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Most sports teams offer group tickets as a way for companies, large families, charities, and other organized fans to buy tickets.  Almost every NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB team offers group tickets.  Each team has their own policy on how they sell group tickets, but as a general rule, teams define groups as 20 or more fans attending the same game and sitting in the same general section.

There are a ton of advantages to buying Group Tickets - even if you are a family of 2!

1. Group tickets are often slightly cheaper than normal tickets.  It’s usually between $2-$10 a ticket in savings.
2. Many teams offer Group Leader incentives depending on how large a group you organize.  They include things such as free tickets, free food, hats, t-shirts, autographs, or even a meal with a player. 
3. Group tickets are sold AFTER the team has determined how many Season Ticket Holders have renewed for the next season, but BEFORE the tickets go on sale for the general public.  That means you can get your tickets months before they are offered for sale to the general public.
4. Once you have bought Season Tickets for a team and get to know your Account Representative, it is easy to get tickets every year.

I know what you are thinking!  These are great advantages for a truly large group - but how does it apply to the single fan, couples, or small families?

1. For those of you interested in going to the game free, you can purchase Group Tickets and resell them for a small profit. This profit will easily cover the cost for you and your family to attend the game.  For example, you buy 20 tickets for $25 each.  A total of $500.  Since you are a family of 4, you only need 4 of the 20 tickets.  You list them on eBay or Stubhub and sell the other 16 for $40 each ($640 total.)  You end up with 4 tickets for free, plus $140 for food and souvenirs.  And the people who bought from you get access to a game that was sold out, and only paid a few dollars more per ticket.  Special note for those of you feeling guilty about selling tickets for a profit, consider the following:  You sold the pair for $80 ($40 per ticket.)  The team would sell them for $50 ($25 per ticket) through Ticketmaster.  But Ticketmaster would tack on so called convenience charges, handling fees, and other surcharges.  So in the end, the fan buying from you truly paid just a few dollars more. 
2. For those of you who don’t want to sell the tickets for profit, you can simply organize a group of fans to buy them at face value.  Family, friends, neighbors.  Even complete strangers.  The list goes on and on.  If it’s a sold out game, there will be no shortage of fans wanting to buy your tickets at face value.  Everyone loves you for being the hero, and you are happy because you were able to get tickets at face value long before the general public.  Not to mention the free swag directly from the team.

To inquire about your favorite team’s Group Ticket policy, visit the team’s website or call their Ticket Office directly.

Hope that helps and thanks for the question! 

Yes, the NFL does sell tickets to real fans.  But the odds are definitely against you.

NFL Super Bowl Tickets are distributed in the following manner:

• 500 pairs (1000 tickets) are awarded through a random lottery which allows winners to buy 2 tickets at face value for end zone upper level seats.
• 30% of the tickets for the game are given to each team that is playing in the Super Bowl for friends, family, team executives, team sponsors, and a limited number of season ticket holders. (60% total between the 2 teams)
• 10% are given to the host team (the team whose facility is where the game is played) for friends, family, team executives, team sponsors, a limited number of season ticket holders, and local officials and politicians.
• 1% are split amongst the team not in the Super Bowl for friends, family, team executives, and team sponsors.
• 25% are distributed by the NFL to the large corporate sponsors, television networks, VIPS, and Host Committee members, etc.

Each NFL team has their own way of awarding tickets to the Season Ticket Holders if their team goes to the Super Bowl.  Most use either entries that are weighted by the number of seats you have, or a combination of seat quantity and years you have been a season ticket holder. 

It is too late to get into the lottery for the NFL this year, but here are the general rules:

• Submit an entry between February 1 and before June 1 of the year before the Super Bowl.
• The entry should include your name and address, phone numbers, and email address.
• If selected you will receive notice in October or November of the year before the game.
• The entry must be sent via certified mail, and submitting more than one entry per household will disqualify them all.
• Winners receive the opportunity to purchase two tickets at face value – usually about $400-$600 per seat.
• Super Bowl Random Drawing, PO BOX 49140, Strongsville, OH 44149-0140
   

The cheapest seats for the Super Bowl usually sell for $5000 - $10,000 per pair on the secondary market.  NFL fans should enter every year (and have all their friends and family enter every year) in hopes of scoring tickets to the most popular event in the universe.  Non NFL fans should do the same and sell them to pay for whatever your heart desires! 

Good luck and please continue to send me your questions.  Feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed or weekly newsletter.  Both will provide links to my articles and information about tickets going on sale in the near future.  Thanks!