That is a lofty goal so he would need to lower the ticket prices to make that happen. 25 to 30 dollars for a seat is not cheapening anything. If he going to black out 5 games than he needs to make tickets affordable or they will go down hill. Seems like they are competing with the white caps now for fan suppport so putting ticket prices in line with them would be a start.
The Whitecaps are trying the Sounders model of closing up the upper bowl and build out the fan base. Now the Sounders gets crowds of 50k. I mean if a US city can sell that many tickets for soccer, the Lions can definitely sell that many tickets for football in Vancouver. They just need to build a successful model like the Sounders.
It is working too with the Caps. TSN is doing a great job of promoting the CFL for TV it is up to each team to do the same in their city
Thats a pretty funny comment about Cheapening the Product---
Cheapening the product is when you don't block the upper bowl when its mostly empty like the Caps do-
Cheapening the product is hiring mickey mouse halftime acts that no one cares about
Cheapening the product is not having a SHRINE with plaques and grey cup pictures and retired jerseys in your home stadium that is supposed to be state of the art-
Cheapening the product is not hiring a competent football announcer or a proper Dj who can get the crowd into the game-
Cheapening the product is charging OVERPRICED tickets for a league that is not marketing its players or the CFL in general.
Cheapening the product is not using any SIGNAGE like the Caps do with BELL and other board sponsors that give the stadium the impression and visual appearance that sponsors actually sponsor the league-
Cheapening the product is when the LIons look more like they are renting BC place for the night than opposed to owning the stadium-
The Lions look like they are playing a neutral site game at home---
If they want to not be CHEAP they should use the colour ORANGE and have the entire stadium ORANGE- Make it more orange like SASK makes their stadium all green--
But the sad fact is we do not have a good FAN base to draw from in Vancouver- Vancouver fans are very prone to seeing the world through their eyes only- Meaning its a nice city with people who only like what is visually pleasing to the EYES- Thats why they are so many POSERS and FAKERS running around here pretending to be something they are not-
The reason the CFL gets no respect in Vancouver is because we do not have educated football fans and we have PRETENTIOUS FLAKY BANDWAGON type of FANS who will always FAVOUR the more VISUALLY APPEALING NFL LEAGUE- Half of the NFL fans here in VANCOUVER actually know very little about the NFL but only support it because its the IN THING to do in town-
UFC popularity is the same thing- UFC possibly one of the worst mickey mouse poor exuce for a sport is very popular here because it is a MEME- MEMES are when many people of a culture identify with a certain behaviour or attitude or idea. UFC is a MEME in that a normal conversation on a Saturday would be " hey buddy are you watching the FIGHT tonight"
Even though to the uneducated fans who watch MMA they cant even understand that the UFC is fixed- The matchups are all arranged to keep the star guys undefeated for years- They do the old recipe of faking an injury for 1-2 years when the CHAMP is in his prime . Is GEORGE ST PIERRE the head of UFC marketing or an AMBASSADOR for the UFc or a FIGHTER? He hasnt fought in a long time of course-- ANd they make sure he fights a guy 15-20 pounds lighter than he is- Not very hard to beat guys at LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT when GSP himself is a real MIDDLEWEIGHT-
The Lions did block off the upper bowl when Bobby Ackles first came back. They were filling the lower bowl with 27k plus per game. The demand for tickets started go up and season ticket sales were around 24 to 25k at its peak during Ackles time here. He has stated that his goal was to get the season tickets back to 30k. I agreed with the Lions opening up parts of the upper bowl a few years back because the demand was increasing. Now it seems like we are going back the other way. Skulsky said the season ticket number for this season is 18k. Very far from the 30k that Ackles had in mind. The positive is that they are finally listening and trying things. I'm planning to try out the 30 dollar Gridiron Deck section later this year. The Lions did a video for it and it looks very cool. Seems like a thing young people would enjoy. Lets hope they continue to listen to the fans and realize that you can't charge over 40 bucks for endzone seats.
i was at the family section for $25.00 each $50.00 total very good deal lots of things the kids can do reminds me of the old nalleys chips section at empire that was desighned for kids, If the lions can stay competative, over the next few years and Dennis skulsky finally wakes up and lowers some of the lower bowl prices like the corners and endzones, it forces people to buy the $80.00 sideline tickets, in the upperdeck , that is what the canucks did years ago with Brian Burke, .
i still think this team has tons of fans in this city and province , the ticket prices have to match what the whitecaps are charging or the lions are going to be on the outside looking in, i did look at the whitecaps tickets in the endzones $38.00 taxes and service in , bc lions $42.00 taxes and services in, so not that much different in prices.
