Why has Argonauts Home Game Attendance declined so much in 1 year? (2013-2014)

[Neely2005]

Wow, an average drop of 4,135 from last year!

It's weird because this seasons schedule was much better than last season. With the Pan Am games next years schedule will probably be terrible.

[paulwoods13]

It's weird because this seasons schedule was much better than last season. With the Pan Am games next years schedule will probably be terrible.

Next year's schedule will indeed be terrible, but I would not describe this year's as appreciably better than last year's. We had two home games in a span of five days (a Tuesday and a Sunday) and then no home games for seven weeks -- surely the longest stretch in the history of pro football. And then had to sell five games in six weeks -- very tough to do even if the team was thriving in the marketplace.

[Neely2005]

Next year's schedule will indeed be terrible, but I would not describe this year's as appreciably better than last year's. We had two home games in a span of five days (a Tuesday and a Sunday) and then no home games for seven weeks -- surely the longest stretch in the history of pro football. And then had to sell five games in six weeks -- very tough to do even if the team was thriving in the marketplace.

Yes but at least most of our home games were on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays this season. Last season still had a 4 consecutive game road trip and lots of midweek games.

This season did have the longest time between home games in the history of the CFL. Last season was the second longest.

[Neely2005]

It will be interesting to see if we get an attendance bump in our last year at the Rogers Centre now that the move to BMO Field has been confirmed.

[jerrym]

In the battle of the Braley teams, Argos outdrew BC Lions 20,642 to 20,316 in "official" attendance. A sad commentary.

http://www.cfl.ca/schedule/year/2015/time_zone/0

[Solar Max]

Greetings , all.

I'm an Ottawa fan living in BC, and can pinpoint what I believe to some of the reasons behind the Lions' drop in attendance.

1) Bob Ackles was all about the fans, and after his passing George Chayka was back in charge of the business ops, as he was before Ackles' return in 2002. The Lions has terrible crowds then as well, because Chayka has a different view of the business, namely charging exorbitant (in my view) prices for tickets. My tickets that were $180 in 2005 are now well over $1000 for ST. George feels that if you soak the remaining fans, you can make up what you lose in quantity.

2) Lions only market to Yaletown ( False Creek area of Vancouver) except in the early part of preseason. They also changed advertising agencies from one that really grabbed the kids especially to commercials that show a player hanging a drum. Period. Awful stuff IMO. Many of us feel that the BC part should actually be renamed "Yaletown Lions", as they don't participate anywhere in the province save for TC in Kelowna and of course BC Place in Yaletown. (Practice Facility in Surrey is mostky invisible).

3) Lions won't help you set up a bus tour to BC Place, Ferries, or even supply a poster for a pubgater.

4) Seattle Seahawks do all of #3. Enough said.


As I noted, I'm an Ottawa fan, and the RedBlacks are all about involving the fanbase. They do it right, imo, and they sell out. George Chayka couldn't sell a newspaper if his life depended on it.

[Will]

Greetings , all.

I'm an Ottawa fan living in BC, and can pinpoint what I believe to some of the reasons behind the Lions' drop in attendance.

1) Bob Ackles was all about the fans, and after his passing George Chayka was back in charge of the business ops, as he was before Ackles' return in 2002. The Lions has terrible crowds then as well, because Chayka has a different view of the business, namely charging exorbitant (in my view) prices for tickets. My tickets that were $180 in 2005 are now well over $1000 for ST. George feels that if you soak the remaining fans, you can make up what you lose in quantity.

2) Lions only market to Yaletown ( False Creek area of Vancouver) except in the early part of preseason. They also changed advertising agencies from one that really grabbed the kids especially to commercials that show a player hanging a drum. Period. Awful stuff IMO. Many of us feel that the BC part should actually be renamed "Yaletown Lions", as they don't participate anywhere in the province save for TC in Kelowna and of course BC Place in Yaletown. (Practice Facility in Surrey is mostky invisible).

3) Lions won't help you set up a bus tour to BC Place, Ferries, or even supply a poster for a pubgater.

