Some Eagles ticket prices go up

The Eagles will raise ticket prices for 52 percent of the seats at Lincoln Financial Field in 2014, while 43 percent of the seats will remain at the same price and prices will decrease in 5 percent of the stadium.

This news came as the Eagles began construction on the second phase of their stadium renovations, which will include 1,600 more seats and new video boards and ribbon boards.

Seating capacity will increase to more than 69,000. The Eagles' lease with the city does not allow the capacity to exceed 70,000.

The team's pricing model has been adjusted from five categories to eight, with tickets at midfield increasing in value.

The price increases range from $10 to $25 per ticket. Midfield lower-level seats increase from $105 to $130. Prices for lower-level sideline seats rise from $105 to $115. Lower-level end-zone seats will go from $95 to $105. Some of the upper-level seating will drop from $105 to $85. Much of the upper-level seating remains at $75.

It's the second consecutive season the Eagles have raised ticket prices, although team president Don Smolenski said the Eagles still have the lowest average ticket price in the NFC East.

"We have kind of taken a step back and looked at how other teams priced their building," Smolenski said Thursday in his office. "We looked at our own feedback, our own research from the fans, the seats that were most popular and had the most value. . . . The marketplace has shown which seats are the most desirable seats. That's how the configuration and pricing categories were set, to reflect the inherent values in the seats."

The Eagles will not adopt the variable pricing model that other teams have used in which different games are sold for different prices.

"We view the season ticket as a package," Smolenski said. "We sell it as a package."

The additional seats will be in the lower bowl, middle level, and upper level. The seats in the lower bowl (about 700) will require a stadium-builder license. Every lower-bowl seat for a season-ticket holder still requires a license. The licenses range from $1,800 to $8,000, depending on seat location and excluding clubs and suites.

The new seats will go to existing season-ticket holders wishing to add seats and also to season-ticket holders from a wait list that is at 40,000. There are 354 seats being displaced by new construction, and those season-ticket holders get first priority for a change. There still will be 2,500 single-game tickets available.

"It's a big puzzle, and it's one our ticket office will be working on for months," Smolenski said. "We wanted to start as soon as we could."

The new seating sections are in the northeast and southwest corners of the stadium, effectively connecting the upper concourse.

The process started Thursday. The Eagles expect renovations to be completed by late July. The stadium will host a soccer game on July 30 and three concerts in August. The Eagles announced some of the technological improvements last week, including two end-zone video boards totaling more than 9,400 square feet. The soccer game, which will be officially announced on Feb. 20, is the first time the renovations will be seen.

Smolenski reiterated that the stadium renovation was not involved in the franchise's push for a Philadelphia Super Bowl.

"The whole revitalization project was for one purpose only, and that was for the fans," Smolenski said. "It's to improve that experience, and to keep it current, much like it was 10 years ago when we opened the building for the first time. But as a by-product, it puts us in the conversation."