Falcon football adding parking fees

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Heather Stanton
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Falcon football fans will pay a $10 parking fee at all Falcon football homes games beginning with the Aug. 30 game against Nicholls State

The fees will go toward supporting all cadet athletic programs.

"The decision to charge for parking was not made lightly," said Dermot Coll, AFAAC chief executive officer. "Members of the staff debated ways to increase revenue to support athletics and parking was one of the many things considered. The decision was made by the corporation in consultation with its board of directors."

Parking fees are not new to Falcon Stadium, or Division 1 football.

"We saw parking at Falcon Stadium as an untapped source for additional revenue that could be reinvested into athletics, said Nick Kiger, AFAAC assistant athletic director of events. "We charged for parking years ago but had not revisited the idea in a long time. Falcon Stadium is the only Division 1 football venue in the state and one of the few in the country that does not charge for parking. It has certainly been a benefit to our fans to not have to pay for parking but it is certainly not the norm. Colorado State, Colorado, Army, Navy and most other Division 1 programs charge fans for parking so we felt it was the right time for us to do the same."

Finding new ways to generate revenue is a primary reason the AFAAC was formed, Coll said.

"Exploring new revenue streams is important to the long term survivability of the athletic programs and the ability to provide cadets with the resources they need to compete in all aspects of the Academy experience" he said. "(A parking fee) was just one of many new opportunities to generate revenue that can be reinvested in cadet athletics. It's hard to say when (the reinvestment) will be apparent to fans, but it will be used to help better resource cadet athletes to compete."

The fee will be cash only on game day, however fans can purchase a season parking pass in advance for $30, averaging $5 per game.

For more information, or to purchase the advance season pass, visit the Athletics Ticket Office, or call 472-1895.