DEERWOOD, Minn. – Fans will pay more to attend high school football and soccer state tournaments this fall, but schools that played in tournaments in the last school year will once again get reimbursed to help offset expenses.
The Minnesota State High School League board of directors approved those measures Tuesday at its meeting at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge.
Football fans will see a $1 increase in cost to $14 for adult tickets. Student tickets remain $9. Adult tickets for soccer semifinals and finals will increase $2 to $12, student tickets $1 to $8. The last soccer ticket increase occurred in 2004.
Both tournaments will be held at the new U.S. Bank Stadium after being held outside the past two seasons.
The league also plans to disperse $535,855 among 360 schools that participated in tournaments in 2015-16. Payments were withheld a year earlier for the first time when rising tournament expenses and shrinking revenue left only $32,734 available.
The bigger reimbursement amount resulted from improved state tournament ticket sales in 2015 for football, a ticket sales record in volleyball and a solid 2016 winter sports showing, said Rich Matter, the league's director of finance. The $535,855 is the second-lowest amount of reimbursement money in the past 10 years.
The ticket price increases should help make more dollars available for reimbursement after the 2016-17 school year. In addition, the league's balance sheet will benefit from seven rent-free days at the new stadium for soccer and football semifinals and finals.
League executive director Dave Stead said other tournament costs are rising, including insurance and expenses at other venues.
"The hope is the overall tournament revenue will be significantly higher so we can give more back to our schools," he said.
