High school football ticket prices jump

KATY, TX (KTRK) -- It's going to be a little more expensive for families to see their high schoolers play football or other sports next year.

Ticket prices are going up in several school districts, including Katy. Some school districts around the greater Houston area say they have no choice. They're trying to keep up with the cost of doing business.

If you wait to buy a ticket to any Katy ISD football game or other extracurricular activity next year, you might be surprised how much it will cost you a the door.

"It's still a bargain," said Katy ISD spokesman Steve Stanford.

At the gate last year, tickets cost just $5, opposed to the 12 bucks you'll pay next year. Season ticket holders, too, will see a notable increase, from $4 for each reserved ticket last year, now to $10 each.

Pre-game sales of individual tickets will be up only slightly -- $2 for both students and adults ... $4 and $6 each.

"We don't see this having a detrimental effect at all in our attendance," Stanford said.

Part of the catalyst for this change is the ever-increasng cost of the diesel fuel school must put in these buses to shuttle students to and from games and competitions. Last year, Katy ISD spent $1.7 million on fuel. With diesel hovering near $5 a gallon, this year, the district forecasts they'll need to spend approximately $3.4 million.

"That's ridiculous," resident Shari Griffith said.

While some Katy parents say they're stunned by the sticker shock, Katy ISD isn't alone in raising rates. District 24-5A schools, including Clear Creek, Galveston, Dickinson, Alvin, Brazosport ISDs all are hiking their ticket prices $1 across the board.

Some students and alums wonder if these increases are going to affect the size of the crowds filing the stands.

"I don't think I would go back to a high school game for $12, and I know my friends wouldn't," said Molly MacNeil, a Katy alumna.

In Katy ISD's defense, part of the increase is due to a UIL-mandated increase of $5 for each game for each official, which they now have to pay for somehow.

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