Arkells get CFL to switch time of Argos home opener

CFL Talk
#1

Who knew a Hamilton band could get a Toronto team to change the start time of their home opener?

The Arkells spoke and the CFL answered. The Hamilton band has managed to get the Canadian Football League (CFL) to move the time of a regular season game so it won’t conflict with its Rally Cry Summer Night concert in Toronto. The band recently announced it would be performing at Budweiser Stage on June 22, which is the same day the Hamilton Tiger-Cats take on the Toronto Argonauts. The group sent out a tweet on Wednesday asking the CFL to move the game to a 4 p.m., instead of 7 p.m., and the CFL agreed.
The Argos and Ti-Cats jumped on board - and the CFL and TSN made it happen moving the game from 7:00PM to 4:00PM.

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The concert is apparently now sold out. Will the move help sell more tickets to the football game?

#2

Who are the Arkells that they have that much pull? Never heard of them.

#3

They’re Juno Award winners and very popular here in Hamilton. They drew 24,000 at Tim Hortons Field last summer. Biggest concert crowd in Hamilton since the infamous Pink Floyd concert in 1975 at Ivor Wynne that drew 50,000 when they blew up the scoreboard.

They’ve always been huge Cats fans.

#4

Not as bad as having to move a game because of the Wiggles I guess, so that’s a positive.

#5

It’s not a big deal for the league and it makes a lot of sense. That game probably could have been scheduled for 4pm originally anyway and no one would be the wiser.

#6

The cynic in me suspects the Argos and league were in cahoots with the Arkells on this in order to garner a little more social media attention.

#7

Makes sense anyways I hate driving home at 10 at night for a 7 game

#8

Seems odd to me that this double booking could have occurred in the first place.

#9

During the summer there is a concert at Ontario Place most nights. Concert promoters do not waste any time looking at the CFL schedule, or the Blue Jays’ for that matter. The Argos have scheduled games at the same time as concerts there before, and I’m sure they’ll do so again. The alternative is to be forced into start times and/or dates that they don’t like. This is a one-off that moves the game to a time that many (possibly most) hard-core Argo fans prefer anyway.

#10

Have to admit - the same thought crossed my mind with two teams, the league and the TV network all making the change within hours of the first tweet?

#11

…there is no bad press

#12

fairly surprising to see a game shifted like that…but hey, it probably helps both parties…good stuff. Perhaps they should work with some groups in the future so that they can package some tickets as a 'full day experience.'Get agetsay a 3pm game with a concert starting at 7pm. For argument sake,say it is normally 50+50 for each ticket, but get thepackage for 80 or something. Sounds like it would be a fun day.

#13

I somewhat wondered the same…but if they did I almost think it is even better and fairly savvy marketing/PR