MU Director of Athletics Mike Alden has sent out this letter to Tiger football season ticket holders:
Dear Tiger Fans,
Without question, we are excited about the successes of our programs academically and competitively at Mizzou. With 20 sport programs and 487 student-athletes, it is certainly gratifying to see our men and women performing so well. As we continue to build our program into national prominence, it is also clear that we could not do so without the support of our students, faculty, staff, alums, fans and friends. We have great appreciation for all that you have done and continue to do for the Tigers.
In the fall of 2008, the Tigers will again be positioning for national accolades in football. Coach Pinkel, his staff and our student-athletes are working hard in the off-season to ready the Tigers for an even better season this fall. Coach Pinkel is building a long-lasting, successful football program at Mizzou and we are looking forward to the coming year with great anticipation.
As part of our efforts, we will be focusing on our football seating and parking improvements in and around Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field. In surveying Tiger supporters, season ticket holders, student-athletes, staff and others, we were able to gather information that will help us improve our fan experiences while also generating additional resources for our program.
Our seating plan at Faurot Field has been in place since 1983. That plan is the same today as it was when it was instituted; the plan asks for those people sitting between the 20 yard lines in both the east and west stands to be members of the Tiger Scholarship Fund. While that plan has been in place for 25 years, and has served Mizzou well over that time, a few inconsistencies have developed in the donor sections. It is our goal to eliminate those inconsistencies and make the program as equitable and fair as possible for all donors, long-term and new, in 2008. If you sit between the 20's, please be reminded that we will ask you to be a member of the TSF at the necessary per seat giving levels. As part of that consistency, we will actually be LOWERING the donation requests for those areas on either side of the 50 yard line in sections I through L and II through LL (from $500 minimum donation/seat to $400 minimum donation/seat). This will assist us in ensuring that all ! fans are contributing consistently. We also will be extending our priority seating plan to include season ticket holders on the east and west stands who sit between the 10 and 20 yard lines. We are asking folks who have season tickets between the 10's and 20's (in sections F, FF, O, and OO) to join the TSF at a minimum of $25/seat. While that is a minimal level and associated increase, we also recognize that it represents a change in policy and we wanted to alert you as early as possible regarding this modernization in our program. Our hope is that you will see this as an opportunity to be a member of our TSF and help our program even more than you have. For those that do not want to join the TSF, we will have seating available outside of those designated areas.
Parking has also been a major point of discussion for a number of years, and was a focal point from our survey respondents. For 2008, in donor and non-donor lots, there will be a charge to park. Non-donor lots with close proximity to the stadium will be $15/game/car (increased from $10/game/car in 2007). In regard to the reserved parking in the donor lots, beginning this season, season-long parking passes will cost $100 each (an average of $16.66/game) above and beyond the necessary TSF giving levels needed for lot priority and assignment. While we recognize this will be an additional cost to you, it is our intention to address the overcrowded lots, traffic control, restroom facilities and other amenities for parking that our fans are requesting and deserve and, in turn, make the gameday experience more enjoyable for our valued customers. These revenues also will help assist with other departmental projects including our plans for a new sound system/video replay board f! or Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field for the 2009 season.
We know that changes are difficult, but at times they are also necessary. These efforts are being implemented to be fair and consistent and to continue to improve our program. We are the last school in the Big 12 North to implement charges for reserved parking in the donor lots and to modernize our priority seating plan. We know that these will be additional costs to you, and hope that you understand our intention to continue to build this nationally recognized department. Any and all questions on season tickets, seating plans or parking for football can be directed to the Tiger Scholarship Fund offices by email to: tsf@missouri.edu; by phone to 573-882-0704 and you may visit our website at: tsf-mizzou.com.
More information will be arriving to 2007 donors and season ticket holders in the coming days further detailing these initiatives. If you were NOT a donor or football season ticket holder in 2007 you may sign up on-line at http://mutigers.cstv.com/tickets/08-footbl-ticket-info.html to receive the necessary information and order forms in time for the much anticipated 2008 season.
We appreciate everything that you have done and continue to do for the University of Missouri. Without our loyal fan base, alums, donors, faculty, staff, students and friends, there is no way that we could have had the successes we have...we just want to keep it going. Thank you for your generous and loyal support of the Tigers.
In Black and Gold Spirit,
Michael F. Alden
Director of Athletics
1 comment:
$15 for parking is really getting ridiculous. I hope the hospital lot will be free again next year, or it will be very difficult for me to want to tailgate.
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