Any word on season ticket sales?

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Ravi
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Where do season ticket sales currently stand for the Lions? Are they in the 20k to 25k range?
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SammyGreene
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Rick Dhaliwal from News 1130 tweeted a couple of weeks ago they were on pace to match last year's total with renewals currently at 80 percent. Last year's total ended up around the 18,000 to 19,000 range as Grey Cup hosts. There was a significant dip after the 2008 season and they haven't gained back those 4,000 to 5,000 season ticket holders they lost. Team's performance certainly isn't an issue now but the economy isn't great, there is more competition in this market (Whitecaps) and I think the Lions need to look long and hard at their current pricing structure with 54,000 tickets to sell for every game.
To have the upper bowl priced the same as the lower bowl, right up to the very last row is crazy. They have also quietly raised the prices in the lower bowl by creating corner end zone sections and increasing the number of high rent district seats from between the 30 yard-line to between the 20-yard-line. To be fair to the Lions, the BC Place reno included making all the seats between the 20s padded.

Lowest price for a Whitecaps walk-up ticket is $20. For the Lions it's $35.
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Rammer
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SammyGreene wrote:Rick Dhaliwal from News 1130 tweeted a couple of weeks ago they were on pace to match last year's total with renewals currently at 80 percent. Last year's total ended up around the 18,000 to 19,000 range as Grey Cup hosts. There was a significant dip after the 2008 season and they haven't gained back those 4,000 to 5,000 season ticket holders they lost. Team's performance certainly isn't an issue now but the economy isn't great, there is more competition in this market (Whitecaps) and I think the Lions need to look long and hard at their current pricing structure with 54,000 tickets to sell for every game.
To have the upper bowl priced the same as the lower bowl, right up to the very last row is crazy. They have also quietly raised the prices in the lower bowl by creating corner end zone sections and increasing the number of high rent district seats from between the 30 yard-line to between the 20-yard-line. To be fair to the Lions, the BC Place reno included making all the seats between the 20s padded.

Lowest price for a Whitecaps walk-up ticket is $20. For the Lions it's $35.
25% less ST holders since the high water mark during the Buono era can easily be offset by the price increases since, regardless of the over priced upper seating. To think that the Lions are the net benefactors of the governments upgrades, grades on me as any paying Lion fan is getting jobbed from both ends of the stick here.
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David
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While I would have expected them to be exceeding last year's ST pace, what with a Championship under their belt and a full year ahead at the newly renovated BCP, their ST campaign hasn't begun in earnest, save for a print ad that shows Akeem Foster holding the Grey Cup trophy and the complete home schedule in the ad. I would also expect a partnership to be announced at some point - either with 7-11 or Safeway (who were Grey Cup sponsors). That would add about 3,000-5,000 season tickets to the total. Don't know for sure though.

That being said, when will the Lions tune into the fact that they have a HUGE stadium to fill with a very expensive ticket in a crowded sports landscape and play in a market where people are squeezed for every penny by high taxes and a high cost of living? CFL football should not be that expensive to attend if these guys are only making about $80K a year on average. I agree with SammyGreene - the price disparity between the 'Caps and Lions is too great. One should be able to buy a $20 or $25 single ticket for a Lions game.

