The Atlanta Braves unveiled a snazzy new ticket sales center and the price ranges for season tickets at the new SunTrust Park on Wednesday.
The take away for fans: along with more comfortable seats, better sightlines and more amenities, the cost of watching baseball will be going up, too.
It’s the reality of modern stadiums – with fancy clubs, bars, better food and higher development costs – that seat prices also increase.
The Braves said the average season ticket price of the new ballpark will be about $28, or about $1 less than the Major League Baseball average. Currently, Braves tickets are the third cheapest at about $19.14 per-game, according to Team Marketing Report's annual survey of MLB prices.
“We are very confident we have a price point that is available for all of our fans whether you are looking for an inexpensive way to take a family out to a ballgame on a Friday night in the summer, or whether you are looking to entertain a corporate clients and you are looking for the best of amenities, the best of what SunTrust Park has to offer,” said Derek Schiller, the Braves’ executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Sales start today. Schiller said the announcement of the sales center and unveiling of the seat prices – for both premium and non-premium seats – essentially means the design of the ballpark is complete. On Tuesday, the county approved the guaranteed maximum price for stadium construction.
Season ticket holders, known as “A List Members,” will get appointment-only tours of the sales center.
“Pricing is not going to be released in full detail because we believe it is very important for our fans to come in here and understand the full value of what’s tied to their tickets,” Schiller said.
Price comparisons between what’s offered at Turner Field and the new ballpark are difficult because the SunTrust Park’s design offers seats with views not possible at the downtown stadium, and the amenity levels don’t quite compare, Schiller said.
“We don’t think it’s necessarily analogous to relate what’s happening at Turner Field to what’s happening at SunTrust Park,” he said. “We are excited about having the fans come in here and see the sightlines and see how close to the field those seats will be.”
The team has said current season ticket holders can buy seats ranging from $6 to $90 per ticket, or premium seating that ranges from $85 to $475 apiece. All of those prices are based on fans buying season tickets.
The Braves say that 19,000 of the stadium’s 41,000 seats will be priced under $20 per ticket; more than 7,000 seats will be less than $10. About 6,000 seats, starting at $40 apiece, will have “added value” of food, beverage and special access built into the ticket prices. All of those prices are for season ticket purchases only.
About the Author
