US Open Roof Steel Structure Completed, But Ticket Prices Go Up 15%!
The US Open announced yesterday that the final piece of steel was placed on what will be the new roof that will cover the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2016.
“We are redefining ‘spectacular’ at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and this transformation will allow the US Open to maintain its place at the pinnacle of sporting experiences in the U.S. and around the world,” said Gordon Smith, USTA Chief Operating Officer. “With a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, two new stadiums and an expanded southern campus, the National Tennis Center will become the best tennis venue in the world.”
This transformation of the National Tennis Center, a $500 million project that is privately funded by the USTA, will include:
– A retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium (operational in 2016)
– A new Grandstand Stadium (slated to open in 2016)
– A new Food Village adjacent to Grandstand Stadium (2016)
– An expanded southern campus that will include new tournament courts and enhanced fan amenities (2016)
– A new Louis Armstrong Stadium (scheduled completion date 2018)
With the roof, Forbes released a report that US Open ticket prices for 2015 have increased a whopping 15% over 2014.
According to TiqIQ, the average secondary price for 2015 U.S. Open tickets across all 24 sessions is $365.35, up 14.8% from 2014’s average of $318.04. Tickets on the secondary market averaged at $316.48 in 2013, marking a 15.4% price hike over the last two years.
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