Vancouver Canucks Owner Looks at Buying Lions from Braley with help of UBC HC Sidoo

If the deal went through, it would be great for the Lions and the league as attendance has dropped dramatically. However, Braley's opinion of what the team is worth is drastically different from nearly everyone else in BC. Sound familiar?

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The B.C. Lions’ brand needs a major overhaul. Their owner, David Braley, saved this franchise in the mid-’90s and helped restore its former glory. But Braley, who turns 76 in May, has been trying to sell the team for the last handful of years and the uncertainty over the Lions’ future has contributed to the perception this is a deteriorating business.
Since the 2011 Grey Cup, attendance has been in steady decline. Team president Dennis Skulsky has also taken on a reduced role in the organization and football overlord Wally Buono is in the last year of his contract.
Add it all up and it seems like the perfect time for a change in direction.
As it happens, the Aquilini family is interested in buying the Lions. The Aquilinis own the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and have experience in the operation and marketing of a professional sports franchise. They also look at the model provided by the Calgary Stampeders and their majority owners, the NHL’s Flames, and believe they can turn the Lions into a profitable venture. ...

True, they’re not football people but they’ve talked to former CFL player Dave Sidoo, a successful Vancouver businessman who helped build the UBC football program into a national power, about being involved in their group.
So, again, add it all up and there would seem to be a fit. Braley has always maintained he wants to sell the Lions to a local ownership group and can be confident that the Lions will have deep-pocketed owners who’ll invest in the franchise. In Sidoo, he’ll also have a football man whose name carries some weight in the community. ...

The Aquilinis, for their part, will have another asset in their business empire and can trade on the synergies created by the Canucks and the Lions. ...

Braley has suggested there have been up to four groups interested in buying the Leos but the names connected with the transaction — real-estate developer Robert Bosa, a consortium led by longtime Lions loyalist Moray Keith — have reportedly lost interest, leaving the Aquilinis as the last men standing.
According to one source, the Canucks’ owners have made an offer which, depending on who you talk to, was either rejected or is being considered.
Braley could not be reached for comment on Thursday but the long-held view is his idea of the Lions’ worth isn’t necessarily shared by potential buyers. From Braley’s perspective, the CFL’s TV contracts runs through 2021 and pays the Lions $4-million-plus annually. The potential for growth at B.C. Place is also a consideration.
As for the buyers, they see a team struggling at the turnstiles which doesn’t share in the concession or parking revenue at The Dome. Back in 2012, the Stampeders were valued at $17 million when the Flames purchased a majority interest in the franchise and participation in the revenues generated at McMahon Stadium. That deal led one source to ask how the Lions could be worth north of $30 million if that was the price tag on the Flames.

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http://vancouversun.com/sports/footb...-the-b-c-lions

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">it&#39;s time for change in B.C. But Braley still likes to have a seat at table. As a source tells me, &quot;David will sell on his time and terms.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xlsoMeTQAT">https://t.co/xlsoMeTQAT</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/834959355250425857">February 24, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I have said this often but will repeat it - Braley is great at saving franchises but has no idea how to grow them. The Lions are the definition of "stagnant" right now and need an ownership change badly.

Buono is the winningest coach is CFL history and done a remarkable job over the years in recruiting and signing talent as GM, but he is not a marketeer.
Braley's best move during his time as owner of the Lions was bringing Bobby Ackles back to the Lions as President and CEO to rebuild the fanbase in 2002. Ackles networked with the business community to bring them back into the picture. He renovated the Lions training centre and added pictures of past Lions greats on its walls, a la the Montreal Canadiens, to develop a sense of pride in the team and so new American imports would have a blank stare when longtime fans mentioned these former stars. Unfortunately, since Ackles died in 2008 there has been a steady deterioration in the marketing and atmosphere around the team. The result has been a drop in attendance from around 30,000 mark during the Ackles era to 21,000 in 2016. With only 19,000 showing up for the playoff game, signs are that things will get worse. Hopefully, Braley will sell the team soon and new ownership will start marketing the team better.

