By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – In a sports world that has seen ticket prices explode in recent years, Old Dominion University football season tickets remain one of the best bargains around.
Major league sports prices have increased by more 200 percent over the last two decades, with average cost of an NFL ticket coming in at $280 per game last season.
And the cost of attending FBS college football games increased 12.4 percent the last two years, with the average cost of attending a game now approaching $100 per game.
But ODU football season ticket prices are less expensive than they were seven years ago, in 2019, our first year in the renovated S.B. Ballard Stadium.
That is a result of a decision made by Dr. Wood Selig, ODU’s Director of Athletics, in 2020 in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
The pandemic hurt our fans just as much as it hurt us, he said at the time. We’re going to reduce prices to make it easier for fans to attend our home football games.
And the result was that ODU football season tickets were and are among the least expensive in FBS. Ticket prices have only modestly been adjusted upward since 2021.
That is reflected in the latest College Football Gameday Cost Index, which ranks 100 FBS programs based on the cost of two people attending a game, including tickets, a beer and hot dog apiece and parking.
Only 11 of the 100 schools offered a football game that was less expensive than ODU. At $122 per game, or $61 per person, ODU was the 12th lowest in price.
At $264 per game, App State was among eight Sun Belt schools whose costs are higher than ODU. Only two Sun Belt schools – Marshall and Arkansas State – were less expensive than ODU.
James Madison came in at $195 per game. Liberty, the commonwealth’s other Group of 6 program, came in slightly lower at $154 per game.
Virginia was not listed among the 100 programs surveyed but a game at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium will set you back $206 per game.
All of which explains why ODU’s recent decision to institute the ROAR contribution is both reasonable and necessary.
If ODU is to continue to play at a high level in football, the Monarchs must have more resources. Put simply, ODU’s fan base must provide the Monarchs with more revenue if we are to have the kind of winning program we all want the university to have.
ROAR stands for Recruit, Operate, Achieve and Retain, and the title is self-explanatory. Money collected from the fund will be used to recruit and retain great football players and coaches.
If you’re a season-ticket holder or a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, surely you received an email from Head Football Coach Ricky Rahne and Jena Virga, who heads ODAF, in which they explained why ROAR contributions are necessary.
ODU looked at other FBS programs and found that nearly all have instituted similar fees. We have decided that in order for our football program to continue to grow, we must do the same.
JMU long ago began requiring contributions to the Duke Club, the University’s fundraising organization, with costs ranging from $50 for a $255 season ticket to $300 for $655 premium seats on the stadium’s visiting side.
ODU’s ROAR contribution starts at $15 for a $200 season ticket, rising in increments to $25, $50 or $75, depending on the ticket price. Compared to what JMU charges, ODU’s ROAR contribution is modest.
It’s surely been difficult for many ODU fans, as well as millions of other fans around the nation, to accept all of the changes sweeping through college athletics. But through it all, academics, and recruiting good people as well as good football players, have remained the top priorities for Rahne and his staff.
The ODU football team has had a 3.0 or better grade point average in nine of the last 10 semesters.
For any football team at any school to have a 3.0 is a rare occurrence. To do it nine out of 10 years shows ODU is committed not just to win, but to graduate young men with good character.
Rahne often speaks about how he wants his players to become great husbands, fathers and role models when they leave ODU.
ODU’s coaches and players are worthy of your support. And we are coming off one of the best football seasons in ODU history.
Victories at Virginia Tech and over South Florida in the StaffDNA Cure Bowl in Orlando were amazing experiences. So were home-game victories against App State and Troy. We were 6-0 last season at S.B. Ballard Stadium, and Rahne said ODU’s supportive fan base had much to do with being unbeaten at home.
As an ODU fan, was it not delicious to see the Monarchs on ESPN in prime time in the midst of bowl season, beating a very good American Conference team? Or crushing an ACC team on the road?
ODU was 10-3, won its last six games and gave eventual national champion Indiana a scare before losing 27-14 in the opener.
Next season we have what I believe to be our best home schedule ever. The Monarchs open against Michael Vick and the Norfolk State Spartans on Sept. 5, then after a return trip to Blacksburg on Sept. 12, host regional rival East Carolina on Sept. 19.
The Monarchs also have home Sun Belt games with James Madison, Marshall and Georgia Southern. A fourth Sun Belt game will be announced soon.
ODU tickets can be had for as little at $36 per game and that’s clearly the best sports value available in Hampton Roads.
A Norfolk Tides game will set you back about $25, while tickets to an upcoming Norfolk Admirals game range from $27.50 to $52.85.
And that doesn’t include parking, often priced at $10 per car.
Parking is included at ODU, in the Chartway Arena parking garages and other public lots.
And while I love attending Tides’ and Admirals’ games, there’s nothing like an ODU football game at beautiful S.B. Ballard Stadium. Four hours of tailgating followed by a three-hour football game is an experience you won’t get anywhere else in Hampton Roads.
There are, of course, more expensive tickets, and if you were a season-ticket holder last season, you’ll soon be receiving your GamePlan, which spells out all of the options for the upcoming season.
Premium seating is available, including loge seats in the Atlantic Bay Football Complex. Although located in the south end zone, they are among the best seats in the house. You feel like you are right on top of the action.
But if you prefer to sit in sidelines seats with a great view of a football team on the rise, and for a modest price, we’ve got you covered.
When you purchase your season tickets, know that you are contributing to ODU’s future.
“Your ROAR contribution is going to help us compete in the ever-changing landscape of college football,” Rahne said.
“It will help us continue our momentum from the 2025 season. And it will help us develop into a championship program that we all want and Old Dominion expects and deserves.”
And that’s certainly worth a few extra bucks.
Minium is ODU's Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
To see past stories from Minium, CLICK HERE