Tickets for the Montana v. Valpo game

[VUOR63]

Based on what I've seen on the Montana website, single game tickets go on sale late July with first dibs going to alumni club members.  Does anyone know if Valpo will get an allotment of tickets that can be purchased through VU (I'd rather pay money to VU than Montana  )?

[VULB#62]

Good question.  I'll check it out.

[bigmosmithfan1]

You're paying Montana either way (VU has to pay them for the tickets), it's just whether you choose to use an intermediary or not. 

[valpotx]

I was just planning on buying them from Montana's site, but would prefer to be by other Valpo fans.

[VULB#62]

I was just planning on buying them from Montana's site, but would prefer to be by other Valpo fans.

I checked with  MLB.  There is no ticket allocation for Valpo fans -- you must go to the U of M site to purchase your tix.  It might be worth a call to the ticket office to see if there is a section usually reserved for visiting fans and hopefully it is behind the visitor's bench.

It would be great to have a good Valpo fan group there.  This is a special opportunity unlike most of these kinds of games -- it's Montana.  The scenery is breath-taking and the Griz stadium is listed as the #1 FCS stadium in the country. But it's more than that -- with a 2-3 hours drive are both Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park.

Here is a pretty doable itinerary for anyone interested in combining the game with a little vacation time:

Fly into Bozeman, MT (BZN) and enjoy this cool town -- lots of good restaurants and shops on Main Street.  If your area fly fisherman, the Gallatin River is a must stop. (parts of "A River Runs Through It" were shot along it).  There is also some great white water rafting, but by late summer the water level might be too low for that. 

The next day head south through the Gallatin gorge past Big Sky ski area (great place to stop for lunch) to a hotel in West Yellowstone, the west entrance to the park.

Spend all of the next day in the park and drive back to Bozeman by Friday night. 

Early the next morning, hop on I-90 west and head to Missoula (3-hour drive) and arrive in time to tailgate near the stadium.  Enjoy the game and then explore Missoula afterward.

Sunday, drive north to Kalispell and Flathead Lake. 

Monday tour Glacier all day and be sure to take the Going to the Sun Road.

Tuesday, fly home from Kalispell - Glacier Park International Airport (FCA).

Any other suggestions, Tex?

[VUOR63]

Thanks for looking into this! 

We're flying into Missoula on Thursday evening and staying at the Doubletree across the river from the Stadium.   We're spending Friday poking around the city, hiking the M, drinking a beer or 2.

Then, gameday, find a bar for breakfast and an eye-opener, and then enjoy the scene.  My understanding is that this is a great place to watch a game so I'm looking forward to it.  I'll probably sport my 2003 ring.  Walk around and find Montana fans to chat with and pick their brains about Montana football.

And then, if (IF), by some stretch of the imagination, Valpo pulls something out of their hind sides and upsets the Grizz, I'll go streaking through the quad.

[VULB#62]

Streak the quad win or lose!

[VULB#62]

Game time is still TBA as of today on the Griz website.  Tickets go on sale for the game July 17.

Here is a link to the seating map -

      http://www.umt.edu/griztix/imx/maps/WGS-Football.jpg

I am trying to find out which side is the visitors' side and if there is a "visitors block" that is usually set aside.  I'll keep everyone posted.

Here's a link to an article about the stadium and how well they sell out.  My recommendation is that anyone interested in attending should go on-line on the 17th or risk being shut out.

     http://gogriz.com/news/2017/1/30/griz-football-tops-fcs-in-attendance-for-third-straight-year.aspx

[vu72]

Game time is still TBA as of today on the Griz website.  Tickets go on sale for the game July 17.

Here is a link to the seating map -

      http://www.umt.edu/griztix/imx/maps/WGS-Football.jpg

I am trying to find out which side is the visitors' side and if there is a "visitors block" that is usually set aside.  I'll keep everyone posted.

Here's a link to an article about the stadium and how well they sell out.  My recommendation is that anyone interested in attending should go on-line on the 17th or risk being shut out.

     http://gogriz.com/news/2017/1/30/griz-football-tops-fcs-in-attendance-for-third-straight-year.aspx

Given the fact that only about 5,000 non-season ticket holder seats exist, it would be hard to imagine that a "visitors block" exists or if it does, I would think it would go up for grabs 30 minutes before kickoff.

[VULB#62]

Yeah, not holding out much hope for a block.

[bbtds]

Streak the quad win or lose!

