Jacksonville Jaguars

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Season Tickets for the Jacksonville Jaguars Breakdown

// May 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jaguar History, Pocket Hercules, TealGate, Thanks Wayne Weaver, Tickets, Tony Boselli, Uncategorized

Submitted by Gene Frenette on April 19, 2010 – 11:45pm

http://www.hyatt.jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400565/gene-frenette/2010-04-19/jaguars-pulling-out-all-stops-sell-tickets

The level of desperation has reached the point where the Jaguars and the business community are begging people — almost a step short of bribing — to purchase season tickets.

Actually, they’re offering gift-certificate incentives called Teal Deals, which represent more than $2,000 worth of discounts (mostly 33 percent off for a minimum purchase price at area restaurants), as well as price reductions on automotive needs, jewelry, golf, men’s clothing, pest control and even a pet hotel. That’s right, the Jaguars are playing the dog-and-cat card to entice fans to buy or renew a season ticket before May 31.

It’s all part of a massive campaign, which includes the popular 30-30 plan (30 payments over a 30-month period, with no interest or deposit), to reinvigorate a stagnant football market. Between Team Teal commissioner Tony Boselli stumping across North Florida like a medicine man hawking miracle elixir and Bono’s owner Joe Adeeb assembling businesses to offer incentives on season-ticket purchases, no NFL franchise has ever done more off the field to earn the fans’ business.

The objective is to refill those 20,000-25,000 empty seats that became a fixture at home games in 2009. The first step is to at least pack the general bowl (50,797) to lift the television blackouts, which became like a giant zit on the Jaguars’ forehead.

“People get that it isn’t going to be good for our city if we lose the Jaguars,” Adeeb said. “That’s what’s driven me to do this. I’ve got five grandkids, and I want them to grow up with an NFL team. This thing isn’t finished until all those [9,703] covers come off [in Jacksonville Municipal Stadium].”

A decade ago, nobody could have imagined the Jaguars or the business community having to resort to these tactics. In addition to flexible payment plans and three consecutive years without raising ticket prices, season-ticket buyers are now eligible for gift certificates that include free ice cream and a case of wine.

“It’s a neat deal,” Jaguars senior vice president Tim Connolly said. “Maybe it’ll work. It better work.”

No joke. The 2009 season was the first real sign of the Jaguars becoming an endangered football species. Though the Jaguars were around .500 all season, attendance ranged from 42,000-49,000 for the first six regular-season home games. It was a sobering disconnect for a city that embraced its NFL team throughout the 1990s.

The Jaguars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but owner Wayne Weaver has made it clear that the turnstiles must churn at a much greater number than last year or moving eventually becomes the only option. The Jaguars and a lot of civic-minded folks are pitching in to see that never happens.

But at some point, fans must decide whether they really want an NFL team. Or will they only show up in big numbers if it contends for Super Bowls and meets other certain conditions.

Connolly said more Jacksonville businesses will likely step up next year to offer a wider range of Teal Deals.

Given all the seats the Jaguars have to fill, they seem willing to try almost anything to attract season-ticket buyers. Who knows. Maybe Maurice Jones-Drew will come over and pressure-wash your driveway.

gene.frenette@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4540

Let’s Be Honest: The Real Reason Jacksonville Must Draft Tebow

// March 25th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // College Football, Maurice Jones Drew, NFL Draft, Tebow, Thanks Wayne Weaver, Tony Boselli, University of Florida

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/368740-lets-be-honest-the-real-reason-the-jags-must-draft-tebow?utm_campaign=buzztap&utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

by bryan richardson
Contributor Written on March 25, 2010

NEW ORLEANS – JANUARY 01: Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Florida Gators looks on after defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats 24-51 during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisana Superdome on January 1, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a franchise facing a crucial time and point in their history. We just concluded are 15th season, and in retrospect I’d have to say it’s been pretty successful.

6 playoff seasons, five playoff wins, 2 AFC Championship games, and 2 Division titles. Considering franchises like the new Cleveland Browns have made one playoff appearance since their move back to Cleveland in 1999 and the Houston Texans have never made the playoffs despite being in the league since 2002, I would say the Jags have been a pretty model franchise for success for a relatively new team.

So why then when you hear about the Jags, it’s negative publicity from not filling up the stadium to moving to Los Angeles to bad drafting to players with run-ins with the law? As good as the history has been, their has been something missing between the early success of the team in the mid to late 90’s under coach Tom Coughlin to the past decade led mostly by coach Jack Del Rio, and it’s not just wins and losses.

Those early Jag teams had a connection to the city, from Mark Brunell to Tony Boselli to Jimmy Smith to Dave Widell and others. I remember waiting up to about 3 in the morning waiting on the Jags plane to land after those amazing playoff wins over Buffalo and Denver in 96′, and the love they received after a tough, hard fought loss to New England in the AFC title game. We loved our Jags unconditionally, and they in return loved us as well and showed it on the field.

