Inside FAMU athletic director Angela Suggs' new football season tickets format for 2025
Gerald Thomas III
- Florida A&M's athletics program has shifted away from its 'Investing in Champions' package deal for the upcoming football season.
- The new model allows fans to purchase tickets on an a-la-carte basis, choosing individual games instead of full-season packages.
- The change aims to provide flexibility for fans and gather data on purchasing preferences for future offerings.
- The athletic department believes this new approach will increase revenue by reducing expenses associated with package deals.
Changes are afoot for Florida A&M football season ticket holders.
Gone are the days of Investing in Champions packages, launched in 2016, with a season ticketing layout of seven options that included reserved parking, north endzone passes, Florida Classic tickets, and other amenities.
For the 2025 football season, first-year FAMU Vice President and Director of Athletics Angela Suggs has adopted an a-la-carte format for Rattlers fans to build their package game-by-game.
“Investing in Champions has been around for a long time,” Suggs told the Tallahassee Democrat in a one-on-one interview.
“In looking at that, a lot has changed in that time. Post 2020, how we make purchases across the board has changed. We need to be relevant in terms of the offerings we present. But we also got to be able to appropriately staff it ― giving out the packages in time, preparing those packages, and having a staff to answer phones and sell to new people.”
FAMU football has five home games this season, beginning with hosting Albany State at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Sept. 13.
General admission for Bragg’s sections M, L, and K and westside reserved seating in sections A, C, and G are $175 for season ticket holders. Reserved premium seating (D, F, O, N, or E for season renewal only) is $250, and East side box seats are $350.
North Endzone Club tickets are $1,000.
FAMU’s CASS Building parking is $250 for renewal only. Welcome Center parking is $250. To park in the Althea Gibson Way Parking Garage, next to Bragg, is $350.
Stadium reserved parking is $500 for renewal only.
It costs season ticket holders $1,200 to park RVs outside the stadium.
Season tickets launched on March 1 at FAMU’s box office, and the renewal deadline is Friday, June 27.
“What we wanted to do was dial back and be able to dig into the data to learn what the appetite of our fan base and stakeholders is ― season tickets and sections being purchased,” Suggs explained.
Despite having a new season ticket setup, Suggs isn’t ruling out a return for packages to return in years to come.
She’ll use the 2025 football season and its neutral site games to gauge what gameday experience Rattlers fans are interested in.
FAMU football will have two neutral games in NFL-affiliated stadiums when it plays Howard in the Orange Blossom Classic at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 30, then faces Bethune-Cookman in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, home of the Pro Bowl, on Nov. 22.
FAMU’s season ticket holders receive early access to purchase Orange Blossom Classic tickets and will also have priority when Florida Classic tickets go on sale.
“With us entering these environments with luxury seating, suites, and other premium amenities, what are our fans purchasing? We can take that data and then look at rightsizing packages moving forward,” Suggs said.
“As we look internally at our infrastructure and how we can correctly position ourselves to roll something out that we can appropriately service, that’s what’s important. We can’t keep pushing things out without looking internally at how we will manage it,” Suggs added.
FAMU fans can package football and basketball tickets in new ticket setup
Football isn’t the only thing included in FAMU’s new season ticket system.
Like Investing in Champions, Suggs included discounted season tickets for FAMU basketball, which costs $150 for a reserved season pass or $550 for the courtside season pass, which includes unlimited food and beverages during the game.
FAMU basketball typically plays around 12 home games throughout the season.
Fan interest in the Rattlers’ basketball program has been piqued as the men’s and women’s teams will appear in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament this week in Atlanta.
Both FAMU basketball teams haven’t simultaneously appeared in the postseason since 2019.
Suggs says FAMU athletics will roll out a separate a-la-carte basketball season ticket program. However, the prices will be higher than if one were to select the basketball add-on while buying season tickets for football.
“This is an opportunity for our fans and season ticket holders to add on at a little above today’s prices and be able to lock in current prices for next year,” Suggs said.
Angela Suggs hopes new ticket format for football 'makes more money' for athletic program
The newly-launched FAMU football season ticket program isn’t a money-saving tactic.
Suggs looks at it as a way to generate more revenue for FAMU athletics, a program typically operating on a budget of around $12 million.
“While we will be effective and efficient, cutting our way to success without looking at revenues and new revenues, I don’t believe that’s the right way to approach it,” Suggs said. “It doesn’t save us money. The idea is it’s going to make us more money that is direct because we’re cutting out expenses that are associated with a package program.”
It’s new.
Of course, some will support FAMU’s new season ticketing, while others may have further questions.
Suggs appreciates all dialogue as she explores new ways for FAMU’s athletic program to flourish.
“I wouldn’t stand in the way or get in front of any way that someone conveys their passion about our Rattlers,” Suggs said. “Even if there seem to be differing opinions or thoughts, I respect that. Because at the end of the day, we all care about the Rattlers and want to win together.”
Florida A&M Football 2025 Schedule
- Week 1: Saturday, Aug. 30 ― vs. Howard (Orange Blossom Classic)
- Week 2: Saturday, Sept. 6 ― at Florida Atlantic
- Week 3: Saturday, Sept. 13 ― vs. Albany State
- Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK
- Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC)
- Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― at Mississippi Valley State (SWAC)
- Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central
- Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming)
- Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC)
- Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC)
- Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC)
- Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC)
- Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic)
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.