Recently, I was trying to get a sense for how many Dawg fans might be heading out to Tempe, and I was curious about the relative "hotness" of the Georgia vs. ASU ticket in the secondary market. So I lobbed a call into my contact over at Stubhub, and they gave me some interesting tidbits.
Source: Stubhub.com
Data: 08/18/08
College Football After Market Info:
- The Georgia Bulldogs at Arizona State Sun Devils tickets are Stubhub's #5 best selling college football listing for 2008 in terms of # of buyers, # of transactions, and # of tickets sold. I didn't ask about dollar figures, and they couldn't have told me anyway.
- They have sold over 1,500 tickets to the Georgia vs. ASU game. Imagine what demand would look like if Dawg fans hadn't purchased a truckload of ASU season tickets?
- The Top 5 Ticket Sales on Stubhub (# of tix...not revenue):
- -- Ohio State at Southern Cal
-- Alabama vs. Clemson
-- Illinois vs. Missouri
-- USC at Virginia
-- UGA at ASU: 1,500+ tickets sold - Listings tend to become more active as a game draws closer. UGA vs. ASU is the only Top 10 match-up (in terms of ticket sales via stubhub) not held during Weeks 1-3.
- As a point of comparison, USC vs. ASU in 2007 had twice as many total transactions last year compared to UGA vs. ASU to date. However, there are still five weeks to go. We're within shouting distance of the #2 most purchased game; yet that game is is 4 weeks sooner than ours.
I'm a blogger. Who says I need a point? Anyway, I'd guess 3,000-4,000 fans will gain access to the game via Stubhub, with another group getting tickets from sites like TicketCity, TheSeats.com, TicketLiquidator, TickCo, Barry's Tickets, and other places.
I would assume that a large chunk of those tickets will go to Georgia fans. If you're a Sun Devil fan, and you've been accustomed to walking up to the stadium and scalping for cheap all your life...wouldn't you be more likely to try and do that for this game?
You could argue that there's no way of telling from my data how many tickets went to ASU fans vs. how many went to UGA fans. True. But we're 5 weeks out from the game, and the after market is very active.
We know that 7,300 Georgia fans bought tickets from our Athletic Department, and I'd wager another 2,000 or so purchased season tickets from ASU. That's based on an estimate regarding the number of tickets in the upper level end zone and other info. Plus, I think we'll see another 2,000 Dawg fans buying tickets via the after market before hand.
So my current guess is around 12,000 Georgia fans make the Arizona State trip. I could be wrong, and we could show up with 15,000 or more, but I'd be shocked. And fired up.
PWD
(NOTE: Travel tips in the comments section)
12 comments:
PWD,
I am still on the fence with this one. I didn't act fast enough and lost out on an insanely good deal on airline tickets. I thought I remembered reading that the Bar that the UGA fans were going to meet up at had changed, and I didn't know if you had an update from the ASU alumni association. Can you give us an update, or if I am wrong a repeat of the earlier information?
I was trading emails last week with the Athens Bulldog Club (or TD Club...I forget) president / exec.
Anyway...he's in communication with his AZ counterparts to work something out on the bar front.
Basically -- there's 10k of us, and the party will be on Mill Ave. You can't miss it. lol.
Flights...
1. Flying out Friday and returning Monday, knocks the flight back down to under $300 if you're willing to make a layover.
2. Check into flying in and out of Tucson. It's only about 90-100 minutes south of PHX.
Rental Cars...
Check Hotwire.com for Rental Cars. They have cars in Phoenix for as cheap as $12-20 per day. We're renting a convertible while we're there for like $35/day.
Just something to consider if you're shaving bucks off your trip.
And if you're staying in Tempe proper, a rental car is optional. Tempe is in the shadow of the airport, so all you might need are a few cab rides if your hotel offers an airport shuttle and you don't plan on exploring to Scottsdale and beyond. We ended up canceling our rental when we saw how little we'd have to drive.
PWD,
So what I am hearing is that this may be our 2nd largest "on the road" crowd (1st being Jacksonville)!!!!
That will be AMAZING!!
Go Dawgs!!!!
For those flying Delta, please note that at the time I booked my ticket, Delta was utilizing Express Jet for certain connector flights into Phoenix (including those out of LA, which I had originally scheduled). At any rate, I just learned over the weekend that Express Jet is closing up shop as of Sep. 1, and therefore all flights after that date were cancelled...As such, I had to call Delta to make alternative arrangements. Just a heads up to those with Express Jet connections that changes to your itinerary are now necessary.
Has anyone booked a hotel recently? i.e. within the past couple of weeks, after all the prime locations were booked up? Any suggestions?
To Anon 10:11,
We are staying in Scottsdale.
It is only 7-10 miles away from Tempe.
Check out:
The Hilton Gardens Inn
The Indigo Hotel
They seem pretty decsent and the last time I checked they were both under $200 a night. They are both within walking distance of all the downtown Scottsdale dining/bar scene.
I would still take a look at some of the house rentals in Tempe/Phoenix.
PWD,
A group(4)of us are heading out to ASU and we got our tix thru UGA and they are in a section across from where the ASU seating guide shows the visitors seats. They put us in 216 which is great cause the sun will not be in our face but I was wondering if they are trying to split up the seats. I don't think it will matter with the number of fans showing up but I was curious if you've heard anything else about the visitors seating?
Going Thurs-Tues, staying at Springhill Suites Tempe/Airport.
Krautdawg:
It sounds like you're in what traditionally was the visitors section at Sun Devil stadium. Last season they flip-flopped visitor seats to the NE stands instead of the NW stands.
When the primary visitors sections get full they open blocks in the NW corner, I presume because the corners are the slowest selling sections and have the most available seats.
Based on other comments on this site, it doesn't sound like you'll have to look far to find other Georgia fans. I know I'll be surrounded by them because my Sun Devil season seats are in Row 1 of the visitor's section.
I've spent a few games surrounded by fans that travel well - Oregon, Washington, USC, Iowa. I have a feeling Georgia fans are going to take it to another level.
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