Tickets for Bills games in Toronto hit stratosphere
Bills games in Toronto will average $183 a seat
By Mark GaughanNEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 05/08/08 10:45 AM
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The power of the Toronto marketplace was illustrated Wednesday as sky-high prices were announced for the Buffalo Bills’ series of games there.
The average ticket price in the Rogers Centre will be $183 — but that doesn’t even count the good seats.
Not included in that figure are the best 14,000 seats in the 54,000-seat Toronto facility. Those include all of the seats in the lower bowl between the 20-yard lines, plus all of the seats in the mezzanine level — comparable to the red seats in Ralph Wilson Stadium. The prices for those “VIP seats” will be well above $300 a ticket and will not be announced for a couple of weeks.
The Toronto organizers, who set the prices, did not have to worry much about sticker shock because more than 180,000 requests for tickets were submitted during a monthlong Internet signup period.
“Football fans from across the country have formally expressed their interest in watching live NFL football in Toronto,” said Phil Lind, vice chairman of Rogers Communications, which is leasing the games from the Bills. “We are overwhelmed by this response, and we are now working hard to ensure that
the NFL experience in Toronto will be unforgettable.”
The Bills will play eight games over five seasons in Toronto — three preseason games and five regular-season games. Fans have the option of buying a three-game package (for the two games this year and the one regular-season game in 2009) or the full eight-game package. Those who buy the eight-game package get a slight discount.
The top-priced general seats are along the sideline from the 20-yard line into the end zone. They will cost $295 a game in the three-game package or $270 for the eight-game package. Those same seats cost $60 a game in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
More big numbers to consider:
• A game in Toronto should gross more than $13 million in ticket sales for general seats and “VIP” seats, more than three times what the Bills gross for tickets to a game in Orchard Park. That does not include revenue from luxury boxes, advertising, concessions or parking. Rogers Communications will pay the Bills an average of $9.75 million a game, for a total of $78 million over five years.
• The average ticket price of $183 — for the general seats only — is roughly double the average of the highest-priced general seat in the league. New England led the NFL last year at about $91 a game.
• Sideline seats in the lower half of the upper deck will cost $235 for the three-game package or $215 for eight games. Sideline seats in the upper half of the upper deck are $185 or $170. The bulk of the seats in the lower end zone are $195 or $175.
• The least expensive seats are in the top of the upper deck in the end zone. Most cost $95 for three games. A couple of those sections will cost $60 for three games.
• Toronto’s corporations and wealthy fans are used to footing a big bill. Ticket prices for the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup championship last fall ranged from $89 to $579, with most at $309.
While Bills season-ticket holders had the opportunity to sign up for a chance to buy Toronto tickets, relatively few are expected to pay the cost. Season-ticket holders of the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL also have a chance to buy tickets. Otherwise, fans who registered online for tickets will be randomly selected, contacted by e-mail and given the chance to purchase.
