Modern high school athletic departments have come a long way from the days of paper tickets and cash boxes when it comes to their sporting events.

As we move through 2025, high school athletics directors across the country are facing increasing pressure to streamline operations, cut costs, and improve the overall game experience for fans, families, and staff.

Whether you're managing Friday night football games with thousands of attendees or coordinating access to multiple sporting events throughout the week, your ticketing system plays a critical role in your athletic department's success.

Here are seven key challenges high school ADs need to address this year—and how solving them can transform your department.

Challenge #1: Too many tools

Many high school athletic departments find themselves using more than one system to manage game day needs: tickets, parking, concessions, and merchandise.

This fragmentation is confusing for your staff, which has to learn multiple tools, remember login passwords, and juggle between those systems on - and after - game day.

Plus, hours of manually reconciling data and reports.

The result is headaches for those working games, and, ultimately, you as a high school athletics director.

The solution: Look for comprehensive platforms designed specifically for K-12 athletics that can handle everything you need in one platform.

By consolidating everything needed for game day operations into a one-stop shop, you'll save time and money.

What S2 Pass offers: One unified system that allows schools to sell tickets, concessions, parking, and merchandise from the same platform. Schools receive a card reader - for free - to use for selling products or redeeming tickets.

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Challenge #2: Training and Managing Gate Staff

One of the most persistent challenges for ADs is ensuring gate workers are prepared and supported for game days.

These helpful workers are often a mix of school staff, parent volunteers, student workers, and seasonal employees.

Turnover is inevitable, and technology can be a barrier.

When gate staff aren't confident in your ticketing tools - or if there are lots of problems with the technology - then you have problems. Long wait times, admission errors that cause lost revenue, or even security gaps can arise.

Solution: Use a ticketing system that is intuitive and user friendly that requires minimal training. Utilize a platform that gives access to training resources. If there is a problem, easy troubleshooting processes should be built into the platform. Lastly, make sure the company you work with offers quick, helpful support (especially on game days!)

What S2 Pass offers: Our library of training materials ensures your staff is trained from the beginning. Initial onboarding to use the platform takes 10 to 15 minutes. Instead of email support or waiting for an answer if there’s a problem on game day, get direct phone support from a dedicated member of our team.

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Challenge #3: Reducing Fees for Schools and Families

All ticket platforms charge some type of fee to cover platform costs and credit card processing, but some are higher than others. These charges are typically passed on to families and fans, but can also be applied to a high school athletics department - or both.

Fans will appreciate your ticket fees being low as possible, and your department can run more efficiently and keep more revenue by keeping as much of the gate as possible.

Some schools are locked into long-term contracts or find themselves paying fees that impose a burden on fans and/or their departments.

Solution: Carefully evaluate the fee structure of your ticketing partner. Ensure the pricing is transparent. If fans and your athletics department are both being charged fees that seem high, it could be time to assess your options.

What S2 Pass offers: The lowest fees in the industry in a transparent model. No long-term deals - if you don’t like us, fire us.

Challenge #4: Streamlining Financial Reporting

Manual financial reporting remains one of the most time-consuming aspects of high school athletic administration.

Many ADs and bookkeepers still spend hours compiling spreadsheets, reconciling gate receipts, and preparing reports.

Being able to quickly analyze attendance, per-sport revenue can transform your department's financial management and help you plan for the future.

Solution: Modern ticketing platforms should offer comprehensive, automated reporting capabilities. Look for a partner who can provide real-time sales data, customizable reports, and easy export functions for accounting purposes.

What S2 Pass offers: Automated, detailed, and real-time financial data and reporting. All exportable via Excel and other formats.

Challenge #5: Accelerating Payout Timelines

Slow payouts from ticketing vendors create cash flow challenges for athletic departments.

Delaying payouts impacts your ability to cover expenses such as travel and officiating.

If you hold multiple events per week during the sports season, you may find yourself with a backlog of pending revenue. This complicates your budget management.

The worst-case scenario is working with a platform that, should it cease operations, causes your funds to be stuck in limbo.

Solution: Partner with a provider who offers accelerated payout options. Ask questions about payout schedules, any fees associated with faster transfers, and the reliability of their payment processing.

What S2 Pass offers: Instead of holding your payments, collect and use funds from sales weeks or even months before an event is held at no additional cost.

Challenge #6: Enhancing the Fan Experience

Today's fans—including parents, students, and community members—expect easy, convenient, experiences when attending sporting events.

Long lines at entrance and concessions can ruin game-day experiences and even discourage future attendance. Complicated purchasing can have the effect of decreasing in-game sales of concessions and merchandise.

Solution: Focus on ticketing platforms that prioritize the fan experience with features like:

Mobile-friendly ticket purchasing and digital wallets
Season pass options
All-in-one sales capability (concessions, ticketing, parking, other payments)
Easy ticket transfers
Clear event information

What S2 Pass offers: Fans and families do not need accounts or passwords to purchase tickets, nor do they need to enter payment information for every separate transaction. Ticket transfers are easy, too.

Challenge #7: Ensuring Reliable Performance Under Pressure

System failures during high-traffic events represent an AD's worst nightmare. Imagine hundreds of fans trying to enter for a big game, only to be met with tech problems that cause the lines to build.

Connectivity issues or software glitches can result in lost revenue, security concerns from improvised entry procedures, and even damage to community trust.

Solution: Reliability should be a top priority when selecting a ticketing partner. Look for platforms with proven track records handling high-volume high school events. Request information about uptime guarantees and backup procedures. Ensure your partner has reliable support that’s ready to help.

What S2 Pass offers: No WiFi is required to redeem S2 Pass tickets, so there are no concerns about internet connectivity. Our S700 scanner allows your school to sell tickets, scan tickets, and run concessions game day, making things easier on your staff.

Finding a comprehensive solution for high school sports ticketing

For high school athletics directors who already have a lot on their plates, all these ticketing challenges can seem daunting.

The good news is that, by partnering with the best platform, these challenges can be solved. It’s possible to consolidate payment systems, minimize fees, maximize revenue, and improve staff and fan experience. Doing this transforms your ticketing process from a headache to an asset for your department.

Is your athletic department facing any of these ticketing challenges?

We'd love to hear about your experiences and how you're addressing them in 2025.

Learn more about how S2 Pass can benefit your school.

Meet your new ticketing teammate! Sign up today for a demo of solutions built specifically for schools and fans. 📣📣

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7 Ticketing Challenges for High School ADs to Solve in 2025