Tag: Season Ticket Holders

Texans offering savings, flexibility for season ticket holders as part of Fan Appreciation Week

The Houston Texans are reducing the price of season tickets for current holders and offering flexibility for 2022 as part of Fan Appreciation Week.

The Houston Texans are redefining season ticket membership for fans as part of Fan Appreciation Week for Week 18.

According to Texans president Greg Grissom, the club is seeking to offer flexibility and savings in 2022.

“We are always looking for ways to evolve to do what is best for our Season Ticket Members,” Grissom said in a statement from the team. “Together, our conversations led us to redefine what it means to be a part of the Texans family by offering new savings, more flexibility and better benefits. In 2022, Season Ticket Members will experience first-time renewal incentives, exclusive benefits and yearlong rewards to express our gratitude for their loyalty.”

According to the Texans, the redefined membership will have reduced pricing on 2022 and 2023 season tickets based on Season Ticket Member tenure when a member renews early.

Members will also have flexibility with renewal deadlines and payment plan options.

Members can swap tickets between games.

Members will also have exclusive discounts on concessions on game day and also on merchandise at the Texans’ team shop.

One of the biggest perks is exclusive access to the team through special events.

Season Ticket Members and fans interested can visit www.houstontexans.com/renew for more information.

Much ado about nothing? Russell Wilson not mentioned in season ticket holder letter

The Seahawks sent a letter to their season ticket holders and quarterback Russell Wilson’s name was not mentioned. Much ado about nothing?

Rumors about a possible trade of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson continue to swirl around the internet leading to more and more conspiracy theories about his future (or lack thereof) in Seattle.

One of the latest stories circulating around social media involves a letter recently sent by the organization to season ticket holders. While the letter doesn’t mention every player on the team, one name has “mysteriously” been left out . . . that of the face of the franchise, Mr. Wilson himself.

The letter was penned by Seahawks’ president Chuck Arnold and contained a brief recap of recent team happenings, including some records set last season and some new hires this year. Only a handful of players were actually mentioned, including wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf.

The lack of Wilson’s name in the letter is likely indicative of absolutely nothing, but for those looking for clues of a potential trade, the evidence could be stacking up.

Much ado about nothing???

Here’s a look at the letter in question – you decide for yourself.

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Cowboys ticket sales crash, NFL to use pre-recorded crowd noise at games

As the Cowboys saw ticket sales marred by technical difficulties, the league has announced a plan to pipe in crowd noise on gamedays.

The Dallas Cowboys are trying to make sure their gamedays look- at least partially- like they’re supposed to. And the league is ensuring that its stadiums will sound somewhat like the NFL on Sundays.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed how important it is for his club to “put the show on” in this COVID-stained season. For the ringmaster-in-chief of America’s Team, that unquestionably also means having paying customers in the seats.

While many stadiums across the league have already vowed to play the regular season in front of an empty house, Jones has promised that AT&T Stadium will be open for business on Sundays this fall, to at least a percentage of the venue’s full capacity. Season ticket holders were supposed to get their first chance at claiming seats for Cowboys home games on Thursday.

Like so much of the rest of 2020, it fell apart in short order.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News has reported that the online platform used by SeatGeek “experienced issues” shortly after the sales window opened and was subsequently shut down, with ticket sales suspended until further notice.

“In reaction to COVID-19, SeatGeek built a custom ticket-buying experience that keeps fans safe and adheres to local and state safety guidelines around social distancing,” SeatGeek wrote in a statement. “Fan safety is paramount for SeatGeek and the Cowboys. While we are excited to pioneer this new technology, SeatGeek and the Cowboys made the joint decision to pause the on-sale until early next week to offer an improved user experience.

“We look forward to resuming the on-sale and helping as many fans as safely possible attend an event at AT&T Stadium this season.”

The Cowboys sent out an email of their own, just two hours after tickets were supposed to have gone on sale.

