When NIU athletics director Jim Phillips unveiled a poster board containing funding information for NIU’s planned north end zone facility April 22, he promised ticket revenues would cover $2.5 million of the project’s $9.5 million projected cost.

After getting $5.1 million from six-figure leadership donors to head the project, the Academic and Athletic Performance Center hit the public stage. The construction of the facility, which will be used primarily by the NIU football team, will begin when donations hit $7 million – ticket revenues will cover the remaining amount.

As of Tuesday, Phillips said “less than $400,000” is needed to break ground on the 60,000-square foot building.

In the last four years, NIU’s football program has seen increased success and media coverage, which has resulted in increased attendance figures and, in the last two years, increased ticket prices. Those increases have been in anticipation of the $2.5 million end zone facility costs that will come from ticket sales, Phillips said.

In 2003, ticket prices for student guests were $10, while general admission prices were $15. That year, the Huskies began their season with a 7-0 run, moving to as high as No. 12 in The Associated Press rankings.

The result? National coverage, a centerpiece story in Sports Illustrated and the highest home-attendance average in NIU history: 23,575.

The NIU single-game attendance record was broken three times that year. First, in the season-opener, a 20-13 overtime victory over then-No. 15 Maryland, then three weeks later against Iowa State. The record was toppled again in a 28,221-fan sellout against Western Michigan.

Increases in attendance turned into increases in ticket prices the following year. Season tickets dropped from $85 to $75, but general admission rose from $15 to $17.

But ticket hikes didn’t stop fans from coming. In 2004, the Huskies capitalized on a close MAC race and their first bowl-game appearance since 1983 to draw a MAC-high 27,028 fans per game.

According to the minutes from a spring athletic board meeting, ticket sales increased 12 percent from 2003 to 2004.

So naturally, ticket prices increased again before this season.

“Without a doubt, there’s a demand for Huskie football that there didn’t used to be,” said Todd Garzarelli, director of athletic marketing. “The recent success has caused the increase, but at the same time, we can’t outprice ourselves. We have to remember we’re in the middle of a fundraising campaign.”

According to Phillips, all of the 2004 season-tickets holders renewed their tickets in 2005, despite a $25 increase. Season tickets are now priced at $100, student guest tickets at $15 and general admission at $25.

Phillips said the increases have been in anticipation of the cost for the Academic and Athletic Performance Center.

“We review the situation every year,” Phillips said. “It has to be revised and approved by a faculty athletic board, which has the say in what ticket prices will be for all 17 sports. We increased football because there was a market for it.”

Even with the increases, NIU is still behind its peers in ticket prices. Big Ten schools Iowa and Illinois have season ticket prices of $280 and $191, respectively. Fellow MAC school rival Toledo charges $125 for its season tickets. Bowling Green is slightly behind NIU with $95 season-ticket prices.

In comparison, Southern Illinois and Illinois State, both Division I-AA schools for football, charge $60 and $66 for season tickets, respectively. “When the decision was made, we looked at everything,” Garzarelli said. “We looked at your Toledos and Ball States. We look at what all the schools are charging in our marketplace.”