AUSTIN, Texas - Austin FC, the 27th club in Major League Soccer Club (MLS) and Austin’s only major league team, announced today that it has reached a multi-year agreement with SeatGeek for the innovative ticketing platform to become the Club’s official ticketing partner in advance of Austin FC’s inaugural season in 2021.
Austin FC selected New York-based SeatGeek after a thorough review of the evolving ticketing space, with the Club placing particular emphasis on fan experience. Austin FC recently announced it has secured deposits which presently total in excess of 35,000 seats, including the successful deposit launch which produced 30,000 seats reserved in the first 24 hours of availability (an MLS record). The recordsetting total continues to grow and reinforces the significant level of demand for MLS in Austin.
SeatGeek’s mobile-focused ticket platform will provide Austin FC supporters a seamless experience when it comes to buying, selling and transferring tickets. Upon arrival to the stadium, Austin FC supporters will be able to directly scan into the stadium using the SeatGeek app.
“As Austin FC prepares for the inaugural 2021 season, the Club is proud to announce that SeatGeek will become Austin FC’s Official Ticketing Partner,” confirmed Andy Loughnane, President of Austin FC. “Our leadership conducted a thorough process to ultimately identify the best partner for this critical aspect of our fan experience infrastructure. SeatGeek’s advancements and commitments to create the most fanfriendly mobile ticketing experience across the sports and entertainment industry was the driving factor in our decision process. SeatGeek is best-positioned to fulfill the purchase and sharing capabilities that the modern ticket buyer demands, and Austin FC is excited to begin working alongside SeatGeek to harness their successful ticketing advancements and apply to a project that serves a region which takes great pride in innovation.”
Austin FC will be the first major league team in Austin, the fastest growing large metro in the nation (source, U.S. Census Bureau 2018) and a hotbed of tech, culture and live events. Austin has demonstrated increasing levels of soccer enthusiasm, and most recently Austin ranked as the number one rated television viewing market in the United States for the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The Club will become SeatGeek’s seventh partner in MLS, as the tech company continues to experience continued growth in the ticketing world. SeatGeek also now tickets 35% of the English Premier League, more than any other ticketing provider, as well as a number of other major league properties including the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
“Austin FC is going to be a true representation of the city of Austin, and we can’t wait to work with them and their other partners to build a unique matchday experience,” said Jeff Ianello, Executive Vice President of Partnerships at SeatGeek. “We know that Austin is one of the most innovative cities in the country, and it was crucial for the Club that they work with the ticketing platform that can provide the best possible experience to their fans and the business community.”
In addition to the ticketing partnership, SeatGeek will also become the presenting partner of Austin FC’s fully immersive, 360-degree, VR (virtual reality) guide to stadium seating, the Austin FC Shared VR Tour, presented by SeatGeek, one of the highlights of the Austin FC Experience Center. The Experience Center is the innovative sneak peek into the future home of the Club where visitors can see the vision for the stadium and the match-day experience come to life. Housed in Austin FC’s interim headquarters, in close proximity to the stadium site, the Austin FC Experience Center will be available to supporters who placed deposits who will be invited to the Experience Center in the coming months, starting with premium seating. Those interested in visiting should contact Austin FC’s headquarters.