“We apologize for the technical difficulties with SeatGeek regarding the Dallas Cowboys single game ticket on-sale this morning and are working through these issues,” the team stated. “Rest assured that you have not missed out on purchasing any games for the on-sale. Once the issue has been resolved and is fully functioning, we will email you when you are able to go back online to purchase. Thank you for your patience, and we apologize for this inconvenience.”

Fans who already own Cowboys season tickets will be allowed to purchase up to six tickets for up to three of the team’s eight home games this regular season. The seats will be grouped into pods around the stadium to ensure proper social distancing on gameday, and ticketholders will not be permitted to re-sell seats within a purchased pod.

It is not clear exactly how many fans will be permitted into AT&T Stadium during games in 2020. Jones has said he will follow state guidelines regarding crowd sizes, but has declined to specify a number prior to the Week 2 home opener. Texas law currently would allow 50% capacity.

But Gehlken also reports that there is some grumbling about ticket prices under the new system.

“On social media,” he writes, “some season-ticket holders complained Thursday about the ticket prices in certain sections. A SeatGeek spokesperson confirmed that four of the stadium’s 14 sections are priced higher than they were in 2019. The other 10 seat sections remained flat.”

AT&T Stadium may be at half-capacity, and other sites fanless, for games this fall, but the NFL’s venues will at least sound like they normally do… mostly. The league will attempt to emulate the gameday experience for the players, coaches, and TV audiences by piping in crowd noise during games.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the league will provide a recording of crowd noise “specific to each team’s stadium that must be played over the PA system,” whether the venue is hosting live fans or not. The league will also monitor the volume level at which the looped noise is played back, to ensure a stadium operator can’t use the sound effects to provide an unfair edge to the home team or unfairly disrupt the visitors during play.

“Per the memo,” notes Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports, “teams will not be allowed to play their crowd noise at a sound greater than 70 decibels, and their total output (think crowd noise while music is playing) cannot exceed 75 decibels. That’s roughly analogous to the noise of a vacuum cleaner and well below the triple-digit readings seen at stadiums of teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell maintained just this week that the league believes there will be no competitive advantage for teams who have live fans in attendance compared to clubs who play in empty stadiums.

The Cowboys’ first home game is set for September 20 as they face the Atlanta Falcons. The team has not yet set a new date for online ticket sales to resume.

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Seahawks will play first 3 homes games without fans in attendance

The Seattle Seahawks had now formally announced the team will play first three homes games of the 2020 season without fans in attendance.

The Seattle Seahawks finally made the difficult announcement many had been expecting for a number of weeks now. The Seahawks will play at least their first three home games at CenturyLink Field without fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Seattle is now set to host the Patriots Week 2, the Cowboys Week 3 and the Vikings in Week 5 – all without the 12s in the stands.

The Falcons have already announced no fans will be present Week 1 when the Seahawks square off in Atlanta for their season opener.

Seattle’s public relations department tweeted the following statement on Wednesday afternoon.

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult determination to play at least our first three home games (Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and Oct. 11) without fans in attendance,” the statement reads. “While CenturyLink Field has become the best home-field advantage in the league thanks to the energy and passion of the 12s, the health and safety of all of our fans, players and staff remains our top priority. While we are hopeful that conditions will improve as the season moves forward, we will continue to follow the lead of public health and government officials to make future decisions about having fans in attendance.”

The team will contact season ticket holders who have requested to continue receiving gameday details should circumstances change and conditions improve in the future.

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Cowboys scrap 2020 season tickets, college kickoff at AT&T Stadium cancelled

The home of the Dallas Cowboys will not offer season tickets for 2020, nor will it host the AdvoCare Classic between Alabama and USC.

NFL training camps are underway, with 32 clubs trying to go about business as usual and hoping that the precautions and protocols they’ve put in place will allow them to play out the 2020 season that’s set to start in under six weeks.

Little by little, though, the realities of COVID-19 are seeping into the regularly-scheduled programming. The Cowboys this week announced sweeping alternative options for 2020 season tickets and single-game tickets at AT&T Stadium. In addition, one of the first major college football games of the 2020 season that was set to be played on the Cowboys’ home field has now been scrapped.

