The New Jersey Nets, looking to jump start excitement for their approaching move to Brooklyn, have begun selling tickets for the new Barclays Center even though construction is not scheduled for completion for more than a year.

The team’s inaugural season in the new arena is slated for 2012-13, and construction is scheduled to end in the summer of 2012. The 18,000-seat arena is the centerpiece of a $4.9 billion mixed-use complex that will include office space, residences and retail shops.

A total of 4,000 season ticket “All Access Pass” premium seats, that include access to other events at the Barclays Center besides Nets games, went on sale yesterday, March 30, for $99 per game up to $1,500 for high-profile courtside seats. Current season ticket holders receive first crack at the tickets. The All Access Pass gives fans the opportunity to purchase tickets to non-Nets events before the general public, but the team is not requiring the purchase of a personal seat license.

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Nets CEO Brett Yormark said in a statement that the team top priority was trying to price tickets fairly. The team, which has struggled on the court for the past few seasons, recently suffered the embarrassment of tickets to a game against the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers being offered on secondary ticket marketplace StubHub for less than $0.50 each.

“As we unveil our first of many unique ticket options, our All Access Passes will provide our customers with unprecedented features and value in offering the finest experience in sports and entertainment worldwide,” Yormark said. The years-in-development project, which will bring back a major pro sports team to the borough since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1957, broke ground in March of 2010. The team will play at the Prudential Center again next season until the Barclays Center is completed.

“Brooklyn has long been an underserved sports and entertainment market, but we are excited to change that and launch the greatest ticket value for a major venue in the New York area. We look forward to an electrifying opening of the Barclays Center in 2012 and to being part of the continued renaissance of Brooklyn,” Yormark added.

The All Access Pass seats have 20 different price points, but 50 percent of Nets tickets at the Barclays Center will be $55 or less per game.

According to Team Marketing Report, for the current season, the average cost of a Nets ticket is $40.50, less than half the cost of a ticket to the team’s soon-to-be crosstown rivals, the New York Knicks, which averages $88.66. The figures were compiled before the Knicks traded for Carmelo Anthony, and before the Nets traded for Deron Williams.

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