DH :cool:
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TheLionKing
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Lions' marketing leaves alot to be desired. Since winning the Grey Cup there hasn't been a peep about seasons tickets. What are they waiting for ?
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SammyGreene
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25% less ST holders since the high water mark during the Buono era can easily be offset by the price increases since, regardless of the over priced upper seating. To think that the Lions are the net benefactors of the governments upgrades, grades on me as any paying Lion fan is getting jobbed from both ends of the stick here.
I hear you Rammer. Seems like the strategy is to make up the difference with the current fan base rather than increase it. BTW how much did you pay for those Sec 17 seats back in 2003 compared to what they are today? If I recall there was a special deal on the then Silver section seats.
That being said, when will the Lions tune into the fact that they have a HUGE stadium to fill with a very expensive ticket in a crowded sports landscape and play in a market where people are squeezed for every penny by high taxes and a high cost of living? CFL football should not be that expensive to attend if these guys are only making about $80K a year on average.
Exactly David. Just look at the Eskimos who have a similar capacity to deal with at Commonwealth. I can sit in row one of the upper deck on the 25-yard-line for $241 for the season. Those very same seats for the Lions cost $615 or even inside the 20 upper deck cost $460. Yes, BC Place is a much nicer venue but not to justify that big of discrepancy.
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Rammer
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SammyGreene wrote:
25% less ST holders since the high water mark during the Buono era can easily be offset by the price increases since, regardless of the over priced upper seating. To think that the Lions are the net benefactors of the governments upgrades, grades on me as any paying Lion fan is getting jobbed from both ends of the stick here.
I hear you Rammer. Seems like the strategy is to make up the difference with the current fan base rather than increase it. BTW how much did you pay for those Sec 17 seats back in 2003 compared to what they are today? If I recall there was a special deal on the then Silver section seats.
That being said, when will the Lions tune into the fact that they have a HUGE stadium to fill with a very expensive ticket in a crowded sports landscape and play in a market where people are squeezed for every penny by high taxes and a high cost of living? CFL football should not be that expensive to attend if these guys are only making about $80K a year on average.
Exactly David. Just look at the Eskimos who have a similar capacity to deal with at Commonwealth. I can sit in row one of the upper deck on the 25-yard-line for $241 for the season. Those very same seats for the Lions cost $615 or even inside the 20 upper deck cost $460. Yes, BC Place is a much nicer venue but not to justify that big of discrepancy.
IIRC, it was $150 per ST, crazy increases. Glad I have a PVR and a HD to view on the big screen....sigh.
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BCfanInDIXIE
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im a Troy Trojans football season ticket holder. If I lived in BC you can bet your backside I'd be a Leo ticket holder too. Sorry I live so far away fellas, wish I was up there with yall to cheer the boys on every week.
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ik17
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18 home games for the whitecaps and 10 for the lions so per game price when comparing season tickets and scaling it, they aren't that far apart.

If you look league wide, we're about 3rd or 4th in the league in average season ticket price.
TheLionKing
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BCfanInDIXIE wrote:im a Troy Trojans football season ticket holder. If I lived in BC you can bet your backside I'd be a Leo ticket holder too. Sorry I live so far away fellas, wish I was up there with yall to cheer the boys on every week.
How much are the tickets ?
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B.C.FAN
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David wrote:One should be able to buy a $20 or $25 single ticket for a Lions game.

DH :cool:
My season tickets in the cheapest price category are roughly $31.50 ($26 plus HST and stadium fee). For my ongoing support, I expect to get a price break compared to a single-game ticket buyer, so single-game prices of $35 or $40 are not out of line.

I have seen a lot of price resistance, though, from walkup buyers confronted by $35 or $40 tickets. A new Lions marketing partnership with 7-Eleven, Safeway or another business selling cheap tickets at $50 per pair would probably be attractive and would help broaden the fan base. Unlike the old B.C. Place, though, there really are no bad seats in the new stadium. The upper deck in the end zone is not open to regular sales so is the only place that casual fans with discounted tickets would not be among season ticket holders who paid more for their seats.
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David
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ik17 wrote:If you look league wide, we're about 3rd or 4th in the league in average season ticket price.
I find this very hard to believe. Not to come across as rude or confrontational, but what is your source for this info?

DH :cool:
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ik17
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ik17 wrote:If you look league wide, we're about 3rd or 4th in the league in average season ticket price.
David wrote:I find this very hard to believe. Not to come across as rude or confrontational, but what is your source for this info?

DH :cool:
Other CFL teams have websites with ticket prices listed too... Factor in that we pay HST when some others don't... there's not a huge disparity at all the prices are very close. Calgary and Montreal are higher average price.
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David
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ik17 wrote:
ik17 wrote:If you look league wide, we're about 3rd or 4th in the league in average season ticket price.
David wrote:I find this very hard to believe. Not to come across as rude or confrontational, but what is your source for this info?

DH :cool:
Other CFL teams have websites with ticket prices listed too... Factor in that we pay HST when some others don't... there's not a huge disparity at all the prices are very close. Calgary and Montreal are higher average price.
But you can't really just look at a bunch of ticket prices, find a median price, and say "that's it. They're the most (or least) expensive." You'd have to know the inventory of seats at each price point to draw a true average. I could see Molson Stadium being highest and McMahon doesn't have end-zone seating so they may be skewed on the high side.

Still, if you were to price out each seat and take an average, I think we would come out at or near the top (especially since we have the highest low-end price point in the league).

DH :cool:
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