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Thread: Attendance figures need to change

  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by lordstanley View Post
    Also i had no idea that we would be ahead of Regina im so use to them getting better turnouts
    Losing & Parker may be the reason Reg att is down . Still can't figure out Stoon lack of fans .


    ave attendance comparable pop
    Stoon 4380
    Reg 3861
    Kel 6078
    smaller pop
    RD 4500
    BRN 4284
    MH 4001

    WPG & Victoria want teams lol
    GO WARRIORS GO

  2. #22

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    I think Saskatoon people r just to lazy to get off their ass and go to games. I've gone to more games this season then I have in the past. I dunno why people here r complaining bout the ticket prices, they could b worse, heck I'd rather go to a blades game then to a movie.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Saskatoon
    Posts
    3,668

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    Tix arent to Bad in Stoon i went to the Blades vs Hitmen game last week in Calgary we sat in the upper levill and tix were 18 bucks but thats the upper levill

    Food was around the same price but beer is about a 1.50 more in calgary so overall It aint that pricey to check out a Blades game in town hell eat before you go to a game sneak in a mickey and it aint that pricey

  4. #24

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    Saskatoon folks are broke as hell. Most are trying to figure out how to pay their huge mortgage and the rest already spent all the money on the line of credit they took out to take advantage of their rising house prices.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Lloydminster, AB
    Posts
    45

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    I think part of the problem has nothing to do with ticket prices, arena location etc. but simply they are not pro. Saskatoon has always thought it was a major league city. Many sports fans think we deserve high level professional hockey. I hate to say this, but if Saskatoon were to get an AHL team, I think it would draw better than the Blades do.

    Even when I was a kid and would go to games with my Dad in the early 90s, Blades attendance was still around the 4-5000 mark. Nothing has changed since then. So really, I don't see a huge drop off in attendance in the last 20 years.

    The only amateur team that draws very well are the U of S Huskies football team. Why do they do well at the box office? They field a consistent winner and promote the heck out of the team. Huskies attendance wasn't great when they first started winning in the early 90s. I have seen it grow in leaps and bounds since those days. I remember going to games as a kid where the West Side stands weren't even full and there were about 3 people sitting on the tiny moveable East Side stands.

    Now some of you might say, how do you field a consistent winner in Junior Hockey? It's different than Huskies football. Every thing goes in cycles because you always have players graduating. The Huskies consistently lose players and are always competitive. There is no reason why the Blades can't be consistent winners too. But beyond this, you have to promote the team. I've seen the Blades commercials on TV and they are professionally done, but really don't do anything to instill pride or passion in the product. The football Huskies on the other hand have the feel of an action movie trailer.

    Since attendance largely hasn't increased in 20 years, perhaps Jack Brodsky is fine with the revenue he generates. He doesn't seem to spend money on getting the Blades name out there. How many people do you see wearing Blades merchandise? I don't think I ever have seen someone outside of a game. How many people do you see wearing Huskies merchandise? It's impossible to be out in a mall or at a store and not see someone do this. Why? It is widely available. The Blades have one of two options, run their own store in a mall somewhere that sells their merchandise exclusively or partner with an existing store to sell their merchandise. At any rate, if it was more available people would buy it. If people buy it, then other people might see the hat/t-shirt etc. and think oh yeah the Blades, I should go check them out.

    Advertising on radio is all fine and well, but terrestrial radio is a dying breed. With iPods, Sirius and XM Satellite radio and CDs, how many people listen to local radio exclusively? People 50 and over are about it as a group. These people have largely teenage/adult kids who don't hang out with mom and dad anymore. Same with advertising in the Star-Phoenix, the majority of newspaper readers are in the same group. So to attract the younger generation, there are three places for advertising. Billboards, TV and in lounges/bars. I've never seen ads on billboards and haven't seen them in bars either. Two places the Blades need to advertise.

    They should also wrap buses in the Blades. You should see Brayden Schenn's face going by you in traffic. You should see Adam Morrison making saves inside bus shelters. You should see Marek Vidensky on ads in buses. But you don't and why is that? I firmly place the blame at Jack Brodsky's feet. He needs to spend some money on promoting the team.

    A decent team might bring out a few more fans. But people need to know there is a game. For attendance to go up you need to throw it in people's faces. Instead the Blades seem content to be that thing in the corner collecting dust. Sure it's fun to use once and awhile, but largely it is out of sight out of mind. For most people that is the Blades, they have a good time at games once every few years but it is something they don't think about.

  6. Default

    Very well said and to the point....

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Cgy, Stoon, Regina, Abroad
    Posts
    304

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    Winning.

    That is all.

    Playoff winning.

  8. Default

    Takes more than a playoff team to bring out people, 2years ago my son and i could go to a game for under 25 bucks that includes popcorn today we go were lookin at 50bucks nothin has changed...yes there winning just like they did 2 years ago.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Cgy, Stoon, Regina, Abroad
    Posts
    304

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    Quote Originally Posted by all this banter View Post
    Takes more than a playoff team to bring out people, 2years ago my son and i could go to a game for under 25 bucks that includes popcorn today we go were lookin at 50bucks nothin has changed...yes there winning just like they did 2 years ago.
    I said playoff winning, not a playoff team.

