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That's the ticket: UNM hopes free admission (to some sports) builds community support
UNM players cheer from the dugout during a game against Fresno State at Santa Ana Star Field. Baseball is one of several sports that will now offer free admission, UNM announced Tuesday.
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The UNM Lobos are trying out something new.
Call it an open door policy.
No, it’s not for every sport, but in the ongoing blitz to build a better bond with the community — not to mention hook future Lobo fans at a young age — first-year Athletic Director Fernando Lovo on Tuesday announced the university will no longer sell tickets for the non-revenue generating sports of baseball, softball, women’s soccer and outdoor track & field (golf, cross country, tennis and swimming events were already free).
“We want more fans, families, and young athletes across New Mexico to experience the passion of our student-athletes and the excitement of college athletics up close,” Lovo said in a statement.
The move does not affect volleyball, which plays in Johnson Gym, or indoor track events, which take place at the Albuquerque Convention Center. In both cases, UNM Athletics owes rental and facility fees for those sports and ticket revenue goes to offset those.
As for the hit in the pocketbook, UNM’s decision did come after already submitting a budget for the current fiscal/sports year and the department is now preparing to take about a $42,000 hit, based on budget projections reviewed by the Journal.
Last year, UNM cleared $5.4 million in ticket revenue, but more than $5.3 million of that was from just three sports: men’s basketball (just over $4 million), football (just over $1 million) and women’s basketball (about $350,000).
Building a stronger community bond and support system behind Lobo Athletics is something Lovo has stepped up the department’s rhetoric about in recent weeks.
“It’s trying to build the next generation of a fan base. It’s playing the long game,” Lovo told the Journal on Tuesday night. “I’ve learned that no matter where you, the more barriers to entry, whether you think they’re fair or not, the more that exist, then the harder it is to get those groups into our stadiums. That’s the kind of the culture that I want to create. We want people to show up to our games. ... When they’re here, we’d love for them to buy a hot dog and grab a beer if they so choose, right? But getting them here to support our student-athletes, and getting the exposure that our student-athletes deserve, to me, this was something that needed to be done.”
VOLLEYBALL: Lobo volleyball matches cost $5 and, for the first time, UNM will be selling season tickets at GoLobos.com/tickets or by calling the Lobo Ticket Office at (505) 925-5626.
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AND SO IT BEGINS: The first of the free games comes Aug. 7 when UNM women’s soccer hosts future Mountain West member UTEP at the UNM Soccer Complex at 7:30 p.m.
