UW-Madison Athletic Board officials discussed the possibility of increased ticket prices Tuesday for the 2010-'11 Athletic Department budget.
John Jentz, UW-Madison associate athletic director for business operations, said because the Athletic Board has exhausted its alternative cost saving techniques, an increase in ticket prices is likely for next year.
He said the Athletic Department needs to generate nearly $60 million for the upcoming budget.
""For the coming year, in order to maintain our competitiveness and keep our facilities up to speed, we're probably going to have to ask for something more,"" he said.
However, the board members are still unsure exactly which sports tickets would be affected, or by how much the prices would increase, according to Jentz.
He said about 70 percent of the budget money typically comes from fans through ticket sales, concessions and donations, so the challenge is to increase the price enough without losing consistency in ticket sales.
""That's the big question facing the industry right now,"" Jentz said.
UW-Madison junior David Groskopf said he would be upset to see ticket prices increase because there have already been several cutbacks this year, such as the lack of free ""grateful red"" T-shirts at men's basketball games.
""But since I am a huge sports fan, I will definitely still buy tickets next year,"" he said.
The price for a single football ticket is currently $39. Men's basketball is $24, and men's hockey is $21.
The Athletic Board will make the final decision regarding ticket prices at their meeting Feb. 16.
