WINDSOR, CT — Watching a school soccer match, swim meet or volleyball game in Windsor is no longer free.
Windsor Public Schools expanded its athletic admission fees Monday to include volleyball, soccer, wrestling, swimming, track and field and lacrosse, according to a district notice reported by CT Insider.
The district previously charged admission only for football and basketball games.
Tickets for the newly added sports cost $5 for adults and $3 for students. Football and basketball tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
Senior citizens, active-duty military members, veterans and children younger than 5 may attend without paying admission.
The district is also selling season passes. Passes for volleyball, soccer, wrestling, swimming, track and field and lacrosse cost $30 for adults and $15 for students.
Football season passes are offered at the same prices. Passes covering either the boys' or girls' basketball season cost $60 for adults and $30 for students.
An all-sports pass covering the 2026-27 school year costs $200 for adults and $100 for students.
The expanded admission fees are part of the district's response to a $203,000 reduction in the athletics budget. The district expects ticket sales to bring in about $30,000.
Students are also being charged participation fees ranging from $100 to $120 per sport. Those fees are projected to raise between $65,000 and $70,000 during the school year.
As of Sept. 15, the district had collected $12,360 in fall participation fees and expected another $8,000 before the Oct. 16 payment deadline, CT Insider reported.
Participation fees are waived for students who qualify for free meals. Students eligible for reduced-price meals receive a 50 percent discount, and families may pay in installments. The district has also set an annual family limit of $650.
Superintendent Noha Abdel-Hady said the district expanded admission charges to avoid placing the entire budget reduction on student participation fees.
The remaining gap will be addressed through other spending reductions, including less use of outside contractors and assigning more work to district employees.
District officials said participation numbers have not declined compared with last year. Two families had requested financial assistance as of mid-September.
For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.
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