This year’s AdvoCare Classic was slated to be the season opener for both Alabama and USC, but both the SEC and Pac-10 have since declared that their schools will play conference-only schedules this season. The cancellation nixes what would have been a heavily-attended and widely-watched game on college football’s opening weekend.

The Cowboys’ home opener is on the books for September 20 against Atlanta. And while there has been no announced attendance cap- as several other NFL teams have made public– the club has informed fans that season tickets for the 2020 season will not be made available.

 

Current season ticket holders can, however, opt in for the first opportunity to purchase a limited number of tickets for a limited number of games this season. The single-game tickets they receive may be in different locations from their normal seats.

Single-game tickets will be available through a third party vendor, SeatGeek.com, but, according to the team, “we expect inventory to be extremely limited.”

All fans attending Cowboys home games- or any NFL game in 2020- will be required to wear a face covering.

Season ticket sales are set to resume in 2021. Cowboys season ticket holders will reportedly retain their tenure, seat location, and associated benefits.

Also, as per the team website, “In light of the changes to the 2020 season, we are excited to announce that the Dallas Cowboys will be adding an additional year to the term of seat option agreement(s). This will include an added year of seat location, benefits, and season ticket holder perks associated with their agreement. No seat option payment will be required for the additional year.” This bonus year is ostensibly a make-good on the 2020 schedule of games, with no refunds allowed for the upcoming season.

Season ticket holders who have already paid their 2020 bill will have the option to apply the credit to future ticket purchases or receive a refund. Fans who have already purchased single-game tickets will be able to get a credit or refund through licensed sellers.

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Seahawks season ticket holder poll: Will you be asking for a refund for 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks have offered season ticket holders the option of a one-year deferral and refund on their 2020 seats? Will you take it?

The Seattle Seahawks sent an email to season ticket holders Thursday morning, offering fans a couple of options ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

With the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases around the nation, the Seahawks have joined a number of other teams around the league now offering one-year deferrals to season-ticket holders and complete refunds or future credits for deposits already paid.

Season ticket holders were given two choices in the email:

  1. Pause their season ticket membership for one year and either receive a refund or credit towards next season’s purchase; or
  2. Wait and see if games will actually be played this year based on updated medical information and government mandates in the near future.

Have you decided what you are planning to do ahead of the 2020 season? If so, please take a minute to complete this short poll and be sure and check back often to see what the rest of the 12s have opted to do this year.

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Ravens announce attendance cap for 2020; what about Cowboys?

Fewer than 14,000 will attend Ravens games this fall; what would a similar attendance percentage look like in Dallas?

As the NFL plods forward with their plans to hold a 2020 regular season in the middle of a global pandemic, the focus- rightfully so- has been on keeping players and team personnel safe. But for the most popular sport in the country, uncertainty about fans’ participation has been lurking in the background ever since the phrase “social distancing” entered the national lexicon.

As football fans wonder how forty thousand to ninety thousand bodies will safely occupy the league’s 30 stadiums on any given Sunday this fall, the Baltimore Ravens have an answer no one wanted to hear: they won’t.

The team has announced that fewer than 14,000 fans will be allowed into Ravens home games under Maryland state and local laws. M & T Bank Stadium seats over 71,000.

That’s approximately 19% capacity.

No other teams have released expected figures or attendance plans for their stadiums, though the Packers and Chiefs have confirmed that they will seat just a fraction of fans for 2020 home games. The Packers have also announced that face coverings will be mandatory for all fans in attendance at Lambeau Field. The league has already declared that the lowermost rows of seats at every stadium would be tarped off to keep fans and players adequately separated.

At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, 80,000 fans can be seated for Cowboys home games. Attendance figures for games often surpass that number, though, thanks to multiple standing areas located inside the gates.

The league is allowing each team to set its own attendance policy, theoretically following appropriate state, county, and city guidelines. Last month, Texas governor Greg Abbott allowed his state’s sports venues to operate at 50% capacity, up from 25% previously.

But using Baltimore’s 19% as a purely hypothetical guide, it would make any Cowboys home games played in 2020 some highly-sought-after tickets.