Great points. The Lions’ marketing department needs to realize what their market truly is. You play in a large stadium the is not even close to being full so stop pricing the team like they are the freaking Canucks. The Lions do NOT have a following like that so tickets should be priced accordingly! Seattle is in a great football market in a football-crazed nation that can get away with their price points, we cannot. The comparison in hockey would be like the Nashville Predators charging similar prices for tickets as the Toronto Maple Leafs. The results would be catastrophic. Instead, they offer appropriate ticket prices for their market and are quietly growing a fanbase down there. Take notes BC Lions!
I also feel that the talent level in the CFL is going down with respect to Quarterbacks, defensive backs.
Buck Pierce, a 40 year old Calvillo, Burris, Durant would not be starters in the CFL in the 1980's or 1990's- It was after the failed merge with the AMERICAN teams that the CFL really experienced a lack of good QBS--
Flutie, Dunigan, Jeff Garcia, Dickenson were all good QBS- The CFL was a better league before--
The league should be able to draw better QBS from the states- They just dont bring in any good QBS-- BUCK PIERCE is not a professional QB- WHen you watch him play he looks scared- He is 190 lbs which is a complete joke in a PRO league- You cannot play QB with a ripped beach body-
No QBS in the CFL are generating even a look from the NFL-- ITs clear that the CFL needs better QBS--
Also just to prove how we are not bringing in good TALENT level- Consider this-- Name me 1 dominant DEFENSIVE BACK?
Is there any defensive back that can make the NFL? Is there any defensive back that can make any interceptions?
Truth be told, the CFL needs to pay their players a bit more, and make them practice more- You simply cannot have a PRO league in which they are only allowed to practice for 2 hours a day- The play on the field is evident because of a lack of reps-
The LIons are being run like a joke- They are just charging people HIGH PRICES like most things in this city- Vancouver is known to have some of the most UNEDUCATED CONSUMERS in North AMerica IMO- How else can you explain overpriced Canucks ticket, REAL ESTATE that is overpriced because people are OUTBIDDING each other and rushing to buy when if they had half a brain the BUYERS would all be smarter and force the Greedy Sellers to lower their prices--
The reason we pay more in this city for most things is because people are willing to pay more for things here- They are content doing it, and the LIONS will charge their prices accordingly- If people dont complain might as well keep ripping them off- toll bridges etc-
The Lions most expensive ticket should be $50- $50 is reasonable because the EXECUTION level is poor due to no practice time-
The cheapest ticket should be $25--
Middle ranges from $25- 50-
this way they would draw about 30,000 to 35,000 PER GAME-
Being a FORMER season ticket holder I could not get any one to even take my extra tickets for free- I would hear things like no thanks, not interested, I could make the CFL if I trained for 1 month--
This lack of interest is TRUE as is evident by the LOW ATTENDANCE-
The NFL and the MLS and the NHL all have GOOD MARKETING teams and are KEEPING up with the TIMES- THE CFL is doing nothing to market the league or teams-
The CFL needs to radically change their BUSINESS MODEL- They are going to be an afterthought here in the city- There is just too many other ways to spend your money in this city for the CFL to survive--
I would be worried if i was SULSKY because you are DRAWING NO FANS WHEN YOU HAVE THE BEST TEAM IN THE CFL--
The changing commissioner are an issue also- they need to hire a REAL COMMISIONNER who is not interested in personal business deals and other business ventures--- They need a real FOOTBALL COMMISIONER and not these corporate BUSINESS PITCHMEN who are not doing anything for the GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT of the CFL---
Case in point- Former Commissioner Larry Smith's son Brad SMITH coincidentally ends up on the ARGOS? Hmmm- Backdoor Favours? Hmm Toronto steals Chris JOnes illegally from CGY and the RICKY RAY TRADE was fishy also-
CFL is a great league - it has more passing, wide open style- But the management and player talent level and execution are all declining--
Case in point-- A 30 yard field goal is no longer automatic anymore- Many of the kickers cannot even make easy routine field goals- Palardy, Congi both missed 30 yarders, Oneil missed a 30 yarder vs Toronto-
Holy shit, you guys are talking like the Lions are averaging 10,000 fans a game and the Whitecaps are some big deal. How often do you hear people talk about the Whitecaps? Not any more often than the Lions that's for sure. Last year they averaged 9,000 less fans a game than the Lions did. Now I'm not bashing the Whitecaps but give the Lions some credit.
