There’s still a fair way to go in the 2017 season, with a playoff race looking to be on the cards for Rising, but planning for next season has already begun. Season ticket details have been released, including a $10 per game price freeze for renewals in the Supporters Section.
How do Rising’s prices compare to USL rivals?
Not every USL Western Conference club has confirmed their 2018 prices. The table below summarizes season ticket prices for the cheapest stands in seven clubs (usually the Supporters Section):
| Team |
Season Ticket Price |
Number of Games |
Price per Game |
| Sacramento Republic |
$319 |
19 |
$16.79 |
| Las Vegas Lights* |
$255 |
17 |
$15 |
| Phoenix Rising |
$240 |
20 |
$12 |
| Reno 1868 |
$208 |
17** |
$12.24 |
| San Antonio |
$180 |
18 |
$10 |
| Colorado Springs Switchbacks |
$170 |
17 |
$10 |
| OKC Energy |
$119 |
17 |
$7 |
*The Las Vegas Lights website suggests that the cheapest season ticket is $15 per game.
**This assumes that a Reno season ticket only covers USL regular season games.
Four of the six rivals shown in the table offer a total season ticket package that is cheaper than Rising. Sacramento and the new club in Vegas are the exceptions. OKC’s total season ticket price is half the cost of Rising’s.
Three of the seven clubs offer more than USL regular season games as part of a season ticket purchase, including Rising. On a price per game basis, Rising’s cheapest season ticket ranks in the middle of the seven examined.
The cost of living in each club’s market will obviously differ, dependent on employment and population factors, among others. The table below shows the equivalence of a $50,000 per year household income in metro Phoenix in other club markets.
| City | Cost of Living Equivalent Incomes |
| Sacramento, California |
$60,114 |
| Reno, Nevada |
$54,046 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada |
$53,579 |
| Phoenix, Arizona |
$50,000 |
| Colorado Springs, Colorado |
$48,911 |
| San Antonio, Texas |
$44,813 |
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
$44,035 |
Adjusting for differences in the cost of living, Rising’s cheapest season ticket on a per game basis is more expensive than four of the six rivals examined. The two exceptions are Sacramento and Las Vegas.
Other factors obviously come into play here. Rising has MLS ambitions, which could influence pricing, as it does in Sacramento. Rising has also invested in higher profile players than its Western Conference rivals. Didier Drogba and Sean Wright-Phillips might be edging towards the end of their careers, but they will prove to be more a draw to the average soccer fan than local, mostly unkown players, no matter how good they are.
Perhaps a more pertinent season ticket question relates to cost savings. Does a season ticket actually save fans money, compared to buying tickets on a game-by-game basis? At the moment (excluding fees), a ticket in Rising’s Supporters Section costs $10. That’s $2 per game cheaper than 2018 season ticket per game pricess. There is some speculation that single game tickets will rise to $15 in 2018. If that happens, season ticket holders will only start to make a saving after 16 games. With 17 games in the USL regular season, this means that season ticket holders would effectively receive one league match for free, in addition to the three unidentified games that are also included.
It is the addition of these extra, unidentified games, that increase the total purchase cost of a Rising season ticket. The club is not alone in making this kind of move. Sacramento and San Antonio, both MLS candidates, are doing likewise, and Tulsa included additional games in their 2017 season ticket. Still, this feature is something of a wildcard at the moment, and it’s tough to tell whether fans will receive full value for money. Full priced tickets for a touring team, or even a Cup match, might be appropriate. Charging USL admission prices for a friendly against GCU students or FC Tucson? Probably not so much.
$12 per game for a professional sport with high-profile names at face value seems reasonable, regardless of any comparison with USL rivals. Even in other parts of the stadium, Rising’s season tickets start from just $15 per game. However, until we know the price of single tickets and the three mystery games, it’s difficult to judge the true benefit of a season ticket purchase.