4) Seattle Seahawks do all of #3. Enough said.


As I noted, I'm an Ottawa fan, and the RedBlacks are all about involving the fanbase. They do it right, imo, and they sell out. George Chayka couldn't sell a newspaper if his life depended on it.

Welcome Solar Max!

Your analysis of the challenges facing the Lions in Vancouver are not too different from what many people in Toronto feel about the marketing initiatives (or lack thereof) done by the Argos.

As to the discussion of papering the house. Personally I don't mind them doing it for this season, the last season at Skydome.

[ArgoRavi]

Greetings , all.

I'm an Ottawa fan living in BC, and can pinpoint what I believe to some of the reasons behind the Lions' drop in attendance.

1) Bob Ackles was all about the fans, and after his passing George Chayka was back in charge of the business ops, as he was before Ackles' return in 2002. The Lions has terrible crowds then as well, because Chayka has a different view of the business, namely charging exorbitant (in my view) prices for tickets. My tickets that were $180 in 2005 are now well over $1000 for ST. George feels that if you soak the remaining fans, you can make up what you lose in quantity.

2) Lions only market to Yaletown ( False Creek area of Vancouver) except in the early part of preseason. They also changed advertising agencies from one that really grabbed the kids especially to commercials that show a player hanging a drum. Period. Awful stuff IMO. Many of us feel that the BC part should actually be renamed "Yaletown Lions", as they don't participate anywhere in the province save for TC in Kelowna and of course BC Place in Yaletown. (Practice Facility in Surrey is mostky invisible).

3) Lions won't help you set up a bus tour to BC Place, Ferries, or even supply a poster for a pubgater.

4) Seattle Seahawks do all of #3. Enough said.


As I noted, I'm an Ottawa fan, and the RedBlacks are all about involving the fanbase. They do it right, imo, and they sell out. George Chayka couldn't sell a newspaper if his life depended on it.

Thanks for the synopsis of the situation in B.C., Solar Max! While I realize that not every market is created equally, you would think that the powers-that-be in places like B.C. would look at what is working in places like Ottawa and Hamilton and try to incorporate some of those same strategies. Of course, in B.C., if they just went back to what Ackles was doing they would be much further ahead.

[Solar Max]

Thanks for the synopsis of the situation in B.C., Solar Max! While I realize that not every market is created equally, you would think that the powers-that-be in places like B.C. would look at what is working in places like Ottawa and Hamilton and try to incorporate some of those same strategies. Of course, in B.C., if they just went back to what Ackles was doing they would be much further ahead.

Chayka knows better, just ask him. He was constantly at odds with Ackles, even though Ackles suceeded.

I don't profess to know Vancouver too well, but isn't Yaletown the Vancouver equivalent of Liberty Village?

I'd say that's a fair analogy....except for the lack of Subarus, Tree Huggers, Pot stores

[Will]

I don't profess to know Vancouver too well, but isn't Yaletown the Vancouver equivalent of Liberty Village?

[argonaut11xx]

I don't profess to know Vancouver too well, but isn't Yaletown the Vancouver equivalent of Liberty Village?

Its more, "North Toronto" (Yonge/Eglington) area...

[Solar Max]

For some reason I can't access previous pages of this thread, so please bear with me if some of this has been covered.From an Ottawa fan perspective, (who lives in BC) I can't help but think how the Argos and Argo fans are going to benefit from the move to BMO. We all know how taking the seat count at Lansdowne Park down from 37,000 to 24,537 has benefited the Redblacks, as well as Montreal starting the whole thing, and now Hamilton.Its a rosy picture..it has worked in 3 other Eastern Conference cities. I except the BC Lions because the building is actually 53,000 seats, and woefully mismanaged. BC needs another Bob Ackles, and there can never be one.

[Will]

Yeah, unfortunately, 25,000 seems to be about the standard that Eastern teams have to aim for. Ironically, CNE Stadium once retrofitted for baseball sat more for Argos football than SkyDome.