And Gridiron "guru" there is so much wrong with your post that I don't even know where to start. The one thing I could agree on is the Lions high ticket prices, but the rest of that was garbage and you know it.
Huh ??? I would not know where to start with your perception and the reality that is going on in the CFL.
For the QB situation coming into the first decade of the 2000’s the Arena league was paying well and there were a lot of teams and QBs were in particular making a career in the Arena Football league with 6 digit salaries and the state ofthe CFL closing out the 90’s was not very good. NFLE also was in the picture as a stable option for QBs to be allocated by their NFL clubs.
The cycle has now changed and the QB turnover is already beginning. Lulay, now Reilly. Toronto has two very great QB prospects and on in Callaros who has the skill set for the popular read option of the NFL. What Could make him an NFL prospect one day is that he came almost right to the CFL and the same could be said for Bo Levi in Calgary.
Most of the other QB prospects that look very good Drew Willy and Trevor Harris, Lefevour in Hamilton to name a few have already been to the NFL circles so they will be more likely not to be looked at by the NFL anymore
In the past when you talk of QBs that went from the CFL to the NFL came right to the CFL right out of college and hense the NFL would show more interest because they have not been in the NFL for a solid 3 year or so before going to the NFL. The Moon’s, Garcia’s etc. plus Burris and Ray both took their crack at the NFL did not make it and came back and are the better for it.
The problem about QBs that you are refering to is a mystery to all of us and that is why Winnipeg insist on still thinking that Buck pierce an average QB still has a starting job. I think everyone would agree except for the Bombers that this is the case. The 2 QBs that they did have came to the CFL with a very good resume and a high level of play as starters for Big Time DI teams in Big time conferences.
This Gridian guy is out to lunch
The Gridiron Deck and Family sections seem to be selling very well! Ticket master shows mostly singles left. Then you look at the section over and the 70 dollar tickets are just not moving. I think next year we'll see a completely revamped pricing strategy. This year is probably more of a test
Yup you are right. I said it before if you are going to black out the first 5 home games then you need to make tickets affordable to your fan base. Your old diehard fans are going to come but grabbing that 18-35 and family crowd a test run could open up one end zone to the Gridiron Deck and the other the family section
This is very good news because it can be a wake up call for Skulsky and company to lower the prices for other sections too. Specifically endzones and corner endzones which are still a tad too expensive.
I hate to say this but lowering the end zone to $30.00 a ticket is not going to help, they need to cut off the upper deck completely like the whitecaps do and make it a urgency to buy tickets before they sell out, having the corners in the upper cheaper is not going to do it. THE NEW BC PLACE HAS LOST ITS NOVALTY, unfortunately David Skulsky was fooled by the fans that when bc place was was ready to move in sept of 2011, that he assumed that is was going to be like the bc place in the mid 80's were every seat was full, well, unfortunately the bc lions are not that popular anymore, they have a place in this city but not like it was in the mid 80's, and until Skulsky sees this, the lions are going to be lucky to get 30,000
In an interview they BC Lions were talking of just such an option but not closing off the entire upeer deck but instead opening up maybe just the first 15 rows or so along the end lines and then closing off the rest of the upper deck similiar to what the Whitecaps are doing. The WC set up is about 20K the Lions I think are looking towards more of 30K which is a reasonable number provided that there is a promotion plan in place