USF making more money with bigger crowds.

[E.T.]

Bulls To Remain At Raymond James Stadium

By BRETT McMURPHY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 27, 2007

TAMPA - Raymond James Stadium will remain the home for the University of South Florida football games for at least another five years.

USF and the Tampa Sports Authority, which manages RJS, have agreed in principle on a five-year deal through the 2011 season with an option for five more seasons through the 2016 season.

The agreement also allows USF to terminate the contract - without penalty - by providing a two-year notice if the school decides to build an on-campus stadium.

"We are pleased to renew our contract with USF," Tampa Sports Authority executive director Henry Saavedra said. "We're proud to have them at our stadium and hope to for many years.

"We are very fortunate. They are a great community asset."

The contract was approved by the Tampa Sports Authority's board last week and is only awaiting a signature from USF athletic director Doug Woolard to execute the contract. Woolard was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Under terms of the contract, USF must exercise the five-year option at least six months before August 2012. The contract also allows USF to terminate the contract with at least two years notice before the termination date as selected by USF.

USF must pay the Tampa Sports Authority a $105,000 license fee in 2007 - up from $86,000 in 2006.

The license fee is based on TSA's estimated direct costs for each USF game. It includes operating expenses for use of the stadium's lower bowl. That figure increases $10,000 each season to $145,000 in 2011.

The agreement does not specify the license fee if USF uses the upper deck, a possibility this year with home games against UCF, Louisville and West Virginia.

If USF renews the agreement beyond 2011, the license fee will be negotiated between TSA and USF.

TSA also receives a ticket surcharge equal to 8 percent of each USF ticket sold, not to exceed $2.50 per ticket.

TSA will provide 3,000 complimentary parking spaces for USF donors and another 300 for USF officials and media, but will retain all other parking revenue.

USF does not have to pay TSA a license fee to hold its spring game at RJS, except for any direct game expenses.

USF is 46-10 at RJS, including 21 consecutive wins from 2000 to 2003, then the nation's second-longest home winning streak.

Last season averaging over 50K and this season on the same path, gotsta be excited from the extra revenue.

Hope many take advantage of the 3 game package USF is promoting. Would love near 35K season tix for 2009, expecially with Miami coming. Would love this game to sell out as soon as single game tix go on sale, then we can consider the bleachers in the one End Zone.

I seriously expect that OCS come 2015  ;D

[Apis Bull]

Gotta hand it to you E.T.  You dig up some of the most obscure stuff.  Also, I've never seen such a big college football stat junkie in all of my life.

:clap

[usfbulls2004]

that would be nice to have OCS but I'll believe it, when I see it.

[E.T.]

I've toned down since my daughter was born  ;D She's keeping me busy.

And this wasn't started for an OCS debate, it's about the extra revenue were getting with our winning team.

[bullman3]

Our lease should go down as attendance goes up.  We are Paying the TSA more each year, yet they make more as it is with the increased 8% ticket surcharge, parking revenue and concession revenue that an extra 10-20K fans bring.  BS that they take such a large piece of the pie, especially when it was the taxpayers who paid for the stadium.  We should be able to negotiate a lower lease by saying, hey look we are bringing in 20K more fans per game which translates into 50K for the tsa from ticket surcharge, 30-50K in parking revenue, and 200K in extra concession revenue.  But what happens, we end up paying an extra 10K each season through 2011?  Someone needs to recommend a good contract negotiator to the USF AD. 

rack·e·teer·ing

Pronunciation: "ra-k&-'tir-i[ng]

Function: noun

1 : the extortion of money or advantage by threat or force

[Rocky Style]

Awesome.  I like Ray Jay.

[smazza]

an OCS isnt needed until usf starts win BE conference year after year and usf can fill a 100k stadium week after week

[E.T.]

Knew sMAZZA would have a stupid reply or attack USF's negotiating power  :

It's a good deal for both parties ... more attendees, more security/cleanup.

And . . . USF doesn't have any leverage for a deal in our favor. What are we gonna say, we'll move to Tropicana Field ?

[SouthFLBully]

an OCS isnt needed until usf starts win BE conference year after year and usf can fill a 100k stadium week after week

100K?!?!?!? Thats asking a bit much isn't it? There are only five or six schools in the nation that have a stadium that large. We are looking at a 50-60K stadium. I agree with the fact that we need to get to a bcs game before hand(primarily for monetary reason), but fill a 100K stadium?!?!? I think you forget we are talking about USF, not USC.

[E.T.]

USC needs to get a smaller stadium ... they host a big name team and the game was being pimped all week.

Try to Avg what YOUR stadium holds, then talk about USF.

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