According to ESPN figures, the Cowboys averaged 90,929 fans per game in 2019. Nineteen percent of that equates to just 17,276 fans. If all of AT&T Stadium’s standing areas are closed off entirely, a “full-capacity” crowd is just 15,200, a downright intimate gathering for a Cowboys game at JerryWorld.

The Ravens’ decision will kickstart a lengthy and possibly complicated refund process for current ticketholders. PSL owners will have first priority at securing 2020 home seats. Fans who already own season tickets will see their seats saved and rolled over to 2021. Single-game ticket sales have been put on hold; those who already have single-game tickets will be refunded.

Of course, if there’s another round of widespread pandemic shutdowns, it’s not even guaranteed that any fans at all will be allowed in any stadiums by the time Week 1 arrives. But then again, it’s not a lock that there will be a 2020 NFL season, so the news out of Baltimore could well become a moot point.

But it is a disheartening announcement for fans clinging to the hope that football will look anything like it’s supposed to at any point in the near future.

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Cal McNair thinks Bill O’Brien’s ‘bold moves’ in 2020 free agency would excite Texans fans

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair told season ticket holders on a conference call that he thinks fans would like the ‘bold moves.’

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair thinks that fans would be excited that coach-general manager Bill O’Brien can make bold moves in the offseason.

McNair took part in a “town hall” with season ticket holders on Friday and said that he thinks fans would be excited by the moves O’Brien and the leadership have made in the offseason thus far.

“It’s important that the focus is the team,” McNair said on the conference call via SportsRadio 610 [KILT-FM]. “I would think as a fan I would be really excited that your leadership can make bold moves and can go make the moves that make the team better. It’s an exciting time for us.”

The “bold move” that the Texans leadership has made thus far is the trading of three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for All-Pro running back David Johnson, whose lone All-Pro season was in 2016. Houston also sent along their 2020 fourth-round pick and received the Cardinals’ 2020 second-round selection and 2021 fourth-round pick.

There is no denying that the move to trade Hopkins was bold. Only time will reveal if that move was helpful to the team.

Aside from the Hopkins trade, other moves O’Brien and the leadership have made is to sign safe, proven veterans such as receiver Randall Cobb, safety Eric Murray, and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan.

In 2019, the Texans earned a 10-6 record and an AFC South title, their second straight and fourth in O’Brien’s six seasons, and beat the Buffalo Bills 22-19 in overtime in the AFC wild-card playoffs. Even though the Texans blew a 24-0 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, losing 51-31 in the divisional round, the Chiefs trailed in every one of their postseason games, including their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers. Nonetheless, the expectation is for O’Brien to demonstrate progress in 2020, especially since such bold moves have been taken.

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Bears to increase season ticket prices by nearly 4 percent in 2020

For the second consecutive year, the Chicago Bears will increase ticket prices for the upcoming 2020 season.

Die-hard fans of the Chicago Bears will have to spend a little more money next season to see their team play at Soldier Field.

In a letter addressed to season-ticket holders, Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips announced the team will be increasing season ticket prices by an average of 3.9%.

According Larry Mayer, senior writer for ChicagoBears.com, the increases will range from 1.5-5.3%. Club seats will see an increase of 3.3% on average, while non-club seats will increase by 4.3%.

This is the second straight season the team has increased ticket prices. Going into the 2019 season, the Bears raised prices by 4.1 percent on average.

Ticket price increases are relatively common in professional sports, and Phillips lays out the team’s reasoning in his letter to fans, while also sharing his disappointment in their play on the field in 2019.

“Unfortunately, our performance on the field failed to meet everyone’s expectations,” Phillips wrote. “No one was satisfied, and it is now imperative for us to thoroughly analyze what went wrong and make the necessary corrections for 2020. Our goal is to bring a World Championship back to Chicago.”

In addition to the price increase, the team confirmed dynamic ticket pricing will continue next season and preseason games will be priced based on a tier. Single-game tickets will be available to purchase following the release of the 2020 NFL schedule later this spring.

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