With playoff season approaching, sports fans are getting ready to support their teams, and to pay more to do so. Entrance into a football playoff game this year will cost a student $7 and an adult $10. The price increases don’t stop at football; all sports will have a spike in ticket price due to the CIF.
The California Interscholastic Federation, more commonly known as CIF, is the governing body for California high school athletics. Placer High School falls into the Sac-Joaquin Section of CIF, which represents 190 high schools and over 230,000 students.
“It’s a governing body; it makes sure everyone plays by the same rules, and manages playoffs,” said Mark Lee, athletic director for Placer High School.
CIF manages playoffs by setting up brackets, laying out the rules of each sport, and insuring each sport a facility for their championship games. While schools do not receive any money beyond expenses for hosting a game, CIF does make sure all expenses are fully covered. For example, when Placer hosts the Round 1 playoff game this Friday, they will be reimbursed up to $1,700 for expenses such as security, ticket sellers, and a game director.
CIF goes beyond governing by offering thousands of dollars in scholarships through the A. Dale Lacky program. Last year alone the section awarded over $34,000 to those students with exemplary academic and athletic careers. The CIF also organizes foundation games to raise money for their scholarship program and the Women in Sports Conference. Furthermore, they are in charge of the Model Coach Award and a Community Service Award.
Lastly, CIF operates with an office staff of seven, and has an office space in Lodi. Therefore, they must pay for their employees’ salaries and for their facility. In the end, the CIF deals with a lot of money, and that is the main reason for the high ticket prices at the gate.
CIF is a non-profit corporation and does not receive any funds from the State or Federal Government. It is owned and operated by its member schools, and brings in 90% of its revenue from championship events. Dues paid by member schools and sponsorship generate the other 10% of their income.
“They are very well organized, and do a good job. It’s something we need,” said Lee.
Because 90% of their revenue results from championship events, CIF relies heavily upon ticket sales to bring in their money. Therefore, as their expenses increase, so do the ticket prices for playoff games. However, if student athletes wish to keep playing their sports, the fans will have to keep paying their dues.
Which, for many students at Placer, is all just part of the experience.
“I would go just to help support the team, it’s really important during playoffs,” said senior Kellyn McDonald.
While the tickets at the gate will be pricey, attending any playoff game is important to the team, and the money being raised helps keep sports in action.