Here is a copy of the letter sent to football season ticket holders recently from AD Bill Martin:

August, 2001

Dear Michigan Season Ticket Holder:

Enclosed are your tickets for the 2001 Michigan football season. As we prepare for another successful season, I want to thank you for your continued support of the team and our athletic program.

I appreciate the feedback many ticket holders have offered over the past year as we have addressed the serious financial challenges facing the athletic department. I want to update you on our work so far and some of our plans for this upcoming year. Also, I thought I would share some interesting news on the “football fan experience” survey we conducted this spring.

Game Day Experience Survey

Early this year, we conducted a survey to help us determine our fans’ attitude toward their game-day experience at Michigan football games. This survey was mailed to 3,003 randomly selected season ticket holders.

A tremendous response to the survey revealed the passion and loyalty of our fans. Most consumer surveys achieve response rates from 8% to 26% depending on the commitment of the target audience. Our survey brought a 64% response rate! That showed us just how important Saturdays in Ann Arbor are to you.

From the survey results we formed a general profile of our fans. For instance, 11% travel more than 200 miles one-way to attend games; 24% have held tickets for more than 30 years; 54% are alumni of the University; 48% earn income over $100,000; and 48% have earned a postgraduate degree.

The survey also measured how satisfied our fans are with particular aspects of their game day experience. For instance, those responding were generally satisfied with their seat location, the band, crowd conduct, security, ushers, video scoreboards, public address announcements, and tailgate parties. On the other hand, those responding were generally not satisfied with the availability and cleanliness of the restrooms, the availability of concessions, the cost of parking and the cost and quality of merchandise.

Based on this survey, in time for the 2001 football season we will begin to refurbish the men’s and women’s restrooms on the east and west side of the Stadium. This will include special cleaning, painting, replacing fixtures, and increased lighting. Also, we will consider whether to place additional portable lavatories both inside and outside of the Stadium grounds.

Furthermore, we will factor all of the feedback about Michigan Stadium from the survey into the long-term strategic programming process that we are currently developing for improving our facilities. I invite you to visit www.mgoblue.com/tickets/survey for more information on the fan survey.

The Financial Picture

We are working to stabilize the current and future financial challenges of Michigan athletics. The Athletic Department finished the current fiscal year with a projected deficit of only $2 million when a deficit of $5 million was anticipated. This resulted from continued cost control and greater than expected licensing and fundraising revenues.

The next fiscal year looks better. We project an operating surplus of $1.1 million after three consecutive years of actual deficits. This is the result of the renewal of the Nike contract, increased football ticket prices for this season, higher television rights fees and continuing cost controls. We have stabilized our current finances, which is the first step toward future financial stability.

We continue to struggle with balancing our sources of revenue with necessary expenditures of a unique nature. Two of our largest expenditures are tuition for our student-athletes and competitive compensation for our coaching staff; neither of those costs are easily “capped” or reduced. We must also significantly invest in our aging athletic facilities. This includes major work to Crisler Arena. New and improved facilities figure heavily into the recruiting of top student-athletes and will enhance their athletic and academic performance. We have tremendous amount of work to do on this front.

Also, we are looking at a variety of additional revenue generating opportunities including Stadium advertising and possible enclosed seating areas. I am particularly interested in pursuing the possibility of Stadium advertising within the next year or so – if it could be implemented in a way that does not mar the traditional beauty of Michigan Stadium. Later this year, you will receive an Annual Report on this past fiscal year along with more details on our future financial plans.

Thanks for spending the time to read this letter. I hope to share additional information with you throughout the year. I have appreciated all the notes, e-mails, and comments that I have received in the past year. Your feedback has been helpful and enlightening. If you have additional questions or comments about the fan survey, possible revenue options or your enclosed season tickets, please contact Marty Bodnar, Director of Ticket Operations at (734) 764-0247 or mtickets@umich.edu.

Thank you for your continued loyal support of Michigan Athletics.

GO BLUE!

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