Super Bowl speculation pumps up demand for Colts tickets, sponsorships

The fact that the NFL lifted its TV blackout rule for the 2015 season won’t be a concern for the Indianapolis Colts. Their sellout streak going back more than a decade appears to be safe for the upcoming season.

The final renewal rate for season ticket holders came in at 95 percent, and by giving some fans on the waiting list a shot at buying tickets and allowing current season ticket holders a chance to buy more, the Colts sold more than 61,000 season tickets, said Pete Ward, the team’s chief operating officer.

“Ticket sales this off-season have gone great,” Ward said.

Colts officials cap season ticket sales at about 4,000 short of capacity to make some tickets available for group and single-game sales. The majority go to group sales.

“We have some loyal, long-time group ticket customers and we want to continue to accommodate them,” Ward said.

The Colts also will hold out a few hundred tickets for single-game sales.

“It’s important to have some availability for fans that can’t get season tickets,” Ward said. “We want to allow as many people as we can to see a game.”

Single-game tickets will go on sale in late June or early July. There’s also a possibility that a handful of tickets will be available the week before a game as Colts players and the visiting team return their allotment of tickets.

But with the Colts expected to enter the season as one of the best teams in the NFL, Ward doesn’t expect the tickets to last long.

Apparently all the hoopla about the improved home experience with big-screen, high-definition TVs; super fast home Internet service and a growing number of football-centric websites hasn’t dampened demand of Colts tickets too much.

“The market has shown there’s a strong demand,” Ward said. “We expect all the games to be sold out.”

Last season, the Colts averaged 65,375 fans per game for eight regular season home games.

While the bulk of the Colts tickets have been sold, sponsorship sales for 2015 is still in full swing.

“The expectation is for sponsorship sales to be up in the coming year over last year but it’s too early to tell for certain,” Ward said. “We are getting strong interest from sponsors and expect to sign a few new deals.”

The Colts will host their annual Mini-Camp and Fan Open House June 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The free event includes an open practice and player autograph session.