Iowa pauses season ticket requests for women’s basketball after run to national championship game
Caitlin Clark’s quest for a national title was stopped just short last week, but interest in the Iowa women’s basketball program is higher than ever.
The Hawkeyes paused season ticket sales for the 2023-24 season on Thursday due to what they called unprecedented demand, according to the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow.
“We’re going to do our best so that those fans who want to support women’s basketball at Iowa get that opportunity,” said Matt Henderson, Iowa’s deputy director of athletics for external relations who oversees ticket sales.
Women’s Basketball Lives in Iowa City 😤 https://t.co/1xK34MCn3i
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 6, 2023
Per The Register, Iowa sold 6,500 season tickets for last year’s women’s basketball team. And after the team reached the national championship game, the athletic department expected close to 100% of season ticket holders would renew.
But as of Tuesday, the university had received about 6,700 new season ticket requests — more than double the current amount. Half of those requests came between Iowa’s appearance in the Sweet 16 and the Final Four.
That brings the total requested tickets to 13,200, and leaves only about 2,000 tickets left before Carver-Hawkeye Arena hits capacity.
“We want to get as many season tickets into the hands of those who have a passion for attending women’s basketball and Hawkeye athletic events,” Henderson said.
Clark, the National Player of the Year, led the Hawkeyes to their first ever national title game last week. They fell to Angel Reese and LSU at the game in Dallas, though that contest drew a record 9.9 million viewers and was played in front of a sold out crowd at the American Airlines Arena.