    And I highly doubt you and your son could go, with popcorn, for under 25 dollars.

  10. #30

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Shootmaster_44 View Post
    I think part of the problem has nothing to do with ticket prices, arena location etc. but simply they are not pro. Saskatoon has always thought it was a major league city. Many sports fans think we deserve high level professional hockey. I hate to say this, but if Saskatoon were to get an AHL team, I think it would draw better than the Blades do.

    Even when I was a kid and would go to games with my Dad in the early 90s, Blades attendance was still around the 4-5000 mark. Nothing has changed since then. So really, I don't see a huge drop off in attendance in the last 20 years.

    The only amateur team that draws very well are the U of S Huskies football team. Why do they do well at the box office? They field a consistent winner and promote the heck out of the team. Huskies attendance wasn't great when they first started winning in the early 90s. I have seen it grow in leaps and bounds since those days. I remember going to games as a kid where the West Side stands weren't even full and there were about 3 people sitting on the tiny moveable East Side stands.

    Now some of you might say, how do you field a consistent winner in Junior Hockey? It's different than Huskies football. Every thing goes in cycles because you always have players graduating. The Huskies consistently lose players and are always competitive. There is no reason why the Blades can't be consistent winners too. But beyond this, you have to promote the team. I've seen the Blades commercials on TV and they are professionally done, but really don't do anything to instill pride or passion in the product. The football Huskies on the other hand have the feel of an action movie trailer.

    Since attendance largely hasn't increased in 20 years, perhaps Jack Brodsky is fine with the revenue he generates. He doesn't seem to spend money on getting the Blades name out there. How many people do you see wearing Blades merchandise? I don't think I ever have seen someone outside of a game. How many people do you see wearing Huskies merchandise? It's impossible to be out in a mall or at a store and not see someone do this. Why? It is widely available. The Blades have one of two options, run their own store in a mall somewhere that sells their merchandise exclusively or partner with an existing store to sell their merchandise. At any rate, if it was more available people would buy it. If people buy it, then other people might see the hat/t-shirt etc. and think oh yeah the Blades, I should go check them out.

    Advertising on radio is all fine and well, but terrestrial radio is a dying breed. With iPods, Sirius and XM Satellite radio and CDs, how many people listen to local radio exclusively? People 50 and over are about it as a group. These people have largely teenage/adult kids who don't hang out with mom and dad anymore. Same with advertising in the Star-Phoenix, the majority of newspaper readers are in the same group. So to attract the younger generation, there are three places for advertising. Billboards, TV and in lounges/bars. I've never seen ads on billboards and haven't seen them in bars either. Two places the Blades need to advertise.

    They should also wrap buses in the Blades. You should see Brayden Schenn's face going by you in traffic. You should see Adam Morrison making saves inside bus shelters. You should see Marek Vidensky on ads in buses. But you don't and why is that? I firmly place the blame at Jack Brodsky's feet. He needs to spend some money on promoting the team.

    A decent team might bring out a few more fans. But people need to know there is a game. For attendance to go up you need to throw it in people's faces. Instead the Blades seem content to be that thing in the corner collecting dust. Sure it's fun to use once and awhile, but largely it is out of sight out of mind. For most people that is the Blades, they have a good time at games once every few years but it is something they don't think about.
    First off, the huskies havent drawn many more fans the last few years.....dont believe me, google it! Maybe average 4300 people.(plus students get free/discounted tickets)

    The reason you see so much huskie gear is there are alot of students/alumni/their families wearing it.

    The advertising idea has to be feasable, if it draws 1000 more people but costs $20,000, it obviously isnt worth it.

    Winning will help alot, the riders had a hard time drawing people 10 years ago when they werent winning. When the time comes again when they are cellar-dwellers, the #'s will go down again too.

    In '92-'94, when they reached the finals, they were getting quite a few fans, they even came out to watch the games in kamloops on the big screens!

    If they reach the 3rd or 4th round, the attendance should easily be over 10,000 fans. Think anyone would have came to wjhc last year if canada had a terrible team, think anyone would have gone to vanier when it was so cold to watch laval vs manitoba bisons......No they want to see the home team in the big game with a chance to win!

    Saskatoon isnt a great sports town. Many good teams....Blades last few years, huskie football (last 15 + yrs) & Hilltops (pretty much every yr) but very little support. You have to apprechiate junior hockey for what it is. Its not the NHL with big name players with huge contracts & heavily hyped and marketed. Most people rather hangout at home or any other excuse then come out to a game. I dont think there is a quick fix answer cuz like I said before, if there is, you should get a job as a ticket sales rep with the team & go make a fortune(commision based). Dont think having ads in bars/lounges would help! Think people will see these ads & think hey lets leave this place with cheap drinks, lots of people of the opposite sex & every sport thats on tv to go to the blades game! Doubt it!

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