Questions for Ambrosie?

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David
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Do any of you guys have questions that you'd like Ambrosie to address at the Town Hall?
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Q: BC Lions' attendance always peaks after Labour Day when there is less recreational competition in this region and fewer people travelling. Respectfully I would like to know why you and the board believe that moving the CFL regular season up to become a Spring league would be good for the Vancouver market and the BC Lions? Have you done any in-depth study on this? Polled stakeholders?



DH :cool:
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B.C.FAN
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I don’t have a question but I want to register my strong opposition to moving up the schedule. NHL playoffs dominate the sports news in Vancouver and many Canadian cities until mid-June, and NBA playoffs are a factor in Toronto. The CFL operates in a vacuum until those leagues finish their playoffs. September to November are the best months for CFL fan interest and attendance in Vancouver.
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SammyGreene
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What is the league's strategy to reach out to the millenials?
The ones who walk around Vancouver wearing only Seahawks gear, act like the CFL doesn't even exist and most don't have cable TV even if they were interested in watching.
Is the league working with TSN to potentially stream their games? They better be.
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BC 1988
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Ambrosie is about to be live on 1040 right now (3rd hour of Donnie & the Moj).
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B.C.FAN
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I watched Ambrosie’s event online. There were only about 60 people watching on Facebook so there may have been more people at the live event. It seemed to go well, with a lot of positive discussion and no real surprises.

One minor surprise related to the first question to Ambrosie, which was about moving the schedule up. He said the league is looking at moving the schedule up by about three weeks for weather reasons, which would result in the Grey Cup being played on the first weekend of November. That is traditionally the final weekend of the regular season. He asked for a show of hands from those in attendance, and he said the results seemed to favour the idea by a margin of about 60-40, which surprised me. I haven’t heard from any Lions fans who are in favour of moving the schedule up. Perhaps some of the people who were at the event can confirm whether that was an accurate assessment of the sentiment in the room.
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Saw that the facebook feed had around 40 to 60 people viewing. Compare that to the stream just below on my feed showing the whitecaps practicing on the field in Hawaii, around 2000 viewers. Scary.
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The_Pauser
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B.C.FAN wrote:
Thu Feb 08, 2018 8:27 pm
I watched Ambrosie’s event online. There were only about 60 people watching on Facebook so there may have been more people at the live event. It seemed to go well, with a lot of positive discussion and no real surprises.

One minor surprise related to the first question to Ambrosie, which was about moving the schedule up. He said the league is looking at moving the schedule up by about three weeks for weather reasons, which would result in the Grey Cup being played on the first weekend of November. That is traditionally the final weekend of the regular season. He asked for a show of hamds from those in attendance, and he said the results seemed to favour the idea by a margin of about 60-40, which surprised me. I haven’t heard from any Lions fans who are in favour of moving the schedule up. Perhaps some of the people who were at the event can confirm whether that was an accurate assessment of the sentiment in the room.
I was sitting in the front row and can confirm there were several people who put their hands up in favour of moving the schedule up by 3 weeks. I can't confirm the 60/40 ratio as I couldn't really tell from my angle, but it seems to be in the ballpark (I would have said closer to 50/50, but Ambrosie had a better view than I did).
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Gridiron Ernie
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Here's the link to LU's take on it (I'm not sure if anyone's already posted it -- excuse if so). Interesting point Hervey apparently brought (to Ambrosie's attention) suggesting an NFL-like pre-free agency negotiation period. I wasn't aware they had that, so don't know the machinations of it, but interesting notion. Other than that, I like it that Ambrosie admits his missteps/poor articulations. I'm sure there will be more -- these do happen, par for the course. Hope he continues to be approachable and 'real' about things as the months and years roll on.
http://3downnation.com/2018/02/09/ambro ... wide-tour/.
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David
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The_Pauser wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:15 am
I was sitting in the front row and can confirm there were several people who put their hands up in favour of moving the schedule up by 3 weeks. I can't confirm the 60/40 ratio as I couldn't really tell from my angle, but it seems to be in the ballpark (I would have said closer to 50/50, but Ambrosie had a better view than I did).
Thanks for the feedback. I would also suggest there could be a bit of bias at play here. It was clear from listening to Ambrosie yesterday on Donnie & The Moj (TSN1040) that Ambrosie really wants to push this through. Sure, he talks about listening to stakeholders but you could tell he has his mind made up, and someone would have to really convince him otherwise (I am willing to bet TSN is already behind it).

