With the Warriors just about two years away from moving into their new home in San Francisco, the team is beginning its rollout of plans for season ticket sales. And just as they are in every other aspect of their organization, the Warriors are getting innovative with it, introducing what they’re calling a “membership” plan for those who wish to purchase season tickets at Chase Center.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the membership program will require a one-time fee to be able to purchase your season tickets each year for up to 30 years. At the end of that 30 years, however, the team is promising to fully refund that one-time fee paid at the start.
The Warriors are apparently emphasizing that this should not be compared to PSLs like 49ers fans experienced with the move to Levi’s Stadium because the fee will be refunded. Team president Rick Welts told the Chronicle that about half of the season ticket memberships will cost $15,000 or less, while the rest could go for much higher. Fans will be allowed to make their payment all at once, or finance it.
Season ticket holders will be allowed to sell their memberships, but only through the Warriors and not for any more than what they paid in the first place. If they sell the membership for less than they paid for it though, the team will still refund the difference in cost at the end of 30 years.
This innovative strategy of promising to refund membership fees will certainly incentivize those who want to purchase season tickets at the new arena, set to open before the 2019-20 season. As everyone knows, the Warriors have a skyrocketing payroll and plenty of other rising expenses with the move to San Francisco, so it’s a smart move by them to cash in as much as possible now and worry about the refunded memberships when the time comes.