PHOENIX —There has been success on the field, popularity that has expanded beyond the Colorado region, and proof the Broncos are willing to reinvest revenues into their product.

With all good things, there is a cost.

The Broncos are raising ticket prices, with upper sections going up $2 to $5 and lower sections going up $10 a seat. The team ranked 11th in the NFL last season with an average ticket cost of $99.13 (not including luxury seating).

Tickets will go up by an average of 8.5 percent to a little more than $107 in 2015.

“We think prices are reasonable when compared to the rest of the NFL,” said Mac Freeman, the Broncos’ senior vice president of business operations. “The prices are reasonable when you consider what the secondary market is telling us they’re worth. Where is this revenue going? It’s going to putting a competitive team on the field, and delivering a great fan experience at the stadium.”

The ever-inflated secondary market, as figured by NFL Ticket Exchange, was a factor in the Broncos’ increase. For instance, the lower prime section, where a seat was hiked from $170 to $180, generated an average price of $379.47 in the secondary market last season.

The most affordable seats at Sports Authority Field at Mile High went from $48 to $50. On the secondary market, those seats in the upper end zone are fetching a $128.10 average.

The Broncos reinvested close to $40 million last year into building a new indoor practice field house and improving their existing headquarters at Dove Valley.

The previous year, the Broncos and stadium football district spent $35 million on enhancing the Sports Authority Field video and sound systems.

The Broncos did not raise their ticket prices after their non-playoff finishes of 2009 and 2010, but this marks their fourth consecutive ticket bump. Perhaps, not coincidentally, the Broncos for the first time in franchise history have won four consecutive AFC West Division titles.

The Broncos won 46 games in those four seasons, second only to New England’s 49. In the past three seasons, the Broncos have gone 7-2, 9-1 and 8-1 at home.

“We’re sensitive to the marketplace,” Freeman said. “You’ve seen us reduce pricing. You’ve seen us freeze pricing. In the last couple years we’ve rotated the pricing increase so the fans didn’t take consecutive year increases.

“Demand has never been higher for our product. There’s incredible excitement about our brand and team. The fans see John Elway is setting a really high standard and we’re all doing what we can to reach the ultimate goal, which is to win the Super Bowl. We haven’t gotten there, but that’s the goal and we’re chasing it.”

Regardless of whether quarterback Peyton Manning returns to play for his 18th NFL season, fourth with the Broncos, Elway, the team’s general manager, plans on building a playoff-caliber roster in 2015. The Broncos exceeded the league’s $133 million salary cap last year and plans on meeting the $140 cap in 2015.

Although the Broncos went 13-3, 13-3 and 12-4 the past three years, Elway revamped his coaching staff, replacing John Fox with Gary Kubiak for the head coach job. Why? In short, the Broncos didn’t win a Super Bowl the past three seasons.

Still, the Broncos’ popularity has soared. In the past year, a Harris Poll revealed the Broncos had replaced the Dallas Cowboys as ” America’s Team.”

“It’s not just that we know Denver folks love their Broncos and when we’re winning, the town’s in a great place,” Freeman said. “We’re back up nationally as a brand. We’re back where we were in the late-’90s when Elway took us to that national brand level (as a quarterback). The demand for our product extends beyond the borders of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region now.

“This is about keeping this team on the tracks to a championship. I think our fans know the money goes right back into the team. We made huge investments on the field. You’ve seen the investment in our quarterback and other players in free agency.

“So we need to drive revenue to remain competitive. And even with this increase we’re not approaching 50 percent what the secondary market is telling us what our tickets are worth.”

Mike Klis: mklis@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikeklis

Bronco tickets

The Broncos are raising prices on all seats in 2015. A look at the increase in four seating sections, along with what those seats commanded in the secondary market in 2014:

Section ……………. 2014 … 2015 … Secondary price

Lower Prime ……. $170 … $180 ….. $379.47

Upper Corner …….. $61 … $$65 ….. $144.96

Lower End Zone … $85 ….. $95 ….. $218.55

Upper End Zone … $48 …… $50 ….. $128.10

Sources: Broncos and NFL Ticket Exchange