Fan-built platform where season ticket holders pass unused seats to fellow fans, free, expands to its second Bay Area women's professional team by fan vote
SAN FRANCISCO - July 10, 2026 - The Pass (thepassbayarea.com), a free community platform where Bay Area season ticket holders pass their unused seats to fans who will actually use them, launches support for Bay FC on Saturday, July 18 - the same night the Golden State Valkyries host a home game at Chase Center. For the first time, the platform's community will be filling seats in two Bay Area arenas at once.
Founded this year by Santa Clara University graduate Matthew VanDerhoof ('26), The Pass has grown entirely organically to more than 1,100 Bay Area fans, with 122 seats passed fan-to-fan, free, every time. Bay FC was the platform's most requested expansion, chosen by a vote of its users.
The platform addresses a problem hiding inside sold-out arenas: no-shows. The Valkyries sold out Chase Center behind more than 12,000 season ticket holders, yet peer-reviewed research across professional sports finds that roughly 12% of distributed tickets go unused even at sold-out venues. At Chase Center's 18,064-seat capacity, that baseline implies more than 2,000 empty seats on a given night - while fans who want to be there watch from home.
"Nobody with season tickets wants their seat sitting empty. The Pass makes it effortless to pass those seats to a fan who'll show up and get loud. Fans never pay - the whole point is packed arenas for women's sports."
- Matthew VanDerhoof, founder
Season ticket holders post their seats in about 60 seconds; a raffle matches the seats with an engaged local fan; tickets transfer through official ticketing channels at no cost to anyone. Bay Area fan communities have adopted the platform organically, with major fan groups now including The Pass in their official game-day threads.
Bay FC raffles for the July 18 match at PayPal Park are open now at thepassbayarea.com.
The Pass is a free community platform connecting Bay Area season ticket holders with fans for last-minute seats at women's professional sports games. No fees, no resale - every seat deserves a fan. The Pass is live for Golden State Valkyries games, with Bay FC support launching July 18, 2026. Learn more at thepassbayarea.com.
The Pass is an independent fan community and is not affiliated with the Golden State Valkyries, Bay FC, the WNBA, or the NWSL.