University of Wisconsin undergraduate student season football tickets sold out in a record 2 1/2 hours last month after students stormed UWbadgers.com as soon as tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. local time.
This year marked a change from the lottery system used the past two years to give priority to older students. Instead, a first-come, first-served distribution system was implemented.
The switch was based largely on student feedback gathered from online surveys and a focus group conducted by the athletic department this March, according to Athletic Marketing Director Kevin Kluender.
The committee contained a diverse selection of students that included upperclassmen, underclassmen, graduate students, students who were married and incoming students, according to Kluender.
“It was interesting to hear from all different types of students and the general consensus was that the first-come, first-serve system was preferable,” he said.
Members of the athletic department also met many times internally during the offseason to try to come up to devise the best strategy and method of distribution, according to Director of UW Athletic Communications Justin Doherty.
“This is what we opted for, and I think it was successful,” Doherty said.
Kluender confirmed the athletic department was very pleased they were able to sell that many tickets so quickly.
“We think that’s a very strong statement about the excitement that students have for the football program here. We’re very encouraged by the response of students,” Kluender said.
Despite the statement students made by snatching up every ticket in record time, there are once again many students left ticketless and disappointed.
“The department has received some feedback and we empathize with those people, but we also realize that there is no perfect system, and no matter what system we employ we just don’t have enough tickets to accommodate every student who wants them,” Kluender said.
Doherty expressed similar sympathy, adding while the athletic department does not like having to tell people they are not able to get a ticket, it is simply reality — there are more students then there are tickets available.
In addition to the speedy sale of the undergraduate student tickets, the graduate student ticket allocation also sold out in a matter of hours.
Coupled with the fact that on the general public side, 96 percent of season ticket holders renewed their seats, Kluender said he was very encouraged by the interest and response displayed by fans, even in such a tough economic climate.
“I think that for our fans in general, going to Camp Randall on Saturday in the fall is kind of a happening unto itself,” Doherty said. “Certainly everybody wants to win every Saturday, but I think its more the experience of just being there with your friends and tailgating, doing ‘Jump Around’ and having a good time.”
