Season ticket-holders will be able to choose their tickets in a new online system starting in 2016. Credit: Courtesy of OSU.

Season ticket-holders will be able to choose their tickets in a new online system starting in 2016.
Credit: Courtesy of OSU.

Ohio State football season ticket holders will soon be able to select their specific seats online, akin to the way one would buy concert tickets on a virtual map.

In the past, seats could be changed by making a request during the renewal process. OSU would then consider the request and possibly make accommodations, said Martin Jarmond, OSU executive associative athletic director.

The ability for specific ticket holders to improve their seats depends on their standing within the university’s “donor priority system.” The point system, which is based on a weighted calculation of the ticket holder’s current, past and revocable donations, will not change, said Martin Jarmond, OSU executive associate athletic director.

The only access change will be the ability to pick specific seats, rather than requesting seats in a general area.

The university began mailing out brochures Tuesday explaining the new process, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The new system will distribute tickets on a four-year basis and begin for the 2016 season.

The new system was rolled out for faculty and staff this season, and Jarmond said this smaller demographic, which is roughly half of the number of public ticket holders, served as a sort of beta test, and results have been better than he expected. The biggest issue with the technology has been poor function on certain browsers.

The availability of the technology was the No. 1 reason for the change. The new system will be easier for the fans and for the university, as OSU won’t have to use its manpower to screen change requests, Jarmond said.

As for a financial benefit of the change, “We really have no idea. That remains to be seen,” Jarmond said. “It’s just a system change, but we don’t know yet if people are going to be donating more because of it.”

The distribution method for student tickets also will not change, Jarmond said, as the lack of a seating priority system moots the need to change the student ticketing process.