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Off the field the Lions will face challenges as well. A playoff crowd of just over 19,000 emphasized the work they have cut out for them in that department. Somehow this team has to tap into an apathetic Vancouver sports scene. Winning helps, but there needs to be a connection made with the ticket buyer, through programs and promotions that excite them.

While their street party is nice, the team should explore the option of sanctioned tailgating. The lots around BC Place won’t be there forever, so work a deal out with the lot owners and the city to use them while you can. Other events use these lots, there should be no reason why the Lions can’t utilize them. Follow the model in Calgary where you sell a tailgate pass to season ticket holders, and promote a true football game day experience. If you have to, control the environment by selling beer as they do in Toronto at BMO Field. Make game day an event.
They made some nice additions to the in game experience this year. A drum line that adds atmosphere and that can hopefully be expanded. Some great fan prompts on defence, the addition of an air raid siren to prompt noise on defence instead of constant prompting over the loud speakers. Fans started to catch on to that, and they should keep it up in 2017.
Bringing Fan Fest back to the lower mainland, or at least doing one for your season ticket holders would be good as well. Kamloops is a great for training camp and the Lions have a good setup there. But you need to do an event for your season ticket holders locally. A season ticket holder forum or dinner would also be a nice addition. Make those that support you feel part of the team.

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http://bclionsden.ca/2016/11/21/wall...off-the-field/

In the podcast below, Paul Chapman and Ed Willes discuss the likelihood of the Vancouver Canucks owner, Francesc Aquilini, purchasing the Lions.

http://theprovincepodcasts.com/sport...ent=FeedBurner

David Braley discusses selling the team and his health in the video interview below. He says the team could be sold this year or next or the following year, but he doesn't want to be 95 and still owning the team. The Aquilinis would certainly be able to handle the financial costs - the question is do they see at worth it and at what price.

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“I’m under no duress to sell it,” said Braley. “It doesn’t owe any money or anything, everything here is paid for. We’re in good shape financially. I have enough money, if we did lose some money, to pay for it.
“There are several people that are interested and they’re having meetings with me and discussions about how they would run it.”
Braley also gave his thoughts on the Lions’ chances in 2017. After a 12-6 season in 2016, good for second in the West, the Lions are considered one of the league’s biggest heavyweights.

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Originally Posted by jerrym

David Braley discusses selling the team and his health in the video interview below. He says the team could be sold this year or next or the following year, but he doesn't want to be 95 and still owning the team. The Aquilinis would certainly be able to handle the financial costs - the question is do they see at worth it and at what price.

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This is such a non-story for me as Braley has said for the past decade that he is willing to sell this team. Nobody can meet his price tag though. I wouldn't be surprised to see Braley as owner for another 10 years. Unfortunately, this will also coincide with the continued decline of the franchise at the gate over that time as Braley doesn't have a clue how to grow a franchise.

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Originally Posted by ArgoRavi

This is such a non-story for me as Braley has said for the past decade that he is willing to sell this team. Nobody can meet his price tag though. I wouldn't be surprised to see Braley as owner for another 10 years. Unfortunately, this will also coincide with the continued decline of the franchise at the gate over that time as Braley doesn't have a clue how to grow a franchise.

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Braley will be a 76 year old diabetic in May who was seriously ill last year. I think things will change sooner rather than later because of his health. Of course he will say he will sell the team this year or next or the year after ... because he doesn't want to sound like he wants to get rid of the team. Whether he sells the team or not, I don't expect him to be the team owner in a decade. I'm pretty sure Braley understands what the situation is.

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Diabetes UK estimates in its report, Diabetes in the UK 2010: Key Statistics on Diabetes^[5], that the life expectancy of someone with type 2 diabetes is likely to be reduced, as a result of the condition, by up to 10 years.

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http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-life-expectancy.html

Braley's 20 mil asking price for the Lions is a total joke, IMO; especially with the way he has let them slide on the Vancouver sports map.

Big bizness men gotta do what they do though; trying to gouge or get the most bang for their buck or however it can be spun by the money-grubbing sect out there.