Frequently Asked Questions

The Cougar Club is the official booster organization for BYU Athletics. The Athletic Department receives no tithing money or tax dollars to run BYU’s athletic programs. The Cougar Club is responsible for raising the funds to pay for Athletic Department expenses including student-athlete scholarships, coaches’ salaries, and recruiting expenses, as well as funding the facilities and programs associated with each of BYU’s 21 athletic teams.

The Cougar Club exists to

• Support BYU student-athletes
• Support BYU coaches
• Share the mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Brigham Young University through Athletic Excellence

BYU fans expect athletic excellence from our teams. The Cougar Club is committed to supporting BYU student-athletes and coaches so they can achieve excellence by attracting and retaining high-quality coaches, providing world-class facilities, and promoting unique and exemplary programs at BYU. The generous support of Cougar Club Members across the globe makes it possible for BYU student-athletes to reach their athletic and academic goals and to compete at the highest levels.

Athletic donors may specify which teams or athletic priorities benefit from their contributions. Donations to the general Cougar Club Fund cover the operating expenses of all BYU teams including: student-athlete scholarships, team travel, recruiting, equipment and facilities, and other expenses.

Cougar Club annual membership levels begin at $60 annually; however, donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated. In gratitude to our donors, Cougar Club members enjoy unique benefits, which vary by contribution level.

BYU Athletics is self-sustaining and receives no tithing or tax dollars to run its programs. Game ticket sales provide only a small portion of the money required to operate our 21 NCAA teams. In order to be competitive, we need the support of Cougar fans wherever they may live. When you join the Cougar Club, you help provide scholarships and state-of-the-art facilities for our student-athletes and the resources to attract some of the nation’s best coaches to BYU. Your membership in the Cougar Club makes a difference in the quality of BYU Athletics. There are also unique benefits, like free football and basketball almanacs, specifically for out-of-state members.

There are many ways to help the Cougar Club. Whether your donation is large or small, your assistance makes a difference in our ability to achieve success in competitions and makes it possible for BYU student-athletes to pursue their academic and athletic goals. Because BYU Athletics receives no tithing money to run its programs, the success of our athletic program depends heavily on gifts. Without donor contributions of all sizes, we can not compete at a high level.

The BYU Athletic Department operates on a self-sustaining basis. No tithing money or tax dollars are used to support any of the intercollegiate athletic programs at BYU. While gate receipts from football and men's basketball help fund the other 19 sports, ticket sales alone provide only a portion of what the program needs to support scholarships, worldwide recruiting, state-of-the-art facilities, and the many other projects that are necessary to maintain athletic excellence.

There are many ways to make a donation to BYU Athletics. Payments can be made via cash, check, or credit card. In some situations, we are also able to accept in-kind gifts (such as goods or services the athletic department uses and would pay for if they were not donated). Donors can also contribute through appreciated securities and stock gifts. If you need help with stock transfers, estate planning, or planned gifting to BYU, we have trained professionals who can help with the process.

Click here to make an online donation, or feel free to contact the Cougar Club Office at 801-422-2583 or 800-426-4298 to make your gift or for more information about gifting methods.

As a donor to BYU Athletics, you may specify which athletic priority or team you want your contribution to benefit. Some donors sponsor student athlete scholarships, either by donating enough to fund an athletic grant-in-aid for one year (currently $12,500) or by creating an endowment that funds one or more scholarships in perpetuity. In larger sports, such as football, you may be able to specify the position you want your contribution to support. While a specific student athlete is assigned to donors who fund an annual or endowed scholarships, due to NCAA regulations, donors may not earmark any contribution to support a specific individual.

The purpose of BYU Athletics is to support our coaches and student-athletes and to enable them to share the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ and Brigham Young University through athletic excellence. Whether you are able to attend the games or not, we need your help. When you make a donation to the Cougar Club, you help our student-athletes achieve excellence and assist them to serve as role models and ambassadors for BYU and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

First, and foremost, when you give to the Cougar Club, you receive the satisfaction of knowing your donation is helping BYU student-athletes achieve their academic and athletic dreams and, at the same time, spreading the message of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and influence of BYU.

In addition, Cougar Club members can enjoy specific athletic benefits depending on their contribution level, including priority ticketing options for football and basketball games (including season and single-game purchases, as well as bowl games, away games, and post-season tournaments), special luncheons with BYU coaches and players, parking passes for athletic events, e-mail updates, and invitations to attend other exclusive Athletic Department events.

Football, Men's Basketball, Soccer, Men's Volleyball, and Women's Volleyball

In order to receive priority seating, Club Members must start or renew their membership before the annual priority-seating deadline. For football and men's basketball season tickets, there is a priority buying period during which each Club Member (based on membership level and priority points) selects their own seating location(s). You can also order tickets on-line at www.byutickets.com or by calling (801-422-2981 or 801-422-2981) or visiting the Marriott Center Ticket Office. Your membership must be current to receive consideration for priority seating.

All Cougar Club Members according to their membership levels, starting with the AD's Circle and Legacy Levels continuing through the Y Fan level select their season tickets.

