redhook206 said:
So Ole Miss is playing FSU the first week in Orlando. Why does playing the game in Orlando over Tallahassee make it a bigger game that garners more money? I don't get it. The game is going to be on tv no matter where the game is played. The stadium in Orlando seats 65,000. Fsu seats 82,000.
For the first time in school history, the Florida State football team is taking its annual Garnet and Gold spring game on the road.
The Seminoles will hold their annual exhibition on Saturday at 3 p.m at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando because of the $80 million of renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium.
While there are no plans to turn this unique marketing and recruiting opportunity into an annual occurrence, the mounting excitement and prospects of a new revenue stream may present FSU with a tough decision moving forward.
“It’s good for the fan base sometimes,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. “And we always want to keep our fans happy. We love our fans.”
“All roads lead to Orlando” was the catchphrase FSU used to entice fans from around the state over the last year. And it seemed to work.
FSU believes attendance could reach upward of 40,000 people, rivaling the mark set for the Russell Athletic Bowl game between North Carolina and Baylor at the same venue in December. As of Tuesday, more than 34,000 tickets were sold.
“That’s kind of a testament to our brand in the state of Florida,” said Jason Dennard, assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions for the school.
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The Doak renovations are expected to be completed before the season begins. FSU will have its first home game five days after opening the season —back in Orlando.
FSU will earn $3.5 million to face Southeastern Conference member Ole Miss on Sept. 5 in the Citrus Bowl. The Seminoles return to Doak on Sept. 10 against Charleston Southern.
In all, FSU will play nine of its 12 regular season games around the state of Florida, with games also in Tampa and Miami this fall.
‘Not about revenue for us’
The spring scrimmage gives the Seminoles a chance to further showcase the progress being made under coach Fisher. It has also turned into a recruiting advantage, prompting competitors like Michigan and Florida to alter their respective spring sessions to catch the attention of prospective players.
With Doak shuttered for renovations, not having the game was never an option. But making money on the event was also not at the forefront of the discussion, either.
This spring game will be the first FSU fans have to pay to see. General admission tickets were priced at $5. On game day, fans can walk up and buy a ticket for $10.
“We didn’t want this to be something that turned into a $20 or $30 ticket,” Dennard said. “This was not about revenue for us.”
With ticket sales for the spring game, FSU has a general idea of how many people they expect to show up. They won't know the total receipts until after the game. But costs are mounting for the school to truly provide a home game experience.
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FSU is splitting half of the game revenues (ticket sales, concessions, sponsorship sales, hotel commissions) with the Florida Citrus Sports Ass