PHOENIX — Your deadline to apply for tickets to the Men’s Final Four games in Arizona is nearing at the end of May.
The 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four takes place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 6 and 8, 2024.
Today in AZ anchor Emily Pritchard talked one-on-one with Jay Parry, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 2024 Phoenix Men’s Final Four Host Committee.
Parry shared they are still in the planning phase for next year’s games, but there will be something for everyone.
“I love that the Final Four is really an opportunity for us to showcase Arizona and just all that it has to offer to our visitors but also our locals,” said Parry.
Parry’s career has leaned heavily in the sports arena after starting out with Bank of America. She shared that starting out in the banking world gave her a good foundation in business, marketing, and strategy.
Over the years, she’s built upon those skills by building relationships and working hard.
“I think when you're doing good work and you're being a good team player, wherever you’re working and whatever you’re doing, that will be recognized,” shared Parry.
Parry has served as an executive with the WNBA league office and worked locally with the Phoenix Mercury and Phoenix Suns. She also just wrapped up her time leading the Super Bowl LVII host committee.
Phoenix last hosted the Men’s Final Four in 2017, but the city will celebrate a first in the years to come.
In 2026 – Phoenix will host its first ever Women’s Final Four.
When that happens in April of 2026, it will be the first time in more than a decade that the championship game for women will be held in Mountain or Pacific time zones. In 2012, it was held in Denver, and in 1999 it was hosted in San Jose, California.
Last season’s Women's Final Four (2023) showed strong interest and growth in viewership. Ticket prices were even more expensive for the women’s championship than the men’s according to ticketing websites.
Parry hopes there’s continued support for both.
“The great thing is we're making progress and there is an appreciation and there is growing support and there is growing engagement and we, we need all those things. We need fans to attend games. We need fans to watch games. We need sponsors to support teams because it gets back to it's a business and so we need to make sure that we’re supporting women, you know, in a similar fashion to how we support our men’s teams,” said Parry.
As the Valley prepares to host college basketball fans from across the country, Parry hopes the community is looking ahead to getting involved. Parry said she believes people who want to volunteer for the tournament and events surrounding will have the opportunity to learn more information by this summer.
ASU will serve as the host institution for the 2024 games.
More plans for the events surrounding the tournament will be released throughout the year.
“We're in the planning mode now. What our locals can expect is great events surrounding the weekend and we'll be having events over the next year,” said Parry.
You can apply to enter the 2024 Men’s Final Four ticket lottery online. The deadline is May 31, 2023. You’ll be notified in Fall 2023.
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