The Montana State University (MSU) athletic department has raised its ticket prices as it is facing a budget crunch. The 2013 season ticket prices have increased by $30, or $5 per game.
The 2013 membership costs at Bobcat Booster Club have also risen by 20 percent, which comes up to a minimum of $125 and a maximum of $11,000
Athletics Director Peter Fields told Missoulian (webiste) that even though athletics is bringing in more money than ever (because of an expansion of the football stadium), other costs such as travel; medical insurance and scholarships have risen rapidly.
In order to resolve this budget crisis, the department has asked the sponsors to increase the donations and the management for additional $1.1 million to replace aging machines ($418,000) to install new exercise machines ($68,000), to hire trainers and to stabilize the department ($576,000).
The received funds will also be used to purchase new strength training and conditioning equipment machines ($266,000), to replace outdated computers in the academic center ($83,000 ) and double athletic trainers' staff to eight ($174,000).
In 2012 fiscal year, the management donated $6.84 million to the athletics' department, which was a $500,000 increase from 2009 and the largest part of the department's $22.5 million budget.
Last year, the department also saw an expansion of the football stadium, which had resulted in boost of ticket sales to $2.4 million. However, part of that money was used to repay a $4 million loan that helped to complete the expansion project.
Fields told Billings Gazette that the university's support for athletics has decreased from 4.5 percent in 2009 to 3.9 percent in 2012 in MSU's general fund.