WIAA announces raise in ticket prices for 2025-26 season

MOSES LAKE – The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association passed an initiative to increase ticket prices for the 2025-26 school year during their executive board meeting June 8. The official full ticket price list will be approved in the fall. 

“We want to continue providing services at the level that we currently do,” said Mick Hoffman, the WIAA executive director. “We have to find a way to keep up with increased costs.” 

The organization is proposing to increase the price of tickets by $1, and it will only affect ticket sales for the state tournaments, which are directly run by the WIAA. While prices from sport to sport vary, according to the WIAA website, the prices for an adult ticket to the 2024 football opening rounds were $11, semifinals were $12, and finals were $17 for a single day or $30 for the full tournament.  

The decision to raise the prices comes from the WIAA’s need to keep up with increasing prices, he said, and is following the failure of an amendment to increase membership fees. Hoffman said the WIAA has a variety of revenue streams, but ticketing fees make up around 55% of all their revenue.  

Prices for tickets have not increased in six years, and Hoffman said the board determined that an increase in the price of tickets would overall help out with maintaining their current operations. The WIAA wants to also increase and maximize their sponsorships and work to increase their revenue stream from streaming and electronic ticketing, he said.  

“We have to increase one of those or cut our expenses,” said Hoffman. “We’re doing a combination of that.” 

Hoffman said the ticket price increase can help the future of state tournaments as it allows for them to maintain and sustain their current locations like the recent addition of the University of Washington for football and allowing for high school play in the larger domes for other sports throughout the year. 

Association directors also made the decision to cut a staff position at the WIAA after being unable to fill it once the previous employee had left and as a response to lowering their expenses, he said. 

“We’re making some cuts as well, which is unfortunate, but we’re going to try and mitigate without impacting schools as much as possible,” said Hoffman. 

Alongside the rise in ticket prices, the WIAA is still looking at other ways to build revenue to fund the events and expand them in the future, said the director. They are currently looking at putting greater focus on their streaming, which is a pay-per-view model. 

“For example, I think we’re one of the only states that attempts to stream all fastpitch games,” said Hoffman. “With technology improvements, we were able to (broadcast) 140 of the 148 contests.”  

The WIAA will still be working with partner schools to increase the use of electronic ticketing. This will help with efficiency as it will bring people into the games faster and save the time of having to handle cash at the gates, he said. 

Hoffman said he understands how expensive the costs to attend these events can be for families, but hopes that the WIAA can, at the very least, give people their money’s worth at these events. 

    Warden junior Miranda Martinez during the 2B State Volleyball tournament last season. WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman said ticket sales make up around 55 percent of all revenue for the organization.
  

    Moses Lake softball player Lila Johnson makes a swing at the state tournament this past season. The WIAA wants to continue to provide their services at the level that they do now, and an increase in ticket prices will be beneficial in their efforts to do that.