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CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) Fans who attend junior high school and sub-varsity athletic events during the winter sports season and beyond will have to pay to get a seat.

Valley City Activities Director Martin Bratrud says the added cost of running junior high & sub-varsity sports in  have pushed the activities budget into the red by about $3,700 dollars following a preliminary line item revenue check of all sports in the district.

Bratrud says the ticket prices will help pay for basic equipment replacement in the future.

Bratrud says a number of eastern North Dakota schools are proposing to introduce fees for the first time at the junior high level due to budget constraints. He says school districts west of the Missouri river have had a gate fee for sub-varsity events for years.

Bratrud says the gate fee would be waived for season ticket holders or those students with seasonal activity tickets.

School board member Rick Ross was concerned there wouldn’t be enough seating for fans attending certain games in the south gym due to limited space. He says it wouldn’t be fair for someone to pay and then have to stand.

Bratrud agreed it may be a problem in the south gym and he would seek a solution to make sure if someone paid for a seat they would get a place to sit.

On a 3-0 vote the Valley City school board voted to implement charging $2 for adults and $1 for students to attend sub-varsity and junior high school (7th & 8th grade) sporting events starting this winter and beyond.

School board members Joyce Braunagel, Rick Ross and Mike Callahan approved the plan. School board members Val Mortiz and Dick Nelson were unable to attend the meeting Monday night in Valley City.