Athletic Director's Circle and Legacy Members select their seats by level. Within each level, a donor's total historical athletic gifting is converted to a priority point system that ranks members of the same level. For example, if you gave $10,000 to become a Legacy I, your ranking is 10,000. Additional gifts, annual contributions, and years of continuous season ticket purchase add to your ranking. So if you gave $10,000 and then made your required annual Legacy contribution of $1,250 for the next 3 years and bought both football and basketball season tickets for three years, your ranking would be at 14,350.

The purchase of Premium Seating (Legacy East Chair, Courtside Cougars, and Loges) also counts in each AD's Circle and Legacy Member’s priority point total. Such ticket purchases enhance an AD's Circle and Legacy Member’s ranking within his or her level; they DO NOT count towards reaching a higher Legacy level, nor fulfill the requirement to make an annual Legacy contribution.

For example, if you are a Legacy I and have donated $20,000, and then purchased 6 East Legacy Chairs your total athletic gifting ranking would be 26,000 (Legacy contributions of 20,000 + 6,000 in priority points for premium seating purchases).

Your seats can change from year to year because rankings change, new Legacy members join, and different seats are available each year.

Annual Members (Platinum – Y Fan) are prioritized within by the level of their most-recent gift and their total gifting to BYU Athletics, along with credit for years of consecutive years of purchase of season football and basketball tickets. Among Club Members of the same level and the same number of years of continuous membership, priority is determined by an annual random selection.

All membership levels may purchase up to 12 football season tickets. For Football, your membership level determines the number of priority chair seats that you may purchase. Athletic Director's Circle and Legacy 6 Members may purchase up to 12 chair seats; Legacy 5’s can purchase up to 10 chair seats, Legacy 4’s can purchase up to 8 chair seats, and Legacy 3 through the Golden Cougars Levels may purchase up to 6 chair seats, and Silver Cougars up to 4 chair seats, If available, Bronze Cougars, Regular Cougars, and Y Fans may purchase up to 2 seats.

For Basketball, Athletic Director's Circle and Legacy 6 Members may purchase up to 12 lower bowl season tickets; Legacy 5’s can purchase up to 10 lower bowl season tickets, Legacy 4’s can purchase up to 8 lower bowl season tickets, and Legacy 1, Legacy 2, and Legacy 3 Donors may purchase up to 6 lower bowl season tickets. Based on availability, Platinum Cougars, Golden Cougars, Silver Cougars, Bronze Cougars, Regular Cougars, and Y Fans may purchase up to 2 ;ower bowl season tickets.

Yes, you can always select tickets near your friends; however, if donors of different levels select seating together, the higher level donor(s) may not be able to select tickets until the buying time of the lower or lowest level level donor.

While Club Members of any level may select Chair Seats on the West Side of LaVell Edwards Stadium, due to the very limited number of chair seats available, typically only donors with a priority of Legacy I or above are able to select chair seating.

On the East side of the stadium, typically donors must be Legacy 1 or higher to select seats in East Legacy Chairs (section 34) or East Club Chairs (sections 33B And 35A). Seating availability and location in these sections is based on membership level. Each year we re-seat all three of these sections. Due to high demand and rapid growth in the Legacy program, seating locations can change and some Club Members who previously qualified may not be able to purchase seats in these sections.

The easiest way to improve your seating assignment is to upgrade your membership level so you can select your season tickets sooner, at the higher priority. Annual members may upgrade to Legacy by committing to pay $10,000 or more in a period of two years or less. Legacy Members may improve their seating by creating a gifting plan to raise their membership to the next level by making scheduled payments over several years.

No, Cougar Club seat locations are not guaranteed. Club Members may see movement in their seat locations depending upon the purchases made by donors at higher levels. The only seats that are guaranteed are those associated with ticket rights purchased by facility donors.

You can order tickets on-line at byutickets.com, or by calling the Marriott Center Ticket Office at 801-422-2981 (local) or 800-322-2981 (toll free). The Marriott Center Ticket Office will e-mail a season ticket renewal information to everyone who ordered tickets last year. Club Members who didn’t purchase tickets last year, and new Club Members, may call the ticket office or purchase season tickets on line. It is very important that you use the membership number on your Cougar Club card as you order tickets to ensure that you receive priority seating.

There is a specified buying period for season football and season basketball tickets. We will publish this date in emails sent out by the Cougar Club. We will also publish individual game, bowl game, and tournament ticket buying periods in periodic emails.

Club Members are reminded that the block of seats given to the visiting team will not be the best seats in the opposing school’s stadium. Occasionally it is possible to get better seats directly through the visiting school’s ticket office, or through other sources. Buying seats in BYU’s visiting team block ensures that you will be seated near other Club Members and BYU fans at the game; it is also the best way to get seats for away games where the opponent’s contests regularly sell out.

Unfortunately we do not know the demand that we will have for every away game or competition. Our policy is to take requests for away game events and fill them based on membership priority. In the event that ticket demand exceeds availability, refunds will be given to those who do not receive game tickets.