Notre Dame will start using a tiered pricing system for home football games, beginning with the 2017 season.

The University made the announcement in a news release Saturday morning.

Notre Dame has typically charged the same price for all tickets to football games, according to the release.

The new structure will offer eight pricing points for publicly available seats. Prices will range from $45 to $250 depending on the location and opponent.

Season ticket holders will receive information about gaining access to tickets in the coming days.

Season tickets for 2017 will include seven games, but will be price for six days.

Changes will also be made to the stadium, including the addition of a new tunnel to the lower bowl of the stadium.

The University of Notre Dame will implement tiered pricing for home game football tickets beginning with the 2017 season, creating greater access and affordability for many fans, while increasing prices for the most desirable seats. Notre Dame historically has charged the same price for all tickets to football games, with fans in the end zone paying the same as those on the 50-yard-line. The new structure, which offers eight price points for publicly available seats ranging from $45 to $250 depending on location and the opponent, is commonly used in college and professional athletics as well as at venues for plays, concerts and other performances. An annual gift to the University per ticket to gain access to season tickets will also vary by seat location. The pricing changes will be revenue neutral, meaning income derived from ticket sales in the stadium bowl in 2017 and 2018 will be the same as it was for last season. Season ticket members will receive information about the new model in coming days, including individualized information on the cost of their current seats going forward and opportunities to change their seat location if desired. Upgrades to seating and other new amenities within the stadium will result in an improved fan experience for those attending home football games. The enhancements to the stadium include: ● Replacement of wooden bench seats in the lower bowl with galvanized steel clad in dark blue vinyl and a widening from 16 to 18 inches to match that in the upper bowl ● WiFi throughout the stadium ● Significantly improved cell service ● Fully renovated and historically-themed concourses celebrating the original Notre Dame Stadium, as well as new wayfinding signage, and decorative lighting ● A 96-by-54-feet HD video board for live game action, replays, celebratory moments in Notre Dame’s history, and sharing of information about various University initiatives and achievements (there will be no advertising) ● Nearly 150 video monitors placed at various locations throughout the concourses, including on concession stand façades ● Renovated restrooms on the upper and lower concourses ● Ribbon boards 3¾-feet high running the length of Corbett Family Hall on the east side of the stadium and Duncan Student Center on the west for game information, including clock, score, down and distance ● Renovated concession-stand exteriors with new portable stands and a refreshed concession menu ● A new audio system with concert-quality sound In addition, a new tunnel will be added to the northeast corner of the lower bowl for visiting teams, and, to improve player and spectator safety, seating for the Band of the Fighting Irish will be relocated from the field to the student section and all other field seating also will be removed. The latter two changes, as well as the widening of seats, will necessitate the shifting of seat locations for some fans, though that usually will be minimal. The capacity, previously 80,795, will fall to a still-to-be-determined total of approximately 78,000. The enhancements to the stadium led to an examination of the University’s overall ticket pricing structure for all fans in order to both broaden access to Notre Dame football – especially for young alums and families – and to place the appropriate value on stadium seating based on bowl location. The new model will offer eight bench seat price points – four in the lower bowl and four in the upper – with many fans in the end zones and corners seeing a reduction in the cost of season tickets and fans on the sidelines seeing an increase. As has been the practice for several years, tickets will be priced at three levels based on the opponent. Season ticket members will receive several new benefits, including free parking in White Field, free entry to all general admission sporting events, Blue-Gold Game tickets and merchandise discounts. Access to purchase away, bowl and Shamrock Series game tickets will continue. A limited number of new season tickets are available for sale through und.com/footballtickets. Season tickets for 2017 will include seven games (there is no Shamrock Series game this year) but will be priced for six games. There will be no increase in ticket prices for the 2018 season. The student season ticket price is decreasing by $5. Payment plans will allow season ticket members to spread their total cost over three to five months, and the University is introducing an online seat selection process for season ticket membership renewals and football lottery single-game tickets, including 3D visualization of Notre Dame Stadium to view current and prospective seats and an integrated shopping cart experience for tickets and parking. The changes to the seating and pricing are separate from the new premium seating available on levels seven through nine of Duncan Student Center and Corbett Family Hall, two of the new buildings adjacent to the stadium. More than 90 percent of those seats have been sold. The first five levels of the Duncan Student Center will house an expanded Career Center, dining options, student club and organization offices as well as the Tripp and Sheila Smith Center for Recreational Sports. The Dahnke Family Ballroom, on level 7, will be used for student and other social events. Levels one through six of Corbett Family Hall will provide space for the anthropology and psychology departments and the Rex and Alice Martin Digital Media Center. O’Neill Hall on the south side of the stadium will be home to the Department of Music, the Sacred Music at Notre Dame program, musical performance and rehearsal space and a music library, as well a club for use during football games. In conjunction with the opening of the new buildings, Notre Dame has expanded its partnership with Monterrey Security of Chicago to provide event management, security and guest services on football weekends and for other events in the three facilities and elsewhere on campus. The firm provides similar services for the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium and other venues. Monterrey plans to hire some 1,000 part-time, on-call employees from the region to serve in a variety of staffing positions and will begin advertising in coming weeks. The usher program will continue to assist with game-day hospitality. Levy Restaurants, which provides food services at the stadium, also will be hiring hundreds of new employees.