2017 CFL Season

[esquire]

Originally Posted by TimB09

Glad to see my Esks get out of their funk and FINALLY win a game after losing 6 in a row.

Don't know if they'll win anymore this year but we shall see. Calgary and Sask will give us a hard time coming up here.

The Esks remind me of the 2011 Bombers being on fire for the first half of the season and then just kind of falling asleep down the backstretch. Funny thing is that Odell Willis played on both teams.

At this point I expect the Esks to finish 4th in the west which is actually not all that bad, since if I were them I'd rather take my chances with Ottawa and Toronto as opposed to Winnipeg and Calgary.

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by esquire

The Esks remind me of the 2011 Bombers being on fire for the first half of the season and then just kind of falling asleep down the backstretch. Funny thing is that Odell Willis played on both teams.

At this point I expect the Esks to finish 4th in the west which is actually not all that bad, since if I were them I'd rather take my chances with Ottawa and Toronto as opposed to Winnipeg and Calgary.

I'd rather go crossover too but we did that last year and that didn't go very well for us either.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by TimB09

BC Lions fans on here...can someone explain to me why attendance has dipped so much in Vancouver?

If Braley hasn't taken it to the point of no return, hopefully the Aquilinis or the Waterboys will be able to get things going again. The team was able to rebound from some even worse years in the late 90s and early oughts so I wouldn't give up hope just yet.

I get the feeling that under the new Commish the league is looking at the generation beyond the millennials and trying to reach them long before any other "bias" gets to them. Brainwash 'em early.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by TimB09

BC Lions fans on here...can someone explain to me why attendance has dipped so much in Vancouver?
Fan apathy?
Team not doing so well in the standings?
Other things to do in Vancouver(Canucks, Whitecaps, skiing, etc.)
Ownership?

As a huge CFL fan I'm really worried to see that happening out there.

I've tried to explain it before, but it's just fan apathy. Nobody cares about the Lions. Nobody even cared in 2011. They are just so far off the radar I can't emphasize it enough. It's not far off from being a fan of the (WHL) Giants.

The Whitecaps attendance is only marginally better, but because soccer is still a niche sport they get decent buzz as it's the only show there is. If you're a football fan, the NFL's right there.

Honestly anecdotally, at least for people my age, I sometimes think the NFL is bigger than hockey. You hear way more talk about it year after year than anything else. Hockey only matters when the Canucks are good.

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I've tried to explain it before, but it's just fan apathy. Nobody cares about the Lions. Nobody even cared in 2011. They are just so far off the radar I can't emphasize it enough. It's not far off from being a fan of the (WHL) Giants.

The Whitecaps attendance is only marginally better, but because soccer is still a niche sport they get decent buzz as it's the only show there is. If you're a football fan, the NFL's right there.

Honestly anecdotally, at least for people my age, I sometimes think the NFL is bigger than hockey. You hear way more talk about it year after year than anything else. Hockey only matters when the Canucks are good.

So as a Lions fan do you think building a new stadium like Winnipeg and Sask have done makes more sense? Bring your crowds into a more intimate space and make it more enjoyable?

[HomerSPC]

Originally Posted by TimB09

So as a Lions fan do you think building a new stadium like Winnipeg and Sask have done makes more sense? Bring your crowds into a more intimate space and make it more enjoyable?

Winnipeg and Sask were also decrepit old stadiums and the primary reason they were replaced. BC Place is still wonderfully maintained, just a little too big. No one is going to build a new stadium for the Lions.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by TimB09

So as a Lions fan do you think building a new stadium like Winnipeg and Sask have done makes more sense? Bring your crowds into a more intimate space and make it more enjoyable?

Won't happen. The gov't sunk a ton of money into BC Place and no private dollars are going to be sunk into a stadium.

Need to find a way to make it work @ BC Place.

1 - need a new owner with passion and some $$ and vision (if it is Aquilinis - need to co-market with Canucks - Saturday double header tickets - Lions @ 4p and Canucks @ 7p for $100)
2 - need a marketing plan, find ways to get people to come out and get them to the stadium easier (buses from pubs in the Fraser Valley etc.) tolls off the Port Mann should help a bit
3 - better schedule - need Saturday games. Weeknights hurt crowds
4 - need an extension of the $5 kid ticket all season and a seasons ticket kid rate (I pay $600 per seat like me for each kid (4 and 6) and can't afford to do that anymore
5 - tailgating of some sort (sort of what the Argos do)
6 - Fresh blood in the coaching staff / front office (Geroy maybe) and put a winner on the field. Some good pieces in place (Jennings will get better) and market the star players more
7 - keep Travis Lulay in the organization the way the Stamps kept Dickenson

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

Won't happen. The gov't sunk a ton of money into BC Place and no private dollars are going to be sunk into a stadium.

Need to find a way to make it work @ BC Place.

