TicketsCINCINNATI – After listening to fans and stakeholders, the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department will not enact a re-seat for men's basketball season ticket holders at Fifth Third Arena for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Cincinnati will still re-price tickets for men's basketball to remain competitive with Big 12 peer institutions beginning with the 2023-24 season.
In October of 2021, UC released the Fan Transparency Plan, and indicated that the department would re-seat and re-price Fifth Third Arena as it relates to the 2023-2024 Men's Basketball season. The intent was to be 'Day One Ready' for the move to the Big 12, and also to give fans a two-year preview of what to prepare for.
"The Fan Transparency Plan allowed us to listen and have great conversations with those most connected to our programs," Director of Athletics John Cunningham said. "We valued all of our fans' loyalty and passion for Cincinnati Athletics, especially as it related to the endeavor to re-seat the arena.
"Through these conversations with season ticket holders, donors and our fan council, along with input from our executive staff and department, we decided to adjust our approach for the 2023-24 basketball season in terms of no longer enacting a re-seat. We will still re-price our tickets to make sure we are on par with other Big 12 institutions as we look to be 'Day One Ready' when we start in the league."
The price increase will go into effect for the 2023-24 season. While projected analysis is ongoing, fans should expect a 5% to 20% increase that season. The price increases will go toward investments in the UC staff, student-athletes and other immediate needs.
After the 2024-25 season, UC will evaluate the potential to re-seat Fifth Third Arena for future seasons.
Additional Fan Transparency Plan Updates
- Earlier this summer, UC entered into a partnership with Affinaquest, allowing it to ensure accuracy of donor priority points and create a 'one fan profile'. Affinaquest is building UC's first data warehouse in Athletics, allowing the department to have more accurate data and better understanding of Bearcats fan's needs. A fully executed platform is expected in January of 2023 and is led by Associate Athletic Director Bria McLaurin.
- Cincinnati Athletics is creating a new donor landing page, along with donor transparency pages to show in real-time where UC donors rank as well as accurate giving history. This will help visualize the priority point system -- which was updated in November of 2021 – to ensure fans have access to their complete giving profile. This project is led by Assistant AD of Annual Giving and Premium Seating Tony Theobald.
- The new partnership with RevelXP will place Allison Aries, a hospitality manager, on-campus for oversight of all premium areas. Allison will help elevate the experience in the Champion's Club, courtside seating and suites.
"I greatly appreciate everyone's support and feedback over the last 10 months," Cunningham said. "Our staff is here to continue to be stewards of the department for our fans. We highly encourage our fans to continue to reach out and share their thoughts on how we get better together. With your continued support and investment in our student-athletes we can ensure that the Cincinnati Athletics is ready to compete for championships on day one in the Big 12."
// ABOUT CINCINNATI ATHLETICS
The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics competes at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics with the vision to reach Next Level Success for all 18 varsity teams and more than 500 student-athletes. The Bearcats have a proud athletics history, winning eight national championships and 117 conference titles. The Cincinnati men's basketball team is among the 15 winningest programs all-time, while the football team became the first American Athletic Conference program to compete in the College Football Playoff in 2021. Olympic gold medalist volleyball player Jordan Thompson, NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and Major League Baseball legend Sandy Koufax are among the several luminaries who have competed as Bearcats.
UC student-athletes collectively posted a 3.369. overall GPA in the spring of 2022 with 77 percent earning spots on the Honor Roll and six Bearcats collecting CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
Under the leadership of Director of Athletics John Cunningham, and supported by more than 150 full-time staff members, UC Athletics' mission is to connect our community, enhance our University and impact the lives of student-athletes as they prepare to change the world on and off the field.
For more information visit gobearcats.com.
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