May 1—CHAMPAIGN — Dave Allen never saw a live football game … until he attended Illinois in the 1980s.
Allen is from Windsor, which didn’t have a high school team. When Allen came to campus, he zipped over to Memorial Stadium. Almost 40 years later, the longtime Arthur resident remains an Illinois season-ticket holder in football and men’s basketball.
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At 11:20 a.m. on April 1, it was Allen’s turn to pick his seats for the upcoming season, part of the Illini Era reseating program at Memorial Stadium.
Available seats were in green, seats already spoken for were in red.
How did it go?
“Very smoothly,” said Allen, owner of AGRI-SEARCH in Arthur. “We actually improved our seats.”
Allen increased his order from two to four seats. They are in section 205, row 3 of the East balcony. His seats are a section closer to midfield than what he had in 2024 and several rows lower.
“I have only ever sat in the East balcony and I love sitting up there,” Allen said.
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For Allen’s seats, there was no I Fund donation required. Just pay for the tickets and parking.
Allen worked with Bobby Kapolnek, who has been his contact with the athletic department for multiple years.
“He’s been very, very helpful,” Allen said.
Allen and his wife Cathy don’t go to every football game.
“We use some,” he said. “We give them to family friends. We gave four tickets to be sold at a benefit.”
Risky business
My experience, most fans are creatures of habit. If they accustomed to certain seats for years and there is a possibility they might be moved, they won’t like it. Might even threaten to stop buying.
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The reseating at Illinois has likely cost the program customers. Some that have been attending for years. It happens.
Price can be an obstacle. The key seems to be finding that sweet spot between charging enough to keep the program humming but not so much that you drive folks away.
There are schools in the Big Ten — you know the ones — that have their entire buildings filled before the start of the season. The conference is home to three of the largest stadiums in the country: Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State. Sparse crowds are never an issue.
But selling seats at Illinois has been a forever challenge. The inconsistent football team has produced consecutive winning seasons only once in the past 34 years: 2010 and 2011.
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Fans wanting to see their favorites succeed needed to take a leap of faith, one that often ended in disappointment.
That is not expected to happen again in 2025. Coming off the first 10-win season since 2001, Illinois is in strong position for a second consecutive winning campaign. And some — me included — have suggested the team has a fair chance to reach the College Football Playoff. Maybe even host a first-round game.
Season-ticket holders — like Allen — are excited about the team.
Next up
Football season-ticket selections continue into May. Later in the month, parking for football will be distributed.
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Parking for Illinois football rates among the best in the Big Ten, with plenty of spots and easy access to the stadium.
Not the case at other Big Ten campuses. Parking is a special pain at places that seat 100,000-plus.
When football ticketing is wrapped up, basketball seating moves to the front of the line. The I Fund donor membership deadline is Friday.
Seat selection for basketball will be in June.
Allen has two seats for basketball in the upper reaches of the State Farm Center. He isn’t quite as certain to get his preferred seats, like he did for football.
“We aren’t sure where we’ll end up,” Allen said. “We go to those as much as we can.”
Allen supports his alma mater. He studied ag education at Illinois, graduating in 1983. Two of the Allen’s three kids, Daniel and Christy, are also alums. They were four-year members of the Orange Krush. Their other daughter Rachel is a “huge Illini fan” and enjoys going to the games.