Fast forward to now. Outside of Maurice Jones-Drew, is there any other player that you get a sense of just wanting to be around not only because they are stars for your favorite team, but because you get the feeling that they generally care about you as a person?

Enter Tim Tebow. Tebow is the only person, outside of Brunell and Boselli, that you get the feeling that despite how great a player on the field that he is (and the accomplishments are plenty) he may be an even greater person. Tebow and Mojo together can get back the feeling of mutual love between team and fans like we once had and once again make the Jags relevant in our homes and communities, and in retrospect the Jags would receive the unconditional support they sorely lacked in seasons past to perform at a top level on the field.

Before being blasted for writing yet another pro-Tebow article, let me state that why I do believe Tim needs work, if for nothing more than to continue adjusting to his newfound throwing motion, I do believe that the Jags have no other choice. Now just so we are clear, I am not advocating taking Tim with the 10th overall pick, but if we can trade down to the bottom half of the 1st round (which Gene Smith has expressed wanting to do) then I’m all for it.

The reason I say we have no choice is because despite all the efforts of both the marketing dept (30 for 30, 8 month payment plan, etc.) and Team Teal, the Jags still face a staunch reality of not only having this seasons games blacked out, but a real possibility of losing the Jags altogether. Now while I am not saying that Tebow will be a perennial Pro-Bowler (although I think he can become one), can we really afford not to take him and he does somewhere else? If Tim is drafted by another team and leads them to a Super Bowl, that may be the final nail in the coffin for this franchise.

Agree or not, while no player can single-handedly save a franchise, Tim is the only person that can come close. With Tim, Mojo, Tony Boselli and GM Gene moving forward, the Jags can once again get back to the glory days and “Restore the Roar” of the Jags in Jax.

Wayne Weaver hopes the renewal rate hits 80 percent by March 31.

// March 23rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Thanks Wayne Weaver, Tickets, Tony Boselli

Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver encouraged by strong season-ticket renewal rate
He says he hopes the rate hits 80 percent by March 31.
By Vito Stellino

http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2010-03-23/story/jaguars-owner-wayne-weaver-encouraged-strong-season-ticket?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jacksonville%2FksHE+%28Jacksonville+Jaguars+%2B+Jaguars+News+-+Jacksonville.com+and+The+Florida+Times-Union%29

ORLANDO — Now that the first deadline has passed for Jaguars season-ticket renewals, owner Wayne Weaver said he hopes the team will hit the 80 percent renewal rate by the end of the month.

“I think it [ticket sales] came in really well,” Weaver said during the first day of the annual NFL meetings. “Our renewal rate is going to be way up compared to the past. We’ve got a long way to go, but it’s moving well.”

The first deadline was last Friday for season-tickets holders to get the eight-month payment plan and to enter a drawing for various prizes including a trip on a Jaguars road game.

Of ticket sales at this point, Weaver said, “I’m optimistic. I think we’re further ahead than a lot of people thought we’d be. Carl Cannon, Ed Burr and Tony Boselli [who are spearheading the civic group Touchdown Jacksonville] are doing a great job out there, creating some urgency to fill our stadium.”

Tim Connolly, the team’s senior vice president of business development who is directing the ticket-selling drive, said the team is already close to a 70 percent renewal rate and is still processing applications that arrived in Monday’s mail.

If the Jaguars can reach 80 percent by the end of the month, they will have about 5,000 season-ticket holders who didn’t renew, compared to 17,000 last year.

On the fuel gauge on the team’s Web site, the renewal rate is listed at 59 percent, but Connolly said it won’t be updated until later in the week.

A second March 31 deadline (Connolly said it will actually go to April 2) is for season-ticket holders who want to keep their current seats and for ticket buyers who want to sign up for the 30-month plan.

The renewals are important because they cut down on the number of new tickets the Jaguars have to sell if they’re to reach the threshold of 50,957 non-premium tickets to lift the TV blackouts. In 2009, they blacked out all but the final home game against Indianapolis when a Touchdown Jacksonville ticket drive was successful.

“Every renewal is a new ticket we don’t have to sell,” Connolly said.
Connolly said that as of Friday, the team had sold 6,200 new tickets and hoped to reach 7,000 by the end of the month.

He said the club also hopes to sell 80,000 group ticket sales, or 8,000 per game, which would be an increase from 6,000 per game last year.

“There’s a climate for groups from people who can’t afford a season ticket,” he said.

Both Weaver and commissioner Roger Goodell have said that a pro football team isn’t viable drawing slightly more than 40,000 a game, which was what the 7-9 Jaguars averaged last year.