Ohio State had some extra season football tickets to sell ahead of the 2019 season, and they had to get creative in order to get them sold.
Season ticket renewals were down 4-5 percent this year, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in his debut podcast, leaving the program with more tickets than usual to sell ahead of the season.
"We were down by about 4 or 5 percent," Smith said. "So we usually renew at about 97 or 98 percent. This time, we renewed at 94 to 95 percent. So we had some extra inventory."
On top of that, Smith said Ohio State no longer allots as many tickets to visiting teams as it did in the past.
As a result of the excess inventory, Ohio State rolled out three different flexible season ticket plans, allowing fans more options for a smaller price.
"So we wanted to created an opportunity for people to get in. And so we created those packages," Smith said. "I think our ticket staff and marketing staff did an excellent time with planning those, and I really was pleased with how well they sold. We're still selling some, and we'll continue to do that. And next year, we'll do it again."
The flexible ticket packages started at $245 for tickets to three games compared to $702 for the seven-game package – which also requires the purchase Buckeye Club memberships, which cost $1,500 per two seats.
The three plans are still on sale and can be bought from the Ohio State ticket website.
