NFL season ticket waiting lists

The National Football League has enjoyed success in selling out many of their venues from season ticket sales alone. Right now, out of 32 teams in the league, 24 claim to have waiting lists from under 1,000 people to over 150,000. For some fans, this means a wait not just of years, but decades. This is due mostly to the NFL's short window of play; there are only eight regular-season home games, forcing the most devoted fans into a desperate and sometimes costly search for a limited number of events.

Personal Seat Licenses (PSL's)

Personal Seat Licenses (PSL's) is a license which grants the holder the right to buy season tickets for a particular team. PSL's were first used in the NFL by the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1993 to help finance their new stadium. Since that time, several teams have used the mechanism to finance new stadium projects including the Chicago Bears remodel of Soldier Field and more recently the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Jets and New York Giants are considering a PSL program for the Meadowlands Stadium.

Criticism Related to Waiting Lists

In 2003, the New York Jets changed their waiting list policy to require a $50 annual maintenance fee to remain on the waiting list. However, due to the long list of names and high renewal rates among existing ticket holders, there was uncertainty AbOUT the fees a person may possibly have to pay if they remained on the list for many years. After attention from the media and the New York Attorney General's Office, the Jets agreed to cap the maintenance fees at $500, allow the transfer of the waiting list position if the person moved out of state and provide at least 80% of non-renewed season tickets to waiting list members. In 2008, the Jets sent notices to those on the waiting list that the $50 annual maintenance fee would be waived and any money already accrued would be either refunded or credited toward the purchase of Jets merchandise.

In 2004, the New England Patriots, who have a substantial season ticket waiting list received media attention for not allowing the son of a deceased season ticket holder to retain his father's season tickets. Some teams, like the Patriots, have no transfer policies, while others allow transfers to direct family members and while other teams allow transfers to anyone.

The NFL requires that season ticket purchasers not only purchase the regular season games, but also typically two preseason games whether they want the exhibition games or not. The legality of requiring the purchase of the preseason games has been challenged all the way to the Supreme Court but it has not resulted in a change of policy for the NFL.

Legendary Waiting Lists

The Green Bay Packers have the most famous waiting list. The official website of the Packers claims that the list is over 57,000 with an average 30 year wait; this however is somewhat outdated as the list of names now reaches past the 78,000 mark. Turnover is GeneRally low with as few as 70 tickets becoming available each year. If you were to place your name on the list today, season tickets would be available after the 3074 season. It is a common custom in Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities to put a baby's name on the list as soon as the birth certificate is obtained.

The Washington Redskins have the most number of names on their waiting list at over 150,000. The New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos historically have also maintained long waiting lists for season tickets.

Current Waiting Lists

(*): Baltimore Ravens Waiting List Capped at 3,000.