Pauley Pavilion’s proposed redesign will do more than update the forty-four-year-old facility ““ it will also change the way in which spectators acquire their tickets.
The plan calls for the capacity of the arena to increase and add several amenities, including new locker rooms, restrooms, concession stands and a main lobby, as well as upgraded lighting, plumbing and seismic renovations. The pavilion, built in 1965, will increase from 12,788 seats to nearly 14,000 seats.
Ross Bjork, senior associate athletic director, cited the necessary seismic upgrades, better visibility, comfort and more access to facilities within the arena as reasons for the renovation.
According to Bjork, the number of student seats will remain the same after the renovation because of low student turnout. He added that more seats can be added if student attendance spikes. The team benches will move to the northern part of the arena, so students will shift from the north to the south side and will also be allocated seats behind the basket on the west side, he said.
A new point-based system will be implemented to regulate seats for season ticket holders in place of the older donation system.
“The way the program works is inconsistent. We have people who make $1,700 and $250,000 annual donations sitting next to each other,” Bjork said. “The per-seat model really gives people a true perspective on the value of their seats.”
Season ticket holders will be given points based on factors like how long they have purchased tickets, whether or not they are an alumnus and how much money they donate to the Campaign of Champions, the fundraising effort for the renovation.
A $5,500 dollar donation to the Wooden Athletic Fund will allow a ticket holder to obtain up to four seats, Bjork said. However, under the new point system the cost per seat can range from $125 to $17,000, depending on its location.
Craig Hentschel, a UCLA alumnus from the class of 1972, has been a season ticket holder for over 35 years. He said he plans on donating to the building fund, but the most drastic change in the ticket system will be in the annual donation.
The cost of his seats will nearly triple if he keeps continues purchasing seats at the same level near on the second level near the free throw line, he said. In order to qualify for the four seats he has now, his annual donation will increase from about $5500 to $16000.
“For someone who has several kids in college it’s the biggest hit for season ticket holders,” Hentschel said.
He said the choice comes down to putting all his charitable funds toward UCLA athletics or cutting the number of seats he purchases in half, something he said he’s heard a number of people considering.
“A program like UCLA should have a first rate facility, and Pauley Pavilion has fallen below that because it’s old,” Hentschel said. “Whether the plan they are undertaking is the best to meet that goal is very hard for me to say. At the end of the day, I kind of just have to trust the Athletic department to make a reasonable decision.”
The final calculation of points will not be ready until March 31, 2011, at which time ticket holders will have their point totals and know their eligibility to get priority seats in specific areas of the arena.
Meetings with representatives from the UCLA Athletic fund will give patrons a projection of the amount they need to donate in order to obtain their desired seats, Bjork said.
He added that in the new arena people will be sitting next to others in their donation range.
Despite the positive feedback Bjork said the plan received from students in a focus group held in spring, he said that not all ticket holders were happy with the changes.
“We’re never going to make everyone happy,” Bjork said. “We’re talking to people one on one, face to face in meetings, dealing and responding to every e-mail, letter and call we receive with a personal response. People are upset with the plan, and we knew that would be the case.”
Though Jason Kleinhein, a UCLA alumnus from the class of 1980, said he’s happy with the plan for renovation, he said he’s a bit disappointed because the point totals to retain seats at the same level seem out of reach. However, he said the tickets are not in his name, so the financial decision is not his to make.
“The renovations and plan that I’ve seen look solid, and I’m glad that there was never any concept of rebuilding Pauley Pavilion,” Kleinhein said. “I’m not even opposed to the concept of repositioning and reallocating seats based on donation. I think that long-time fans and supporters of the program should be expected to do so.”
But he added that he thinks the increase in price will hit fans who may be retired and without a steady income.
“It’s hard to see long-time supporters hit hard that fast with that kind of increase,” Kleinhein said.
Den President Jamie Arneson said she’s excited for the seats behind the basket because it will allow students to be creative during the opposing team’s free throws.
“We want more people to come to the games, more people to camp out. We have to create a culture and more people will come,” she said.
She said that though many students buy tickets, they don’t always show up to the games. She added that any increases in seating will depend on student attendance.
Students have not received any more updates since the spring focus group where they were asked for suggestions and what they wanted in the new design, she said.
Along with Arneson, Curtis Gold was one of the students who attended the focus group with the Athletic Department in the spring to discuss student concerns about the renovation.
“We’re all going to be alumni soon, and it’s a good way to support the school,” Gold said. “(Games are) a good experience and it’s going to be an even better experience.”