Musical chairs — stadium version

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This article was published 22/09/2011 (5318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE man in charge of Winnipeg’s version of musical chairs — the football stadium kind — has just started the music.

Jeff Thompson, chief transition officer for the Winnipeg Football Club, unveiled the initial details Wednesday of how he plans to transfer 21,155 season-ticket holders from Canad Inns Stadium to the new 33,500-seat facility at the University of Manitoba.

Moving such a large audience, some with season-ticket accounts that date back more than 50 years, is complex and required some outside guidance to put together. Thompson talked to a few clubs who made recent building moves and found a lot of support for what his office had originally intended.

“We asked the Jets and the Giants, and the people that helped them move, for some advice on how to do this,” Thompson said of the two New York/New Jersey-area NFL clubs, who moved from Giants Stadium to MetLife Stadium in 2010. “They pretty much confirmed what we thought.”

From now until Oct. 24, current season-ticket holders hoping to keep their ducats will have to put down a $50 deposit. That leads to a second phase, starting in November, where season-ticket holders can locate and secure their current allotment of seats.

Seat selection will be done on a seniority basis, meaning those who have held tickets for decades will be moved into new seats before those who have just picked up season tickets in the last couple years.

Using the snazzy new Virtual Venue feature (found at bluebombers.com), current season-ticket holders can click through different seats, sections and price points to get a better understanding of what a live CFL game will look like next summer. The feature provides a 360-degree view and allows the user to compare the sightlines of two different seats.

“If you’re able to look at your seat, check out a few different options other than your own and compare the different views, then it should help remove any anxiety people have about the process,” Thompson said.

Season-ticket holders will be asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their expectations for price and seat location in the near future. Once that information is gathered, the organization will assign a seat location to the holder, offering other options to choose from should the initial location not be suitable.

Telling people where to park it is a tough sell, Thompson admits, but with the new facility (circular bowl) holding a different configuration than Canad Inns Stadium (grandstand- style), more than a few patrons will be forced into a different location.

Some grumbling

That doesn’t sit well with some fans, especially those who’ve grown accustomed to watching the Bombers from their desired location. Corey Hanssen has held two tickets at midfield for more than 30 years, and he isn’t too keen about the possibility of getting kicked out of his seats.

“I’m not really fond of moving closer to the end zones,” he said Wednesday.

Season-ticket holders will also have first priority to purchase more seats if they wish, Thompson said, but only after the first phase of selection is complete.

Those looking to purchase season tickets for the first time will have to wait until April 2012.

Sections for the new bowl stadium, which can be expanded to 40,000 seats for things like concerts and Grey Cups (Winnipeg hopes to secure the 2015 game), are broken up into six price points — from $795 (lower-bowl sideline between the 15-yard lines) down to $197 (far corners of the second level). Stadium club seats, priced at $1,546, are sold out.

Though it’s conceivable the club could sell all the seats in the new stadium through the season-ticket transfer window, Thompson said it’s planning to hold back 2,000 to 3,000 seats for individual-game sale.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca