Wednesday, September 16, 2009

How has sluggish economy affected WHL?


I spoke to Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison at a news conference at Prospera Place this morning. Sure we discussed the new rule changes on fighting, but how has the slumping Canadian economy affected the league:

"We monitored that very closely throughout last season and the course of this off-season as well, both in terms of season ticket response and cooperate sponsorships. We weathered the storm very well. Our research going into it showed that do to our modest price points in terms of ticket prices being family affordable and our sponsorships having great value that we found a way to get through it."

"The downturn may be somewhat economy driven but we've only had a few teams...our season ticket sales are more or less flat. We haven't seen a decrease at all across the board. Some teams have dropped a bit but some teams have also increased (ticket sales). I think we attribute it more to the teams performance. I think the fans hold the teams accountable on team performance ultimately, if you run a good program you are going to be rewarded at the gate."

1 comment:

g.k said...

Well things aren't going to get much better with the new fighting rules, these new rules will equal less fans for sure.