Aztecs offer season-ticket holders 2 freebies for opener; single-game sales begin next week
In a bid to boost attendance for its season opener, San Diego State is offering season-ticket holders two complimentary tickets for the Sept. 5 game against Portland State at Snapdragon Stadium.
“We wanted to open the season by giving our loyal season-ticket holders an opportunity to bring family and friends to an Aztec football game over the long holiday weekend,” said Ayo Taylor-Dixon, SDSU's deputy AD for strategic communications and brand advancement. "It’s one of the benefits of being a season-ticket holder."
Season-ticket holders received an email this week that read: "Thank you for showing up. Two free tickets on us."
"Aztec Football doesn't happen without you," the email continued. "Every game day, you show up with Aztec pride and energy that fills the stadium. It all adds up to the atmosphere that makes Snapdragon Stadium feel like home - and it's the reason we're stepping into the Pac-12 with the loudest fan base in the country behind us.
"So before the Aztec football season kicks off, we wanted to say thank you and extend our fan presence to your nearest friends and family."
SDSU has made similar offers to football and basketball season-ticket holders to attend a football game at Snapdragon, but this is the first time the offer has been extended for the season opener.
It could be an acknowledgment that the Aztecs need to do something to get more fans out to start the season.
Last year's 42-0 win over Stony Brook attracted an announced crowd of 20,624. The 13,569 in-house gathering left nearly 20,000 empty seats at the 32,500-seat stadium.
It was the smallest season-opening crowd in Snapdragon's four-year history. SDSU's 2022 debut against Arizona (34,046 announced/26,815 turnstile) drew the largest opening crowd before a substantial dropoff in 2023 against Ohio (23,867/16,831) and 2024 against Texas A&M-Commerce (25,180/18,119).
SDSU has sold 8,162 season tickets for the 2026 season, edging ahead of last year's total (8,111). The Aztecs have sold 1,000 season ticket over the past two months and could expect to sell a similar number in the two months before the season starts.
Season-ticket sales are on pace to be about 10% greater than last year. The boost is perhaps a product of last year's 9-4 season, anticipation for this year's move to the new Pac-12 and a decrease in ticket prices.
Single-game tickets go on sale Monday to season-ticket holders and July 22 to the general public. Prices start at $23, according to a school spokesman, though a complete list of prices has not been released. Last year’s tickets ranged from $38 to $253 for conference games.
Single-game prices are anticipated to be lower after SDSU lowered 2026 season-ticket prices 4% to 12% for most seats and as much as 35% on some seats for the six-game home schedule at Snapdragon Stadium.
After Portland State, the Aztecs play a nonconference home game against James Madison (Sept. 19) and Pac-12 games against Texas State (Oct. 3), Fresno State (Oct. 17), Washington State (Oct. 31) and Utah State (Nov. 14).
Training camp begins Aug. 5.
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