The Oakland Athletics has become the first Major League Baseball team to scrap the long-standing programme of assigning one seat to a season ticket.
Its new A’s Access programme, which gives fans the option to switch seats during the season, is a package of 10-game, 24-game, half-season or full-season tickets.
“There’s a lot of fans that think that sitting in the same seat over and over again is unattractive,” said A’s chief operating officer Chris Giles, according to ESPN. “As we look to designing a new ballpark for our team, we look to doing it with this type of optionality in mind.”
Tickets for the 2019 season go on sale on Friday and fans can choose from the different season ticket programmes that don’t include the same view for each game.
A’s supporters will be able to choose which games they want to go to and where they want to sit within the sections they have paid for.
In addition, season ticket holders will have the opportunity to invest in a certain amount of upgrades, depending on price points, up to four hours before the game.
Anyone who purchases a plan is an access member who is eligible for discounts including half off concessions and 25 per cent off merchandise. A 20-ounce beer will cost $4 and a $5 soda will cost $2.50.
“We basically are saying, ‘we are tired of nickel and diming you,'” Giles said. “‘Thanks for supporting the A’s.'”
The cheapest plan is a 24-game package in the upper deck for $240. The cheapest full-season 81-game plan is $871.
The MLB team is also looking to bring more young people in the park by offering a 12-month payout plan.
The A’s are on course to have their fourth straight year of being in the bottom five teams in terms of average attendance.
Image: Keith Allison
Share this