Ole Miss Announces Football Gameday Changes in Tailgating, Ticket Prices, Parking

The Ole Miss Rebels have announced some changes to gamedays in Oxford to assist the athletic department in revenue generation.

Oct 26, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels fans walk around the Grove prior to the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels are in the midst of a strong run in their athletic department, but changes are coming to the world of college athletics, and schools are being forced to adapt.

Pending approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, Ole Miss and other schools are preparing to share approximately $20-22 million with student athletes beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. With that in mind, the Rebels announced some financial changes to their gameday setup in Oxford on Friday morning.

Beginning with tailgating, there are a few financial changes to the traditions in The Grove and Circle on fall Saturdays. According to a press release from Ole Miss, there are no changes to the process of securing a tailgating spot, but vendors who provide setups will now pay a fee per game per 10x10 tent to the athletics department.

The athletic department stated that the fee is $150 per 10x10 tent in single-game setups and $100 per tent in full season setups, and this applies to both conference and non-conference games. Non-vendor tailgating is still free on campus.

“We understand how important it is to preserve the unique character and traditions of The Grove, and the end-user experience should not change for the fans with this new structure,” athletic director Keith Carter said in a statement. “By continuing our relationships with local tent vendors, we hope to launch a profitable tailgating program as seamlessly as possible. Despite the additional charge, we are encouraging vendors to keep moderate prices for their customers while continuing to offer unique amenities.”

In terms of tickets, the only change for the upcoming football season is an extra $25 added to the season ticket price to accomodate for an eighth home game on the schedule. This is the first time in Ole Miss history that the football program will play eight home games in a single season.

The press release also addressed some changes in parking. According to the statement, "Each permit will have a required annual donation based on parking lot location. Parking annual donations are mandatory for each permit, and must be renewed the following year in order to retain the same permit."

The parking location for the upcoming season is then locked in for five years, but fans do have the opportunity to relocate or upgrade their parking location at the end of every year.

“Ole Miss is blessed with the most passionate fans in the nation, and none of our success happens without their loyal support,” Carter said. “This is an unprecedented time in our industry, and every athletics department in the country is implementing changes such as these in order to stay competitive. We understand the challenges it creates for our fans, and they are not decisions that we enter into lightly. 

“With these new revenue opportunities and our department’s cost-cutting measures, our staff is working hard to find the right balance of maintaining the same bucket-list experience while navigating this new world of college sports. Please be patient as we work through these processes, and as our plans continue to evolve, we will provide more information about gamedays in the months ahead.”

According to the press release, the NCAA Financial Report for fiscal year 2023 had the Rebels at 13th in the Southeastern Conference in total revenues and $47.7 million below the league average. The latest numbers indicate that Ole Miss is "$180 million behind the SEC leader in revenue."