UNLV evaluating football ticket prices at new stadium

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 | 11:51 a.m.

UNLV football season ticket holders and members of the Rebel Athletic Fund will receive a survey this week asking for their feedback on pricing and benefits as the program moves into the $1.8 billion Las Vegas Stadium in 2020.

Rebel football has long been one of the best sports bargains in Las Vegas, with season ticket packages starting at less than $100 for a six-game home slate.

But with the move out of Sam Boyd Stadium and into the facility near Russell Road and Interstate 15 that will be shared with the NFL’s Raiders, pricing has to be evaluated.

“As we move into Las Vegas Stadium, we want to make sure there are options for everyone to experience the new world-class home of the Rebels,” UNLV Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois said in a statement. “The first step in preparing for that move is asking our loyal season ticket holders as well as our generous benefactors to provide us with critical feedback. Las Vegas is a great city with great people and fans, and we want our stakeholders to know that we are building something special here, together.”

UNLV averaged 16,822 paid fans per game in 2018, but officials expect that figure to increase in the new stadium because it is closer to campus and will be easier for students to get to.

But UNLV will have to pay operations costs to play in the new stadium — anywhere between $100,000 and $150,000, if not higher.

Regardless of the fee, it’s a game-changer for UNLV football, everything from sharing a stadium with an NFL team to all of the bells and whistles of a modern facility. While pricing hasn’t been announced for luxury suites, the university has already started accepting deposits. (Contact Blair DeBord at [email protected])

“The layout is advantageous for a collegiate program, as it allows us to have a stadium within a stadium, which creates a memorable environment for our student body and fan base,” Reed-Francois said. “We are working closely with our great partners at the Raiders to ensure that this move will set UNLV apart in the college football world.”

The university expects to release information on the seating process for the new stadium in February when the renewal period begins for the last season at Sam Boyd Stadium. And while the program anxiously awaits its move, it is also celebrating its long history at Sam Boyd.

“We are looking forward to spending the 2019 season celebrating the end of an era at our stadium of nearly 50 years,” Reed-Francois said.