As the WNBA and New York Liberty experience a boom in popularity, the team will be raising its season ticket prices for the 2025 season for its home games at the Barclays Center.
Demand for the game has never been higher, especially in the Big Apple. The Liberty is currently the best team in the WNBA 25-5 record and is coming off a 2023 season in which it reached the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2002, falling to the Las Vegas Aces.
With it has come a surge in ticket requests and a rise in secondary market prices, which has further prompted the move to raise season-ticket renewal prices.
“This is a decision that we’ve considered and thought through very comprehensively and very carefully,” Liberty CEO Keia Clarke told amNewYork. “It’s truly a reflection of the amazing surge in popularity that the Liberty has experienced this year and I think the WNBA has experienced, even women’s sports as a whole.”
To combat the rise in pricing and demand, the organization is attempting to make games at the Barclays Center accessible to all fans.
For the first time ever, the team is offering season-ticket plans in the upper bowl of the arena. In an attempt to reward its longest-tenured season-ticket holders, those with plans in non-premium seats will have per-game price increases capped at 25% and receive exclusive renewal prices.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without our loudest and most fervent, loyal fans,” Clarke said. “I think we have some of the best fans in the league. They have shown up for us everywhere that we’ve been and we try to repay them with that in terms of bringing them the best, both on and off the court. That’s really what the capping of the percentage increase is about. We wanted to honor that loyalty that they’ve shown us and in addition to just price, there are many more reasons aside from what you pay for your seat why people choose to follow the New York Liberty.
“We pride ourselves on being able to provide — and we will continue to provide — for our fans. Pricing is a part of it, amenities are a part of it, but truly showing that we care. We really thought about this long and hard.”
This is unprecedented territory for the Liberty in terms of ticket demand. Just five years ago, the team had the lowest average attendance (2,239 fans per game) in the WNBA while playing in the 5,000-seat Westchester County Center.
Last season, that number swelled to 7,776 fans per game. This season, that figure has increased by more than 160% as the Liberty is drawing 12,584 fans per game at the Barclays Center. Season-ticket plans have also increased by over 130%, according to Clarke.
“It’s incredibly gratifying,” Clarke said. “It’s been our long-term vision, even during some of the valleys. It always feels great to be at a peak, right? Or approaching the peak. But we see these changes. We see everything that’s happening right now for the Liberty as investments in the future of this entire league. We want to ensure that there are the same girls. We want to have a successful team. We want this league to be successful — one that our dedicated fans will be really proud of. It’s not just about 2024 or 2025. It’s about the future of sustainability and staking our claim in this landscape of professional sports.”
