Toronto BMO Field Renovations | ?m | ?s | MLSE | Gensler

[Big Daddy]

A blip or a trend?

2012 - average Attendance - 23,690
2013 - 21,960
2014 - 17,791
2015 - 17,694 (3 games played at Rogers Centre...1 "home game" in Fort Mac not included and tonight in Ottawa)

So, yes a 36% increase gets them to 24k.....and perhaps the marketing power of Bell/Tananbaum gets them there....but not really sure who they market too.

The CFL just isn't an exciting game. The game needs an extra down to make it more interesting - give the teams another passing opportunity.

Plus, really, who cares if we play against Saskatchewan or Winnipeg? It's humiliating to lose to every little town in Canada.

Another key problem, the Argos never win.

If you can't put a good product on the field, no one is going to care. This goes for every sports franchise. (except the Leafs of course).

The average attendance in Buffalo is 63,000
The city with the lowest average attendance is St. Louis with 52,000
the highest average attendance is Dallas with 92,000
17,000 just doesn't hit the radar screen

 

[TOareaFan]

Another key problem, the Argos never win.

I am not a football guy (of any kind) so I won't enter into a CFL v NFL debate....but that statement seems strange....they have won, what, 2 of the last 10 league championships and are, what, 7-5 this season. In a city starved for winners....if winning was at all a significant influence on ticket sales then you probably couldn't find a spare ticket to an Argo game.

 

[T-Bor]

A blip or a trend?

2012 - average Attendance - 23,690
2013 - 21,960
2014 - 17,791
2015 - 17,694 (3 games played at Rogers Centre...1 "home game" in Fort Mac not included and tonight in Ottawa)

So, yes a 36% increase gets them to 24k.....and perhaps the marketing power of Bell/Tananbaum gets them there....but not really sure who they market too.

It has been a trend, but keep in mind over those years they always played second fiddle to the Jays in terms of dates. You have to agree that the fact many of those home games in the last 2/3 years were on a Tuesday night must have had a big impact on fan attendance.

TV ratings in the GTA are up compared to 5 years ago, it seems like people just dont' want to go the dome

 

[TOareaFan]

It has been a trend, but keep in mind over those years they always played second fiddle to the Jays in terms of dates. You have to agree that the fact many of those home games in the last 2/3 years were on a Tuesday night must have had a big impact on fan attendance.

TV ratings in the GTA are up compared to 5 years ago, it seems like people just dont' want to go the dome

Well, if you believe the MLSE leadership, they will also have "second tenant" status at BMO Field and while there are far less TFC matches to bump argo matches they also promised a buffer of quiet dates between the two sports for grass recovery purposes....but yes they should get more weekend dates out of this....has anyone done a check of Tuesday night attendance versus weekend attendance to determine if day of the week is a factor?

TV ratings could mean (as you suggest) that "people just dont' want to go the dome" or it could mean that people just don't want to spend money going to live Argo games and would rather hang out at home watching the sport...ie. it may be perceived as a product better watched on TV.

EDIT: this year none of the 3 games in that average were on Tuesday (one Friday, one Saturday and one Sunday)...in 2014 1 of their 9 home games were on a Tuesday.....in 2013 2 Tuesdays....2012 No tuesdays but 3 Mondays and 1 Wednesday.

EDIT 2: Not sure the Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday thing is a factor really. In 2012 their 4 non traditional football nights (and you could argue that Monday is a traditional football night but perhaps not for CFL) averaged crowds of 23,354 which is only very slightly below their season long average of 23,690. In 2013 their two Tuesdays averaged 19463 which is a bit below their season average of 21k+ but in 2014 their only Tuesday game drew 18,106 which is above their 2014 season average.

There are a lot of factors in any team's attendance so it is difficult to isolate anyone....perhaps 2012 was as high as it was because of being able to tie ticket sales to the Grey Cup game (I think that was Grey Cup 100 which was in Toronto) so perhaps that bodes well for season 1 at BMO and they get a bump in ticket sales because they tie them to the Grey Cup which is back in Toronto next year.

 

[MisterF]

So, yes a 36% increase gets them to 24k.....and perhaps the marketing power of Bell/Tananbaum gets them there....but not really sure who they market too.

