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Jim Sterk

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Chat with Washington State Athletic Director Jim Sterk on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 2:00 p.m. PT.

Moderator: Good afternoon Cougar fans and thank you for visiting WSUCougars.com and today's online chat with WSU Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. Before we begin, you will notice links at the top of this page, which will direct you to Martinstadium.org, the official website of the stadium renovation, as well as links to donate to the project and premium seating information. In addition, be sure to join us tomorrow for an online chat with Assistant Director of Athletics for Annual Giving & Tickets Dan Meyer. Dan will answer questions on the Martin Stadium Renovation, premium seating information, and how people can support the project.

Questions for Dan can be submitted by clicking HERE

Moderator: Jim, thank you for joining us today.

Jim Sterk: Thank you for having me. As I said yesterday, it is exciting to announce that we are moving forward with the next phase of Martin Stadium. It has been great to see the interest and support of this project and l look forward to everyone coming together to help Phase III be TeamBuilt.

Moderator: Okay, let's get to questions.

Spencer, (Yakima): Exactly how much seat commitments do we need to get construction rolling in the spring? Do you feel that's attainable?

Jim Sterk: Spencer, great question. Roughly we will need 80 percent of the premium seats sold, which will equate to approximately 12 suites, 25 loge boxes and 950 club seats. In our silent phase of this project we have 7 suites committed, 28 loge boxes, and now with the unveiling of the project in a more public forum, we feel that we can sale the 900-plus club seats we need to move forward.

Portland: Jim, Great to see 3 get going just one question about the cost, it shows club level at $1,700 to $2,000 - how many seats do you get at this cost level. Loge shows 4 or 6

Jim Sterk: Depending on the yard line club seats range from $1,700 to $2,000 per seat. Loge boxes, depending on whether it is a four or six seat, range from $9,100 to $15,300. For a 24-seat suite they range from $35,000 to $50,000.

Pasco, WA: Before any dirt is moved, I'd like some disclosure on what influence this project will have on ticket prices. My wife and I graduated from WSU 11 years ago and routinely attended games up to 3 years ago. You are starting to price many families out of the market with the ticket prices. If we are balking at your price at our income, many others will never be able to afford to see your improvements. Thanks.

Jim Sterk: Thank you for the question. The cost of running an intercollegiate athletics program is continuing to grow because of scholarship costs, salaries and benefits, travel, etc. WSU is the most efficient in the conference with our expenses while at the same time we have kept our ticket prices the lowest in the conference. With the development of premium seating in Phase III we will be able to continue to have a wide-range of prices for people of all income levels. For example, this year's value plan allowed a person to purchase a season ticket for $125 per individual and/or $425 for a group of four. This allows people of different income levels to enjoy the gameday experience while giving us desperately needed income for the department.

Spokane, WA: What if you can't afford $300 a seat? Whats something as a Cougar fan I can do to help besides buying individual game tickets.

Jim Sterk: We appreciate your support of the program by purchasing individual game tickets. There are many other ways you can support us as well. You can consider supporting our scholarship fund at any level that your budget allows and you can support the stadium renovation effort by making a donation at the link at the top of this page.

Jacob (Pullman): Jim, I know this is in the future but when do you see Phase IV getting underway and what will it take to jump-start the Phase. As a side note, this is a chance for all Cougars to make a huge difference. Everyone wants success for thier team and here the success starts with us.

Jim Sterk: Jacob, there's not a specific timeline for the completion of Phase IV. As you may notice, we are doing the renovation one phase at a time :). If resources become available we would move to complete the project as quickly as possible. As you may know, Phase IV puts an upper deck on the east end, which would add approximately 5,000 additional seats.

jim watson, mount hope: why bother with a stadium . if you want the apple cup in seattle and to have home games in texas me contributing to a new stadium would be a waste of my money.

Jim Sterk: Jim, the best way a Cougar fan can support this program is be a season ticket holder and/or make an annual gift to the WSU Athletic Scholarship Fund. Bringing a game to Seattle has been a strategic decision by the athletics department and the university overall. As you may know 80 percent of our alumni live on the I-5 corridor. Our game at San Antonio against Notre Dame next month, which is actually Notre Dame's home game, will provide us with $950,000 plus the revenue from a national TV broadcast on NBC. The development of the stadium and Phase III will allow WSU Athletics to almost double the revenue that we can generate at Martin Stadium, which allows us to keep pace with our Pac-10 counterparts.

Dave East Wenatchee: Great Video for Phase 3, I'm looking forward to being a supporter. Go Cougs!

Jim Sterk: Dave, thank you for the comment. There was a lot of time and effort by our staff with the video and the relaunch of our website, martinstadium.org. When you view the video, I'm sure you will agree that no one can tell the story better than one of our own Drew Bledsoe. His words are inspiring and heartfelt.

Moderator: Time for one more question.

John Darr: Phase III looks to be all about luxury suites. How does this benefit the average fan?

Jim Sterk: John, if you have been to the stadium recently, the first two phases were focused on fan amenities like restrooms, concessions, wider concourses, as well as a new video scoreboard. Phase III is important for the following reasons: 1) it will drive increased revenue for our entire athletics program to operate; 2) it assists our coaches' efforts in attracting highly talented student-athletes to the program. Coach Wulff and his staff have been successful in their efforts to attracting recruits and this will only enhance their efforts; and 3) it will encourage others who have not in the past been involved in Cougar Athletics to come to Pullman and enjoy the great atmosphere of Martin Stadium.

Moderator: That's all the time we have. Jim, thank you for joining us once again.

Jim Sterk: Thank you to everyone for your questions. I encourage you to support our efforts in Phase III and encourage others to do likewise. Go Cougs!

Moderator: Thank you to everyone for your questions. Remember, to get all the information about WSU Athletics, go no further than wsucougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics, and for the stadium renovation, martinstadium.org.