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Rays Ticket Prices Go Up Slightly For 2009 Season

Tribune photo by TODD L. CHAPPEL

The Rays will try to encourage fans to buy in advance by adding a surcharge to tickets bought within five hours of the game time.

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By TONY FABRIZIO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2008

Updated: 11/18/2008 12:53 am

ST. PETERSBURG - The Rays on Monday raised their ticket prices for 2009 slightly while offering increased discounts on season tickets and creating a new "marquee" category for 11 Saturday night games.

Coming off a worst-to-World Series season, the Rays will continue to offer free parking in team-controlled lots for patrons with four or more passengers.

The 81 home games will fall into one of three categories: prime (21 games), marquee (11) and regular (49). Prime games include the home opener against the New York Yankees on April 13, when the Rays will raise their American League East and AL championship banners, and a June 23-25 series with World Series foe Philadelphia.

Tickets for marquee games are priced between those for the prime and regular games and will include a "premium giveaway" or concert. Games with concerts were hugely popular in 2008.

Most of the ticket prices for individual games went up, but only by a small amount. For example, upper-deck and party deck ticket prices went from $9 to $10 for regular games and $14 to $16 for prime games. Lower infield box seats went from $52 and $70 to $55 and $75.

"We want to make sure we maintain an affordable price point for families, and with the upper-deck seats being $10, that's sort of pegged to the price of a movie," team president Matt Silverman said. "You can bring your own food in, and you can park for free, so it maintains that nice price point of $40 for a family of four."

Again in 2009, the Rays will try to encourage fans to buy in advance by adding a surcharge to tickets bought within five hours of the game time. The surcharge will increase from $2 to $3-$5, depending on pricing category of the ticket.

The Rays plan to make a major push to increase their season ticket sales, hoping to entice both businesses and individuals with discounts of up to 35 percent – which Silverman said equates to getting all 81 home games for the price of 53 games.

Season ticket holders also get first choice on seats, priority listing for seating upgrades and guaranteed access to postseason tickets.

Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at afabrizio@tampatrib.com

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