Team Teal and the Jaguars have combined to lift the team's season ticket sales level to date to 29,676. The update was provided today in a news conference with Carl Cannon, chairman of Touchdown Jacksonville's steering committee, Mayor John Peyton, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver, and Mint Magazine owner Brian Flynn.
The Jaguars renewed approximately 22,000 tickets and, combined with about 7,500 new season ticket sales, that brings the current tickets sold to 29,676, leaving a gap of 21,281 to reach the team's blackout threshold of 50,957. The Jaguars expect to sell 8,000 group seats per game which would take the gap of tickets remaining to be sold in the general bowl to avoid blackouts down to around 13,000.
"We're pleased with the results so far," Cannon said of the Team Teal initiative. "We have a long way to go… Mayor Peyton put this group together and charged us with doing what we could do to help change the momentum and we really appreciate his efforts as well."
As part of the plan to close the gap, Teal Deals was introduced as a book of gift certificates from area merchants with a combined value of more than $2,000 each. Many Jacksonville businesses have joined the effort, offering gift certificates to everyone who buys or renews Jaguars season tickets. Anyone buying season tickets before May 31 will receive a Teal Deal book with each season ticket purchased. The 50,000 books expected to be distributed represents over $100 million of gift certificates that can be used by Jaguars season ticket holders at participating First Coast merchants. The Teal Deal offer expires on May 31.
"The reality is in the 15 years the Jaguars have been an important part of this city's fabric, not only have they brought resources and dollars and jobs, they've put us on the map," Peyton said. "They've brought a lot of community pride to this city and it's hard to imagine a Jacksonville without the Jaguars, but the reality is to sustain an NFL team and to be one of 32 cities in America with this distinction, we have to sell tickets. That is the most quantifiable way to prove our viability; we have to put people in seats. The good news is as we report to the community on our progress, we have good news. We have sold close to 30,000 season tickets for next season. That is nothing short of phenomenal. The goal to prevent a black out is 51,000, so if you do the math we still have a ways to go."
"It's important to fill the stadium but it's also important for our future to get our games on television," Weaver said. "We have a lot of little six, seven, eight year olds that we're growing as future fans, who are our future, and we have to get our games on television to grow back the fan base. We also have a lot of people that are elderly, who are incapacitated in some way; maybe they can't afford to be here or can't be here for other reasons. We want them to be able to experience Jaguars football by watching it on television."
One Teal Deals example cited by Weaver is an offer from the Brumos companies which are offering the chance to win a three-year lease or $25,000 credit towards the lease or purchase of a new vehicle as part of Teal Deals.
Weaver explained that the team will emphasize group ticket sales as a way to close the gap between the season ticket level and the blackout threshold. The team has extended the 30/30 Plan deadline until May 31, in conjunction with the Teal Deal deadline. The 30/30 Plan allows season ticket buyers to lock in the price of seats in the general bowl for three years and to spread their payments for 30 games, with no interest and no money down, over 30 months. Fans can purchase a season ticket on the 30/30 Plan from as little as $30 per seat per month.
The Touchdown Jacksonville – Revive the Pride effort was launched by community and civic leaders to help in the Jaguars' ticket sales efforts. Along with Cannon, the group is led by Ed Burr and former Jaguars player Tony Boselli. Local restaurateurs Joe Adeeb of Bono's and Bobby Handmaker of Cruiser's have worked alongside Flynn in the development and coordination of the Teal Deals.
