Austin FC: Deposits for 30,000 tickets

The day after Austin FC officials said they had set an MLS single-day record for season ticket deposits, the team announced Thursday that it has secured deposits for more than 30,000 seats.

ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman reported that Atlanta United FC — the current record-holder for season ticket members and game attendance — secured 26,000 deposits in the first three months. Though league officials could not immediately confirm it, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in October 2015 that Atlanta had 26,000 pledges — 14 months after MLSSoccer.com reported 14,000 for the club.

“Super exciting news for Austin and our football club,” Austin FC Chairman and CEO Anthony Precourt told the "Austin's Soccer Pod" podcast. “Austin has surpassed all expectations. Austin loves soccer; we’ve always known that. That’s why we’re here. To exceed 30,000 deposits in 24 hours, we were at 25,000 within three hours even with the site crashing. Miraculous support and it’s still growing.”

All of those figures were for total seats claimed via deposit, meaning that the actual number of deposits placed was lower. Austin FC fans could claim up to eight memberships with a single account. The club will start play in 2021, and the planned North Austin stadium will have a 20,500 capacity that Austin FC President Andy Loughnane said could be expanded for future seasons.

“The stadium is being built with expansion opportunities all the way up to 22,000 seats,” he said.

Loughnane has said that 75 percent of tickets in general (non-premium) allotments will cost no more than $48 per match, and he confirmed Thursday that will not change. Deposits cost $50 for general and supporters section seating and $100 for premium seating.

The team began accepting deposits at 10 a.m. Wednesday, and within minutes the website austinfc.com had crashed due to what Loughnane called “unprecedented traffic.” At 4 p.m., the team published a news release claiming a record number of deposits.

Austin FC will begin converting those into full memberships between this winter and the summer of 2020. The club will soon open an “experience center” for fans to receive more information on ticket products and prices. For suites, loges and field seats, some discussions have already begun.

The run on deposits has had a positive impact on areas of the franchise beyond ticket sales. Last month, Austin FC announced St. David’s HealthCare as its first founding partner, and the club is still in conversations for other sponsorships — including the jersey and stadium naming rights.

“We have heard from interested parties that are new and interested parties that have been speaking with us, many of whom are impressed with the record-setting results,” Loughnane said. On Wednesday and Thursday “we’ve had a lot of positive conversations for other parts of our business. This is a signal to brands that invest in major league sports as a vehicle to boost their brand.”