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Can the B.C. Lions buck the trend of big drops in attendance after large home-opening crowds?
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Published Jun 26, 2024 • 4 minute read
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33,103 fans watched the B.C. Lions and running back James Butler beat up on the Edmonton Elks in the home-opener last season. Photo by Darryl Dyck/CP /PNG
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They did it. They got 50K for 50 Cent.
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The B.C. Lions got them in da club, so to speak, but no magic stick could be waved to keep all the fans there. By the time the fourth quarter arrived at B.C. Place during the Lions’ home-opener, the 53,788 crowd had dwindled dramatically, and not just a lil bit.
GAME DAY
Edmonton Elks (0-3) at B.C. Lions (2-1)
June 27, 7 p.m., B.C. Place
TV: TSN, CFL+. Radio: AM980 English, pre-game 6 p.m.; AM600 Punjabi, pre-game 6:30 p.m.
They weren’t on the concourse getting beers or burgers, nor were they still stuck outside in the long queues to get into the building (like thousands were three hours before). They had apparently gotten their money’s worth with the concert and decided to take their leave early from the Lions’ 26-17 win over the Calgary Stampeders. They disappeared faster than 50 Cent did into his convoy of black Escalades behind the stage after his set.
Usually, the Vancouver fans’ rep is one that shows up late, not leaves early. Or, in the Lions’ not-to-distant past, one that didn’t show up at all. This crowd flexed with the same energy as the thousa … sorry, dozens of Florida Panthers fans who showed up to their Stanley Cup celebration.
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The Lions have pulled themselves back into relevance through a formula of equal parts of competitiveness and accessibility. Perhaps the latter worked against them in the home-opener.
It only cost $25 to get in the door to the upper bowl, and with it a decent vantage point for the concert. But the low price point made it easier to cast off the rest of the show — Leos versus Stamps — if one so desired.
“It’s an interesting thing. Price is a big factor in everything you do,” said Lions team president Duane Vienneau. “It’s not just sports; we make conscious decisions every day on what we’re going to spend our money on and what we feel is value.
“Here’s the overriding strategy for us: we sold out the building. We exposed our product to fans that probably have never been to a Lions’ game before, or have ventured to a Lions’ game in a long, long time.
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“There is a buzz around the Lions right now that — at that game or not, at that game came and left, didn’t come — whatever the circumstances of that game, having sold out 54,000 people created a buzz that the Lions are on the charts. We’re hearing people talk about us in circles that we don’t normally hear them talking about us.”
They’re doing something right.
Average attendance is the highest it’s been in a decade (23,000), and it’s true, anecdotally, that you see more Lions gear around the city — even on off-days — than you did before.
It’s also true that there’s been a ton of interest around the team during their home-openers and accompanying pre-game concerts. They had 34,082 in 2022 for One Republic/Elks, and 33,103 for the Elks/LL Cool J in 2023.
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But the next home game each season has seen massive drops. Only 14,006 took in their win over the Toronto Argonauts in 2022, then 20,106 for a win over the Montreal Alouettes in 2023.
And Thursday’s game against the Elks isn’t exactly the perfect scheduling. It’s a mid-week game, at 7 p.m. on a workday and two days before a long weekend. The fans that bus in from the Interior and Vancouver Island as part of the Lions’ outreach initiatives likely won’t be making the trip, unless it’s part of some extended holiday time.
The team is hoping for 20,000, which is a realistic number when factoring in Edmonton: the central Albertans make up the biggest average crowds at B.C. Place for the Lions. The last three times the Lions have topped 50,000 it’s come against Edmonton. (50,213, 2011; 54,108, 1991; 59,478, 1986).
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“Thursdays work in some markets better than others. It’s a harder day for us, for many, many reasons,” said Vienneau. “Are we complaining about it? No, it is what it is.
“The positive to this is we have CFL football on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So four out of the seven days a week, we have CFL football on television. That’s great, and there’s consistency.”
He said TV ratings to this point were up five per cent over last year’s numbers, which in turn were up nine per cent from the year before. The Lions saw their TV numbers dip in last week’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but only slightly — despite running against Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“That tells us a lot,” said Vienneau. “We went head to head, and we held our own.”
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The Lions have built it, and the fans have come. But now it’s time for them to stay.
jadams@postmedia.com
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/football/cfl/bc-lions/bc-lions-have-built-it-fans-have-come-now-its-time-to-stick-around