Losers and streakers just don't mix that well. 

[VULB#62]

I emailed Griztix and this was the reply I received the same day (Bold emphasis is mine).

All of the visitor's tickets are in the south end. The team and player parents are in West 103.
Our university president has seats in 103 and will probably not take them all and we could sell them closer to the game but that would depend on how many people are planning on coming.
As I said we usually put the visiting team in the south end. Tickets go on sale July 17, 2017. When fans call they should ask for the visitor's section.
You probably know that the visiting team gets a certain amount of tickets for player parents. Sometimes if they don't use all the player parent tickets they might sell them. That would be through the Valparaiso Athletic Department.

I followed up this reply with an email to MLB to find out what plans the athletic department has in this regard.  I'll keep everyone posted.

Right now, a couple of things seem evident:  1) It's best to call the ticket office rather than trying to get tickets online so that you can request the visitor's section (end zone tix  ). 2) You can wait until closer to the game day in hopes of snagging unused section 103 West tickets to be close to the players' parents seating (located between the 10 and the 20 yard lines) but that may be a bit of a gamble.  And 3) Maybe the athletic department will have some good news for us in a bit.

[VUOR63]

Hmm...I think I may go best available.  Call me a spoiled fan, but it's tough to justify traveling to a game and watching from the end zone. 

[valpotx]

My family has a house and cabin on Flathead Lake in Polson, so I usually just relax around that area (take the boat out, etc), and head up to Glacier for some hiking.  I go to Ronin for horseback riding on occasion, as well as attending various fairs/events in the area.  Big Fork is great for shopping in that area. 

[VULB#62]

So o o o o ..... are we all invited up to your place  after the game ?   

[bbtds]

So o o o o ..... are we all invited up to your place  after the game ?   

I tried that with StlVuFan and it didn't work.    Good luck!   

[VULB#62]

Latest on UMT game tix:

MLB indicates that the athletic department won't know exactly how many of the family allotment tickets will be turned back until a couple of weeks before the game, so his suggestion is to go straight to Griztix (call them).

My new friend at Griztix, Anne, replied to my follow up email with.....  "your fans should ask for anything in 103 or 102 and then the south end. That is a logical suggestion."

TICKETS GO ON SALE JULY 17.

[VUOR63]

I have set the reminder in my Outlook Calendar for July 17!

[valpotx]

For anyone that wants to drive the 1 - 1 1/2 hours to Polson from Missoula, sure!  Our property is lakefront, so you can go 20 yards from the cabin to our dock.  Best view in the world

[VUOR63]

Just ordered my tickets and had an interesting conversation with the ticket agent:
Me: I need to purchase 5 tickets to the Valpo-Montana game.
Ticket agent: Okay...are you coming to watch Valpo or Montana?
Me: I coming to watch Valpo--I played there.
Ticket agent: Great.  We'll put you in with the visitors in section 114.  I'm not sure if they are bringing their band or not so we'll put you in Row 8.
Me: Who?  Valpo?  I'm pretty sure they don't have a traveling band.
Ticket agent: Oh, goodness.  I better read up on this school.

Have things changed in the last 12 years to where Valpo's band joins the team on road trips?

[vu72]

Just ordered my tickets and had an interesting conversation with the ticket agent:
Me: I need to purchase 5 tickets to the Valpo-Montana game.
Ticket agent: Okay...are you coming to watch Valpo or Montana?
Me: I coming to watch Valpo--I played there.
Ticket agent: Great.  We'll put you in with the visitors in section 114.  I'm not sure if they are bringing their band or not so we'll put you in Row 8.
Me: Who?  Valpo?  I'm pretty sure they don't have a traveling band.
Ticket agent: Oh, goodness.  I better read up on this school.

Have things changed in the last 12 years to where Valpo's band joins the team on road trips?

I presume he was thinking of a Marching Band, not a Pep Band.  The Marching Band left the premises in about 1988.

[VULB#62]

Just ordered my tickets and had an interesting conversation with the ticket agent:
Me: I need to purchase 5 tickets to the Valpo-Montana game.
Ticket agent: Okay...are you coming to watch Valpo or Montana?
Me: I coming to watch Valpo--I played there.
Ticket agent: Great.  We'll put you in with the visitors in section 114.  I'm not sure if they are bringing their band or not so we'll put you in Row 8.
Me: Who?  Valpo?  I'm pretty sure they don't have a traveling band.
Ticket agent: Oh, goodness.  I better read up on this school.

