AD says ASU sold out initial London ticket allotment, provides facility updates and more

PAYSON — Arizona State sold out its initial 6,000-ticket allotment for the Union Jack Classic in London against Kansas and is nearing its bumped up total of 9,000, athletic director Graham Rossini said Saturday at Camp Tontozona.

“All those tickets are almost sold,” Rossini said. “We’ve got a lot of the final planning going on when you look up and that game is almost a month away, so can’t wait to get to London.”

Wembley Stadium, which will host an NCAA college football game for the first time in its storied history on Sept. 19, has a capacity of over 86,000 when it hosts NFL games.

The Union Jack Classic will serve as ASU’s conference opener one year after the Big 12 went overseas for a matchup between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.

ASU plans to head to London straight from College Station, Texas, where it has a Week 2 matchup at Texas A&M.

“Knowing that there’s interest in playing games beyond this one in London and so we really get a chance to debut it … we can’t wait to get going,” Rossini said. “People are going to take advantage of the time across the pond and get the most out of it.”

Upon its return, ASU will have its only bye week of the year before hosting Baylor to begin a stretch of nine straight games to end the regular season. Most teams have two bye weeks.

ASU AD provides facility updates on Mountain America Stadium and more

The end zone areas at Arizona State’s Mountain America Stadium are expected to look notably different this fall, including digital LED screens on the north end zone that can be used for advertising.

Those, along with premium seating tested last year that will become more permanent, will replace chain link fencing that had previously surrounded the playing field. Gray walls behind the teams’ benches will also be changed to feature branding.

Premium seating in the south loge of the stadium got a seating update, along with new fans, flooring, wall coverings and beverage options. That area was not included in the stadium renovations that took place in the back half of the 2010s.

All of the above updates will be complete in time for the Sept. 5 season opener against Morgan State, Rossini said.

The new practice facility set to be built in the north parking lot of the stadium that will be used by ASU’s football and volleyball teams is on track to break ground this fall. Fencing around the site has been up for a few weeks.

Rossini said to expect more detailed renderings of that project soon, but that Desert Financial Arena plans will be ready to showcase sooner. Renovations at the basketball arena have been ongoing throughout the summer.

1-time transfers among key reasons ASU supports Protect College Sports Act

The federal college sports legislation that the Power Four conferences and President Donald Trump tried to push through a Senate vote before a monthlong recess did not reach one.

Rossini said the bill, known as the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), has been committed to a September vote.

Among its key points are allowing student-athletes one transfer without sitting out (plus exceptions for coaching changes), establishing a standard for NIL regulations across states and conferences and preventing potential transfer tampering.

There are also provisions to prevent in-season coaching changes, like Lane Kiffin’s situation departing Ole Miss to LSU while the Rebels were in the College Football Playoff.

Rossini highlighted how it requires student-athletes’ agents to register and face oversight. The PCSA also caps agents’ commission rates at 5%.

“We need to standardize that model and there needs to be checks and balances, I say this often: we’re all competing for the same championships,” Rossini said. “There needs to be a uniform standard in terms of eligibility, how each state approaches eligibility rules and what role the NCAA can play.

“How do we have officiating, instant replay, sports-specific rules that are consistent from conference to conference? And we think (the PCSA) does a great job of moving us forward there.”

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