Residing in a Metroplex filled with fellow Division-I schools and professional sports, UTA is trying to make season tickets a more affordable option for sports fans.

The university has opened its premium season ticket seating options to be reserved in the upcoming College Park Center for the 2011-2012 season through donations to the athletic department. Two areas are available – courtside seats and club-level seats, which are in the lower bowl area at center court. This applies to men’s and women’s basketball, along with volleyball. The donation allows for up to four season tickets to be purchased.

Courtside seating requires a minimum $500 dollar donation to the Maverick Club, while club-level season tickets are $250. So far, UTA has only filled one-third of the seating areas, with plenty more still available.

Athletic director Pete Carlon and Gregg Elkin, associate athletic director for external affairs, wanted to make the premium seats at the College Park Center an affordable option for families.

“We want this facility to be a focal point – but we don’t want to give them away,” Carlon said. “We wanted to make it reasonable for a family to come out.”

The minimum donations are cheaper compared to other big schools in the state and around the area. Texas Christian University requires a $2,000 donation for premium seats at Amon Carter Stadium, while North Texas requires the same $500 and $250 donations for its men’s and women’s basketball games, respectively, but aren’t all-inclusive.

“How much to give compared to what you pay is next to nothing when looking at other big schools such as Oklahoma and Texas,” Elkin said. “It’s a very small output.”

It was very important to Carlon that UTA remain competitive in attracting area sports fans while remaining loyal to the boosters and supporters of the program.

“We don’t want to gouge people significant amounts,” Carlon said.

Along with reserved season tickets, donations also allow boosters access to the Maverick Club hospitality suite and a reserved parking pass.

UTA enlisted the help of CSL Marketing Group to conduct research and surveys to get to this number. Brad Alberts, senior vice president of sales and marketing, has been closely involved in the project and is helping build the new brand of the College Park Center.

Alberts reached out to 12 or 15 close supporters of UTA athletics and, from their input, concluded on the $500 and $250 figures.

“The overwhelming opinion was one, they love the new arena,” Alberts said. “And they also see this as a transitional period. They understand that they’ll have to step up their support.”

Alberts likened the project to an expansion team in professional sports with the newness and uncertainty of it all.

“This all so new, real new,” Alberts said. “Our first priority is to drive people to the arena and build a fan base and we don’t want the first excuse to be that it’s too expensive.”