As winter begins to fall on Notre Dame's campus, many Irish fans are dreaming of heading to warmer climates - New Orleans, Miami, Pasadena or Phoenix, to be exact.
Those cities play host to the BCS Bowl games, and as of now, Notre Dame's chances of playing in one of them are high. Through TicketReserve, students can act now to make sure they're at the game to cheer on the team - and enjoy the weather.
"The TicketReserve is a revolutionary and fun idea that allows the average fan admittance into huge sporting events at affordable prices," said Liz Flannery of Clutch Media and Marketing in Harrison, NY.
According to Clutch Media's press release for TicketReserve, "the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Fed-Ex Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl have always been among the toughest post-season tickets in sports."
"Our main goal is for fans to see their teams," said Andy Leach, president of TicketReserve.
With the TicketReserve service, students can reserve tickets by purchasing a FanForward pass in what Leach calls a "fan-to-fan market."
Available packages include the stand-alone National Championship Game in Phoenix, BCS All-Access and Elite Non-BCS All-Access.
If Notre Dame advances to a Bowl Game that falls under the FanForward package a student purchases, tickets to that game are then made available to them at face value prices.
Initally, FanForward package prices are "as low as $10 to $20, and increase or decrease as the respective fortunes of college football teams rise and fall during the 2006 season," according to the press release.
As of Monday, the lowest price for a FanForward pass for Notre Dame in the National Championship Game was $90 and $110 for a BCS All-Access pass.
The additional face value cost of a Bowl Game ticket is listed as "TBD" with an estimated price range of $95-220 on the TicketReserve Web site, www.theticketreserve.com.
A maximum of eight FanForward passes can be purchased per team per household. No specific seating assignment is given to FanForward pass holders, but reserved seats will be located next to each other in the "seating zone" listed on the Web site for a given event.
With a FanForward purchase, tickets are guaranteed due to "a direct agreement with the Bowls themselves [... so] tickets are reserved before the market opens," Leach said.
After purchase, FanForwards can be sold on the TicketReserve market until the BCS pairings show in December. If unwanted FanForwards are not sold at this point, the initial investment is lost.
"Every year college football fans across the country yearn to attend elite bowl games of their favorite teams," Rick Harmon, CEO of TicketReserve, said. "Now, this innovative partnership can reward those dedicated and passionate fans in a fun and affordable way."
Paul Hoolahan, CEO of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, promoted the on-line service - which offers distinct advantages to ticket auctions or scalping.
"This partnership is unique and exciting and will provide a tremendous value for college football fans," Hoolahan said. "The TicketReserve has a great reputation for servicing fans for large-scale sporting events, and we have great confidence in their ability to do so again for the Allstate Sugar Bowl."