Sports fans. Seriously, it's a metro area of 6 million. Growing the fan base isn't really rocket science. Besides, Argos TV ratings are a lot better than most people realize, so there's a significant fan base already. Marketing to youth is key.

The CFL just isn't an exciting game. The game needs an extra down to make it more interesting - give the teams another passing opportunity.

A lot of football fans would argue the opposite. The bigger field combined with one less down means that teams are forced to take more risks. The CFL has long been known as a passing, offence first league compared to the NFL. You could say the same for the Canadian game in general.

A lot of hockey fans prefer the European game for similar reasons.

Plus, really, who cares if we play against Saskatchewan or Winnipeg? It's humiliating to lose to every little town in Canada.

Why are Canadians so down on their own country? Are NFL and EPL fans humiliated when their teams lose to the likes of Norwich, Leicester, and Green Bay? Every league has small cities and they're often some of the most cherished members of the league, with some of the most storied histories and passionate fanbases.

Another key problem, the Argos never win.

They last one the Grey Cup in 2012. Nice try though.

The average attendance in Buffalo is 63,000
The city with the lowest average attendance is St. Louis with 52,000
the highest average attendance is Dallas with 92,000
17,000 just doesn't hit the radar screen

AFC Bournemouth average 11,000 fans per game. Is that a good reason to dismiss the Premier League?

Your local team doesn't have to play in the pinnacle of its sport to be worthy of support. Just ask a TFC fan.

 

[Adjei]

Canadians are ready to suck up whatever Americans serve them and abandon their own.

 

[GenerationW]

Plus, really, who cares if we play against Saskatchewan or Winnipeg?

You must spend hours laughing at Americans who care about Green Bay and Buffalo.

 

[MisterF]

Actually come to think of it, the NHL games that generate the most excitement in Canada tend to be between Canadian teams. The premier Saturday night games are usually Toronto vs Ottawa, Edmonton vs Winnipeg, etc. (obviously some American teams too). So people do care about games against smaller Canadian cities.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

The CFL just isn't an exciting game. The game needs an extra down to make it more interesting - give the teams another passing opportunity.

Plus, really, who cares if we play against Saskatchewan or Winnipeg? It's humiliating to lose to every little town in Canada.

Another key problem, the Argos never win.

If you can't put a good product on the field, no one is going to care. This goes for every sports franchise. (except the Leafs of course).

The average attendance in Buffalo is 63,000
The city with the lowest average attendance is St. Louis with 52,000
the highest average attendance is Dallas with 92,000
17,000 just doesn't hit the radar screen

My vote for misinformed post of the year...

 

[TOareaFan]

AFC Bournemouth average 11,000 fans per game. Is that a good reason to dismiss the Premier League?

Not to support the argument you are fighting against but there is a big difference between a team selling 100% of the 11,000 seats they have in a town of 185,000 people and a team in a metropolitan area of 6 million getting 18k in a 50k stadium....no?

 

[Flint]

If MLSE is to be believed, priority order for scheduling at BMO will be as follows:

1. TFC
2. CSA
3. Intl. Friendlies
4. Argos

A high level MLSE executive made this clear during a meeting between them and representatives from each TFC supporter group back in June.

How this plays out, I guess we'll see next year.

 

[Johnny Au]

Apparently, Big Daddy has a memory of a goldfish, as the Argos won the Grey Cup in the Rogers Centre three years ago.

 

[Johnny Au]

If MLSE is to be believed, priority order for scheduling at BMO will be as follows:

1. TFC
2. CSA
3. Intl. Friendlies
4. Argos

A high level MLSE executive made this clear during a meeting between them and representatives from each TFC supporter group back in June.

How this plays out, I guess we'll see next year.

At least the Argos have higher priority than concerts.

 

[GenerationW]

If MLSE is to be believed, priority order for scheduling at BMO will be as follows:

1. TFC
2. CSA
3. Intl. Friendlies
4. Argos

A high level MLSE executive made this clear during a meeting between them and representatives from each TFC supporter group back in June.

How this plays out, I guess we'll see next year.

How many friendlies and CSA games are there in a typical year, and how many of those are played on weekends?

 

[Flint]

How many friendlies and CSA games are there in a typical year, and how many of those are played on weekends?

You can go back month by month and check out the event schedule for BMO Field here:

http://bmofield.com/events/2015-10/