Dodgers raise season ticket prices

The Dodgers have raised the price of season tickets on nearly every seat and have eliminated the option to buy a season seat for $5 per game.

The Dodgers also expanded the number of seating categories to 58, with steep increases in some of the reclassified areas.

For example, a “preferred field box� seat sold on a season basis at $25 per game this year sells for $30 per game next year, but some of those seats now have been branded as “preferred field box VIP� at $35 per game and “front row preferred field box� at $37 per game. As a result, the price increases in that category range from 20% to 48%.

The Dodgers cut the price of some club-level seats but raised every other price, generally in the range of 10% to 25%. Prices that ranged from $5 to $120 this year will range from $8 to $150 next year.

David Siegel, the Dodgers’ vice president of ticket sales, said the team maintains the lowest prices of any of the major pro sports teams in Los Angeles.

“We think that the value of our season seating is strong,� he said.

He said the Dodgers would work with season-ticket holders that might not want to keep their seats at the new price, so that they could find seats in a nearby area. He said he believes the Dodgers continue to offer affordable seating options.

“That is of the utmost concern to our ownership group,� he said.

The Dodgers’ average ticket price this year was $28.61 and the league average $28.94, according to Team Marketing Report.

Although the Dodgers’ payroll is expected to go down next season -- if for no other reason than they will not spend close to $100 million on players no longer playing for the team -- ticket prices continue to go up.

Ticket prices are a function of supply and demand. The Dodgers led the major leagues in attendance for the third straight season. They have capped season-ticket sales at 35,000, and Siegel said “several thousand� fans are on a waiting list.

Siegel said the Dodgers would not increase parking prices for season-seat holders. Prices for individual seats and mini-plans will be announced later.

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