Quote:excerpt from the DNJ:


MTSU's season ticket sales will mold the team's future football schedule.

MTSU is currently nine percent ahead of last year's pace of football season tickets sold at the same date. Athletic director Chris Massaro said the final season ticket tally and sales in upcoming seasons will determine the Blue Raiders' future opponents and number of home games.

"It's critical that we get into a situation where we can develop our own revenue by playing games at home rather than selling ourselves," Massaro said. "To get there, we have to generate revenue from season ticket sales."

MTSU generated about $110,000 in ticket revenue per game last season, according to Massaro. His goal is to eventually increase that revenue to $200,000 per game.

"I like to deal in easy numbers," Massaro said. "To start to get where we need to be, I figure $200,000 per game times five (home) games and you get $1,000,000 in revenue.

"So first, we need to get our season ticket sales up to do that."

Beginning with Western Kentucky's complete inclusion in the Sun Belt Conference in 2009, MTSU will play eight conference games and four non-conference games per season.

If MTSU's season ticket revenue can increase, Massaro's hope is to play no more than two guaranteed road games per year against major conference opponents.

In addition, the Blue Raiders would play one non-conference game against a mid-major opponent and a final game against either another mid-major opponent or a Division I-AA school.

"The ideal schedule would be to have a couple of guaranteed games, one home-and-home series with somebody like a Memphis and then either add one more home-and-home with a Memphis-like (mid-major) school or buy a I-AA home game," Massaro said. "That way, we could have a chance to test ourselves against an SEC, a Big 12 opponent or whomever. And then with the other two non-conference games and eight conference games, we can have a chance to win seven, eight, nine or even 10 games every year.

"Like I said, it's not going to happen tomorrow, but that's where you'd like to get. A lot of it depends on season ticket sales, so you don't have to sell yourself."

MTSU football season ticket prices range from $55 to $80, and group season tickets are from $40 to $65 (minimum 20 tickets) for five home games. Single-game tickets cost between $15 and $24 each, depending on the game.

The Blue Raiders averaged a school record 22,037 in home attendance last season, but only about one-third of patrons purchased season tickets.

"The bulk of our sales have been walk-ups. About two-thirds are students or single-game ticket (buyers)," Massaro said. "Fans are responding to our success, athletically and academically, but we need to keep increasing our season ticket sales. ... And we need to tie our boosters to tickets. Only about half of our (Blue Raider Athletic Association) members are season-ticket holders."

MTSU won the Sun Belt co-championship and earned its first I-A bowl bid (Motor City) last season under first-year coach Rick Stockstill.

Returning for his second season, Stockstill said ticket sales continue to influence the program's progress.

"I knew that we had to increase the fan base, and so helping ticket sales was part of the deal for me," Stockstill said. "We have to continue to build this program, and we saw the start of that last year. ... People like the improvement they saw in academics, on the field and just in all facets."

Predictably, most of MTSU's season ticket holders live in the shadow of Floyd Stadium. Massaro said that pocket of support must spread.

"The people we're reaching are close by," Massaro said. "We've been fairly solid in establishing ourselves in Murfreesboro. That's our season ticket holder right now, but beyond that we're weak in sales.

"We're working hard to get into the surrounding communities to let people know that this is all of Middle Tennessee's university.".....