Grey Cup sellout still Bombers’ goal

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This article was published 22/08/2015 (4023 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The clock is ticking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in their search for a sellout crowd for the 103rd Grey Cup, set to take place at Investors Group Field Nov. 29.

With just 14 weeks before kickoff in the final game of the 2015 season, the Bombers announced Friday they’ve reached 70 per cent of total ticket sales, leaving the club more than 11,000 shy of a packed house.

In a release, Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller, said he is “encouraged by the ticket count” and  looks forward to reaching a sellout in the coming months.

In a glass-half-full approach, there is still time for the Bombers to reach full capacity. With many still in summer mode, the fever of a Grey Cup in the fall still has legs to grow. The allure of a new stadium and the fact the smallest CFL markets are known to provide the best festival atmosphere in the week worth of parties leading up to the big game should help boost some interest in parts outside Manitoba.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.

With Saskatchewan winless through seven weeks and almost no chance of making the post-season, it’s unlikely Miller and the Bombers will see the fruits of attracting a sea of green come game time.

It comes as no coincidence the Bombers’ struggles in the box office also come at a time when the team is fighting to find wins. Winnipeg sits in fourth place in the West Division with a record of 3-5 and have lost four of their last five games. With No.1 quarterback Drew Willy on the shelf for another 6-7 weeks with a banged-up right knee, there has been little to suggest a turnaround in the near future.

It doesn’t help history also appears to be against the Blue and Gold.

In 2010, Edmonton was able to sell out in just three days. A year later in Vancouver, tickets were long gone by July, even though the Lions had a less than stellar start to the season, losing six of their first seven games.

In Toronto, a place where the CFL doesn’t garner half the attention it does on the Prairies, they too had to turn people away by mid-summer. It was much the same story in 2014 when Saskatchewan played host.

The last thing the Bombers will want is a repeat of last year, where thousands of tickets were still available in the days leading up to the game at BC Place and prices were slashed in order to fill seats and salvage any additional revenue.

The Bombers won’t be able to afford such a fate, especially given the heavy bills they face from building a new stadium.

There is little doubt a successful Grey Cup was going to be a way the organization could help silence critics who have complained over the heavy investment of taxpayers’ dollars and construction issues at IGF — such as cracks and leaks that appeared just months after opening.

Unlike Vancouver, Winnipeg doesn’t have the benefit of beautiful mountains and balmy weather, nor does it have a dome to protect fans from the elements. Indeed, November weather is a bit more unpredictable in these parts.

In the hours leading up to the 1991 Grey Cup, the first time Winnipeg hosted the big game, temperatures hit as low as -27C, making it the coldest title game in league history. In 2006, the last time the Grey Cup was in town, temperatures hovered around -7C with every one of the 45,000 tickets spoken for. The Bombers banked $2.6 million in profits that year.

When the Bombers announced the Grey Cup was coming in March of 2014, Miller estimated a profit of between $3 and $4 million, but that was based on an estimated attendance of 41,000.

Now, even if the Bombers do hit their mark, it will still be the lowest attendance since 1998, a year Winnipeg also played host, attracting a total of 34,157 fans.

It appears the team is already in the midst of trying to soften the blow of a low turnout, as plans have  been made to shrink the seating capacity, with additional seats being set up only in the south end zone.

The north side has now been cleared for the pre-game and halftime shows. Some could argue the atmosphere of a smaller capacity with more seats filled trumps a big space with fewer bodies. But it doesn’t mean more bucks in the bank.

And when it comes to hosting a Grey Cup, it’s making money that makes the most sense.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jeffkhamilton