It is hard to believe that he thinks a 3-week swing in November is going to significantly move the attendance needle (versus the disaster the would befall teams going up against Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs). I applaud most everything he's done thus far (hard to believe the governors picked Orridge over him the last go-round. This guy is a better choice by light years), but I think he is out to lunch on this one. Prairie teams don't need the help. The big markets do.


DH :cool:
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B.C.FAN
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David wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 11:56 am
It is hard to believe that he thinks a 3-week swing in November is going to significantly move the attendance needle (versus the disaster the would befall teams going up against Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs). I applaud most everything he's done thus far (hard to believe the governors picked Orridge over him the last go-round. This guy is a better choice by light years), but I think he is out to lunch on this one. Prairie teams don't need the help. The big markets do.

DH :cool:
I think it's time to write an email to the commissioner, with a copy to Rick LeLacheur.
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BC 1988
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^^^^This.
That was my take on the 1040 segment as well. TSN-ESPN want it, and Ambrosie is pitching it for them.
I'll watch the Facebook videos over the weekend. This was the fifth and last of his "town hall" style meetings. Has anyone seen video of the other four?
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B.C.FAN
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I've sent the following email to Randy Ambrosie, with a copy to Rick LeLacheur, registering my objection to the prospect of moving up the schedule by three weeks.
Dear Mr. Commissioner,

I applaud much of what you have done in your first year as CFL commissioner but as a longtime B.C. Lions season ticket holder I must register my strong opposition to the prospect of moving up the CFL schedule by three weeks.

There is a lot of truth to the old saying that the CFL season doesn't really begin until Labour Day. The months of September, October and November are when sports fans turn their attention to football. That is particularly true in B.C., where many people spend their summers at beaches and mountains, and not at football games. It's common for B.C. Lions season ticket holders to miss one or two games during the summer months. I know from experience that it's tough to give tickets away during July and August. Many casual fans aren't even thinking of football before September. For these reasons, the B.C. Lions have wisely back-loaded their home schedule in recent years to host five games after Labour Day when potential fan interest and attendance is highest.

Going head to head with the NHL and NBA playoffs in May and June and holding CFL playoffs during the World Series is a recipe for disaster, particularly if Canadian teams are involved in the playoffs of the other pro sports.

Canadian football has survived and thrived for more than a century with the Grey Cup game scheduled for late November or early December. I know many people who attend every year and seldom, if ever, complain about the weather. The 2017 "snow bowl" Grey Cup in Ottawa was a huge success on and off the field.

The traditional CFL season fills a sweet spot in the North American sporting calendar. If you truly want to build fan interest and attendance, don't change something that works.
Huge Talent
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I fully agree, BC Fan. It's not a good idea. The bad weather can actually enhance fan intrigue.
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B.C.FAN
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It took less than four hours for Randy Ambrosie to reply to my email. I give him credit for engaging fans as well as other stakeholders in league decisions.
Hi Lorne, thanks for your note. I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this issue. Rest assured that no final decisions will be made without considerable discussion and debate.

Warm regards,

Randy

Randy G. Ambrosie
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B.C.FAN
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Rick LeLacheur also replied to my email, and offered some encouraging words.
Hi Lorne
Thanks for your note. You have a number of valid points many I share. I am not convinced at this point that we should move the season ahead but as Randy said there is still going to be a lot more study and discussion before any decision is made
Thanks
Rick
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