Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions are raising ticket prices once again.

The Lions sent out invoices to season-ticket holders today, and most saw a jump in the cost of their seats for the fourth straight season.

The Lions said ticket prices increased an average of 2.8% to about $99 per ticket, which ranks in the bottom half of the NFL.

Last year, the Lions raised ticket prices an average of 7.8% coming off a 7-9 season.

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Lions president Rod Wood indicated last spring that ticket prices would go up again this year. The Lions finished the season 9-7 and lost a wildcard game to the Seattle Seahawks.

“I chose to recommend the ticket price increase that we put through," Wood said last spring. "It still keeps us as only the 24th most expensive average ticket price in the NFL. I would like to get to the point where we’re at least average, because unless we’re average we’re going to be struggling to compete nationally with other teams that have more resources from investing in things that help the football team."

Wood said last year the rise in ticket prices went to help fund building and staff enhancements like a new weight room and extra assistant coaches. This year, the Lions are replacing the video boards at Ford Field, completing an upgrade to the building's sound system and renovating several areas of the stadium.

While many seats did not see an increase in price and some actually declined - the least expensive season-ticket plans in the upper end zones and upper corners cost $399 and $498, respectively per seat, according to a pricing chart on the team's website, the same as last year - the Lions raised prices on many of their most expensive tickets.

Lower-level seats around midfield, dubbed "lower level premier" on the team's pricing chart, now sell for $1,649 per season ticket. Last year, some seats in that area cost $1,383 per season ticket. The most expensive club seat now costs $2,314 as part of a season-ticket package. Last year, that cost was $2,238.

The Lions' home schedule this year includes games against the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.

Many teams around the league have announced ticket increases already for 2017. The Browns, however, lowered ticket prices in 40% of their stadium coming off a 1-15 season.

Along with last year's 7.8% increase in prices, the Lions raised ticket prices 4.1% to an average $86.59 for season-ticket holders after the 2014 season. After the 2013 season, they raised prices 8.2% to an average of $83.36 for season-ticket holders.

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Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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