If you have recently attended a Berkley sporting event, you may have seen people using their phones for their tickets. Starting this year, all Berkley athletic events are switching over to GoFan as their official ticketing system.
GoFan is an online website or app that many high schools use for their ticketing. Instead of bringing cash to pay in person for every game, now you pay online by going to the GoFan website, and you receive your ticket on your phone. This is a big switch and will cause some changes to attending Berkley sporting events. To find out more about what GoFan is and how it works, I interviewed new Berkley Athletic Director Mr. Rawlik, who was a main driving force behind the switch.
Mr. Rawlik states, “The main decision for switching to digital tickets was we didn’t want to keep handling cash; the digital ticketing system makes it simpler.” Mr. Rawlik also mentions that paying online for tickets with credit cards instead of cash lessens the chance of people forgetting money at the door for sporting events. This will also make the lines at Hurley Field shorter.
“The goal for games is to have a line for people who still need to buy tickets and then a line for people who have pre-bought their tickets or have booster passes,” Mr. Rawlik says. Overall, having two lines, one for the booster passes (a full season pass that allows students to get into every game for $25) and one for the people buying single game tickets, will decrease the amount of time waiting in line.
Mr. Rawlik highlighted how much the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) encouraged the athletic directors to switch over to GoFan. When asked if the switch was preplanned before this year, he said, “No, but it was something that we were always thinking about, and the MHSAA encouraged switching to GoFan at a new AD orientation.”
Switching to GoFan makes it easier for administrators. But after all the administrators, the people handling the money from the fans, are not actually using the GoFan app. The big question is, do community members like the switch? To answer that, I asked a couple of frequent “Bear Pack” members to see their thoughts.
Sophomore Dylan Field stated he liked the switch and has not had any issues yet with GoFan. “So far this seems like a good switch, and it’s pretty easy.”
Sophomore Noah Katkowsky also liked the switch because “it’s easier and more convenient, and there won’t be a big, long line for tickets.”
Sophomore Nate Sachs likes the change as he says, “It’s easy to not worry about bringing cash,” but also points out that he likes physical tickets better.
Sophomore Josh Bhagwan also says, “It’s easier to just buy the ticket in person instead of online.”
Students can purchase the booster pass or individual game tickets for Berkley athletics through Gofan.com and search “Berkley High School.” And as always, you can still purchase the booster pass in person and get the sticker on your student ID card.
All in all, the GoFan website/app seems to be an overall positive switch for students, parents, and fans. Although some students have concerns for GoFan, the positives outweigh the negatives. But more importantly, it is easier for the administration, who now does not have to handle the cash and take care of long, stressful lines. Though the switch might take a little to get used to, in the end, it seems it will be a positive switch.