Have things changed in the last 12 years to where Valpo's band joins the team on road trips?

When you call, specifically ask for section 103.  That is where the Valpo FB program tickets will be.  Those tix, to my knowledge, have not been sent to the Football team yet, but sitting in 103 will probably get you close to the Athletic Department people and the players' parents who are attending the game.  There is no guarantee that UMT will give you tix in that section, but it's worth a try according to my contact at the Griz ticket office.

[VU2624]

Just ordered my tickets and had an interesting conversation with the ticket agent: Me: I need to purchase 5 tickets to the Valpo-Montana game. Ticket agent: Okay...are you coming to watch Valpo or Montana? Me: I coming to watch Valpo--I played there. Ticket agent: Great.  We'll put you in with the visitors in section 114.  I'm not sure if they are bringing their band or not so we'll put you in Row 8. Me: Who?  Valpo?  I'm pretty sure they don't have a traveling band. Ticket agent: Oh, goodness.  I better read up on this school. Have things changed in the last 12 years to where Valpo's band joins the team on road trips?

When you call, specifically ask for section 103.  That is where the Valpo FB program tickets will be.  Those tix, to my knowledge, have not been sent to the Football team yet, but sitting in 103 will probably get you close to the Athletic Department people and the players' parents who are attending the game.  There is no guarantee that UMT will give you tix in that section, but it's worth a try according to my contact at the Griz ticket office.

Typically the team tickets which are provided for players family and friends are picked up at will call at the game facility on gameday. I think there's typically a set number of tickets available which I think is 4 per player which would be around 200 if all are taken (very unlikely). Not sure what the coach allocation is.

[VULB#62]

Just checked the UMT athletics site and the Football schedule has been updated for the Valpo game.  Kickoff has been changed from TBD to 1PM Mountain Time.

[mtgrizfankb]

Hello, Greetings from Montana fans to you. I just was reading up on Valpo and figured i would stop in to chat football and help anyone on info who is coming up for the game. I hope many of you can make the trip as it truly a wonderful place to watch college football. First of all, Missoula Montana is a very place but it may be a bit smokey for game one as we have had some terrible fires this year. Hopefully it will clear out before then. Missoula is a very friendly town and especially so to visiting team fans. Wear your Valpo gear and you will get people to stop and welcome you and probably offer to buy you a beer or two.

-If you guys have a few days around, I would recommend Glacier national park, as was mentioned earlier. It is an amazing place about 2.5 hours from Missoula. You can also take in the rivers in and around the area as they are beautiful and filled and are great for fishing or floating.

- When it comes to where to stay, there are many options. I would recommend the double tree as mentioned above as well. It is right on the river and within walking distance to the stadium. There are other great options around town a little further from the stadium if you are going to have a car as well.

- When it comes to food there are some great options. If you want to get a nice dinner you could try the lolo creek steak house, its about 15 minutes away in Lolo MT but it is about as good of a steak dinner you can have. If you prefer to stay around Missoula, great places include: The Tamarack brewery, The Iron Horse and The depot. If you want to try something quick for lunch I suggest Notorious PIG, it is a BBQ place that has great food and was on Food Network (as was the lolo creek steakhouse). For a burger stop into the MO-Club for the best burger in town and to chat with griz alumni and fans, its a pretty great place on friday or after the game.

-GAMEDAY!! Make sure to be up early. The Pressbox is the usually the best place for breakfast on gameday but be their early as it is a fan favorite. Once you have breakfast walk over the river bridge to the campus and the tailgating starts right at the end of the bridge and continues all the way around the stadium around campus drive. You will be asked to join many so have your drinking face on. There will probably be around 100 ish tailgates for the game. Take your time and walk around the stadium. The marching band will walk campus drive and be playing as well. Then venture on into the stadium for the pregame. I recommend the north endzone entrance or the the west side entrance for easy access. Find your seats and enjoy the pregame and it usually is one of the favorite things for visiting fans to see. Enjoy the game and you can take part in the halftime tailgating experience as well. most the stadium empties at halftime and wont return until the 3rd quarter has started.

-other great things to do in the area of course are hiking the M overlooking the stadium and venturing down to caras park downtown, watching the surfers and grabbing a beer at one of the breweries. We have the second most breweries per capita in the US.

if you guys have any questions about the area or need any help, feel free to ask!
HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THE GAME AND HAVE A GREAT TIME! GO GRIZ!