The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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With the first year of Big Ten hockey on tap, U-M hopes to fill an alwayspacked Yost with more who are in it for the duration. "We have another year under our belt with those scoreboards, and the audio in there is better," he said. It doesn't end with those "big three," Lochmann cautioned. He's anxious for a variety of fall sports that produce fan interest. "The women's soccer program kicks off for real on Aug. 23, and we're excited about that program," he said. "They're going to be fighting for a Big Ten title. Men's soccer has a great home schedule and opens up a week later. "We don't sell tickets for field hockey, but Marcia [Pankratz] is bringing back a good squad as well. On the volleyball side, they're coming back from their first Final Four ever." On the Saturday of Michigan's football night game against Notre Dame, the volleyball team squares off against fellow Final Four combatant Oregon in an afternoon match. "Talk about a fun day of tailgating and sneaking away to watch the volleyball team," Lochmann noted. Development Is Ongoing From facilities, to promotions, to everything else Michigan is trying to accomplish in and around its athletic programs, there's a bottom line involved. Becoming "Leaders and Best" across the board requires no small amount of cash. Despite surpluses ranging from around $5 million to upwards of $20 million in the past dozen years, Michi- gan continues to pursue donors to assist with facilities projects. Brandon pointed out why, noting the long-term debt price tag for the facilities themselves and also such "incidentals" as a $6 million price tag on painting Michigan Stadium. U-M certainly needs to go well beyond the projected $49,280,000 it stands to garner in the coming year off ticket prices. The success of the Big Ten Network certainly helps, contributing $7.6 million of the $25,725,000 the conference distributed to Michigan last year. The latter figure is projected to increase by roughly $800,000 in fiscal year 2013-14. Preferred seating, now standard fare at Michigan's revenue-sport venues, combined with other gifts to bring in $31,216,000 during the last fiscal year, and that figure is expected to jump more than a million dollars in the coming year. Corporate sponsorships figure to produce nearly $16 million. That said, the wish list is long, and if Michigan is to get where Brandon wants to go — providing top-notch facilities across the board — the fundraising efforts involve way more than sitting back and watching the cash roll in. "We will always have to do everything we can to maximize our revenues and manage our costs effectively if we want to continue to be leaders and best," Brandon said. "I'll never feel comfortable simply because we don't have cash reserves, we have a significant amount of debt, and we have a lot of ongoing needs to support this program." ❏