THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- The average ticket price for NFL playoff games this season will decrease by approximately 10 per cent from last season.

Citing economic challenges facing fans as the reason for the reduction, the NFL confirmed the lower prices Wednesday. But the specific leaguewide average playoff ticket price cannot be determined until the home playoff sites are decided; prices vary from market to market depending on costs for regular-season tickets.

"We want to be responsive to the economic challenges facing our fans," an NFL spokesman said.

The average price of the playoff tickets sold last year for wild-card and divisional rounds, and conference championship games was US$121.

Commissioner Roger Goodell recently sent ticket pricing guidelines to all playoff contending clubs, who then set their own individual prices. The NFL also authorized for the first time a lower price for wild-card games than for divisional playoff games on the second weekend of the post-season. Those two rounds traditionally have been priced the same.

The playoffs begin Jan. 3-4.

For the first time, some tickets for the Super Bowl in Tampa will cost $1,000; 25 per cent of the tickets for the Feb. 1 game will be priced at $1,000. Overall, 17,000 suite and club seats will be $1,000 each. Another 53,000 tickets will go for $800, with the remaining 1,000 at $500.

The league is dropping the price of 1,000 tickets at Raymond James Stadium by $200 to $500, the first time the NFL has cut prices for a Super Bowl.

Tickets for last year's Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., were priced at $700 and $900, up from $600 and $700 the year before.