1 - need a new owner with passion and some $$ and vision (if it is Aquilinis - need to co-market with Canucks - Saturday double header tickets - Lions @ 4p and Canucks @ 7p for $100)
2 - need a marketing plan, find ways to get people to come out and get them to the stadium easier (buses from pubs in the Fraser Valley etc.) tolls off the Port Mann should help a bit
3 - better schedule - need Saturday games. Weeknights hurt crowds
4 - need an extension of the $5 kid ticket all season and a seasons ticket kid rate (I pay $600 per seat like me for each kid (4 and 6) and can't afford to do that anymore
5 - tailgating of some sort (sort of what the Argos do)
6 - Fresh blood in the coaching staff / front office (Geroy maybe) and put a winner on the field. Some good pieces in place (Jennings will get better) and market the star players more
7 - keep Travis Lulay in the organization the way the Stamps kept Dickenson

Wow. The Esks have discounted seats for kids 18 and under. That's crazy that they make you pay the same amount for your kids as they do for you.

Yeah, very true about BC Place. Just wanted to ask to see what you guys thought.

I hope they turn it around and soon. I think the game has passed Wally by and he needs to step aside and let someone else take over.

[esquire]

^ There may be some truth to that last point... last night on CFL:60, Lowell Ullrich made the case that Wally's free agents he brought in this season have practically all been busts. Something like that would have been unthinkable 15 years ago.

The Lions are a bit like the Als... a once-powerful team that is just kind of adrift now without any obvious plan in place from the owner's office right down to the field.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ There may be some truth to that last point... last night on CFL:60, Lowell Ullrich made the case that Wally's free agents he brought in this season have practically all been busts. Something like that would have been unthinkable 15 years ago.

The Lions are a bit like the Als... a once-powerful team that is just kind of adrift now without any obvious plan in place from the owner's office right down to the field.

True and True

Braley has been a savior for the CFL, but he has hung on too long and lost any increased value in the Lions as there was 3 years ago. Smart business guy overall but this one is a head scratcher

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

True and True

Braley has been a savior for the CFL, but he has hung on too long and lost any increased value in the Lions as there was 3 years ago. Smart business guy overall but this one is a head scratcher

If the Aquilini's are indeed one of the potential buyers the opportunities for cross-marketing are there for sure.
I thought I read somewhere that Braley was waiting until the end of this season to finally sell the Lions.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by TimB09

So as a Lions fan do you think building a new stadium like Winnipeg and Sask have done makes more sense? Bring your crowds into a more intimate space and make it more enjoyable?

I personally don't believe in the whole small stadium thing, so no. If we get 20,000 people a game in a 54,000 seat stadium, I don't think a 25,000 seat stadium would bump attendace up at all.

Besides, BC Place as a facility is amazing and back when we got 30,000 people in there it actually felt pretty full, believe it or not. The most important thing is marketing. We need to find a way to get people to care about the Lions. It's a challenge though; I don't think Vancouver's the strongest sports city to begin with.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by TimB09

If the Aquilini's are indeed one of the potential buyers the opportunities for cross-marketing are there for sure.
I thought I read somewhere that Braley was waiting until the end of this season to finally sell the Lions.

The Calgary ownership group that owns the Flames also owns the Stampeders. But there are rumblings within the Stampeder camp that they would like to separate from the Flames. Seems like it has been no advantage for the Stamps to be married to the Flames.

We shall see.

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I personally don't believe in the whole small stadium thing, so no. If we get 20,000 people a game in a 54,000 seat stadium, I don't think a 25,000 seat stadium would bump attendace up at all.

Besides, BC Place as a facility is amazing and back when we got 30,000 people in there it actually felt pretty full, believe it or not. The most important thing is marketing. We need to find a way to get people to care about the Lions. It's a challenge though; I don't think Vancouver's the strongest sports city to begin with.

Good to know.

Hopefully the new ownership puts a lot into marketing so that it can bring in more fans. Targeting the younger crowd (6-18) is a key demographic all CFL teams need to start working on. Making it affordable to bring your kids to games is of the utmost importance for the future of the CFL. That's how I got hooked, going to the games with my Dad when I was in kindergarten. Now, I try and watch every CFL game live and go to as many as I can.

[esquire]

^ As much as the freebie tickets are derided, they can be an effective marketing technique. Free tickets to a couple of games when I was in grade 6 and 7 turned me into a lifelong fan.

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ As much as the freebie tickets are derided, they can be an effective marketing technique. Free tickets to a couple of games when I was in grade 6 and 7 turned me into a lifelong fan.

Bingo!
CFL owners and team presidents need to take note of this. This is how you grow the game!

[GlassCity]

Not to mention that when you're in the crowd, it doesn't matter if the people around you paid or not. When there's more people cheering, it's more fun and that could encourage people to come more often in the future.

[tomthumb2]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

The Calgary ownership group that owns the Flames also owns the Stampeders. But there are rumblings within the Stampeder camp that they would like to separate from the Flames. Seems like it has been no advantage for the Stamps to be married to the Flames.

We shall see.

Where did you hear that? I know someone who works for the Stamps and he's never heard of such rumblings.

I agree there's zero advantage to owning the Stamps though. They don't make a lot of money and certainly don't have the revenue streams the Riders have with their fancy stadium, luxury boxes and merchandising (then again, in the CFL who does).

[blueandgoldguy]

The Stamps have seen their attendance fall since Flames' ownership purchased the team. I wouldn't say the same fate would befall the Lions should the owners of the Canucks buy them, but it is something to think about.

[elly63]

Gotta love this guy (and the lovely Brodie), what other league's commissioner actually exudes sincerity? Strange though, he's starting to resemble Vince McMahon

Q & A with Commissioner Randy Ambrosie

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