University Park, Pa. -- Spurred by recent changes to Pennsylvania state law, Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics and Ticketmaster have bolstered the services offered to current season ticket holders via Nittany Lion TicketExchange.
Nittany Lion TicketExchange, the athletic department's official and authorized ticket resale service initiated last season, will continue this year for the exclusive use of Nittany Lion Club members and Penn State ticket holders, providing them with a protected, trusted environment to resell their football and basketball game tickets.
"For years, Penn State has witnessed other companies profiting significantly from Nittany Lion tickets via the secondary ticket market," explained Associate Athletic Director Greg Myford. "With recent state legislation changes, we decided now more than ever that it's time to step up and make sure that we are protecting our interests and providing our most valued supporters a familiar, trusted means of reselling their tickets. With Ticketmaster and the TicketExchange service, we can deliver that."
The primary difference between 2007 and 2006 comes as a result of recent changes to Pennsylvania law, which now makes the resale of sports and entertainment tickets via the Internet legal with no ceiling placed on the maximum price of tickets for events that take place within the state. As a result, Penn State season ticket holders can now legally resell their tickets at substantially higher prices than previous law allowed.
Another significant difference between Nittany Lion TicketExchange and other secondary online resale providers is that the service is available only to those who have an active ticket account with Penn State Athletics. The general public cannot utilize the service to post tickets for sale, but can come to the service to purchase the seats. Myford says that this will result in a more "protected" environment because "we know that the people selling the tickets are entitled to have them in the first place."
Another major benefit is that there will be no charge to Penn State ticket holders to sell their tickets via the service. Other services typically provide a charge to both the buyer and the seller. Furthermore, ticket sellers will have the opportunity to apply the proceeds of the sale of their tickets directly from their TicketExchange account toward the purchase of future tickets.
Nittany Lion Club members and Penn State ticket holders can access the Nittany Lion TicketExchange at https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/home.htmI?team=pennstate&l=EN&STAGE=1 online.
Nittany Lion TicketExchange will provide fans who were unable to buy Penn State tickets with an opportunity to pursue seats for this year's blockbuster home schedule. The Nittany Lion Club has grown by 20 percent over the past two years to a record high of nearly 23,000 members. Season ticket requests for new NLC members, and additional seats requested by 2006-07 members, exceeded tickets available by approximately 6,000 for the 2007 football season.
A record total of more than 93,500 season tickets have been sold for the upcoming season, including 21,000-plus student season tickets, with the home schedule a complete sellout.
Fewer than 100 club seats remain for the 2007 season, with more than 100 having been sold during the past two months. For information on club seats, interested fans can call Bob White at 1-800-NITTANY (1-800-648-8269).
Joe Paterno's 42nd Penn State team returns 32 letterwinners and 15 starters for this season. The Nittany Lions began practice Monday in anticipation of the Sept. 1 opener with Florida International in Beaver Stadium. The contest will kick at noon and be televised by the Big Ten Network, which debuts Aug. 30.
"Penn State Football Eve, presented by Sheetz" will launch the season on Friday, Aug. 31. Beaver Stadium gates will open at 6 p.m. for the free event. Paterno and the squad will participate in the highly anticipated kickoff to the season.