for full cost of attendance and the increasing costs to travel, outfit and feed our teams, raising ticket prices is one of several routes we are taking to generate the resources needed to compete at the highest level.”

In addition to the change in ticket prices, Phoenix Fund Priority Point calculations will be simplified to ensure efficiency and accuracy. All priority points earned previously will be carried over in the new format; however, moving forward, priority points will be calculated based on years as a season ticket holder and lifetime giving to the Phoenix Fund.  Points will be allocated one point per seat per year and one point per $100 of lifetime giving to the Phoenix Fund.

“Any priority points system needs to be simple and objective. In the research and benchmarking we did, those schools with simple criteria were able to maintain greater accuracy and we want to get it right,” Gillespie said. 

Season ticket renewals will be sent to season ticket holders in the coming days.  This year's mailing will provide an update on priority points, a renewal invoice and a copy of the Phoenix Insider.

Finally, in order to improve the service to fans, all ticket operations for Phoenix Athletics events will transition to the Kress Events Center Box Office. The Box Office will be staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.  

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