Oh, there are fans. Take a look at the seating chart for the Okotoks Dawgs field, and how many season tickets are sold, especially in sections 107 and 109:
http://www.dawgsbaseball.ca/Tickets.html
The Vipers problem is that they - namely Peter Young - spent their first two years pissing everybody in Calgary off. As a result, they have alienated fans and buisnesses alike with their amateurish approach.
Nobody cares how much Gidney spent on new seats at the park, yet the Vipers will tell you ten times a day if you let them. Of course, it is noted that while Gidney had to put $1 million of his own money into the park this past year, the Dawgs were given a $4 million ballpark for free. Such is the world when the professional club is run by amateurs, and the amateur club is run by professionals.
The indoor baseball/lacrosse training facility is a much better project, and one that helps plant roots in the community. These are things that should have been done a while ago. If Gidney hopes to see the Northern League remain in Calgary long term, he had better expect a few more years of poor crowds, becuase he has a lot of ground to make up. Having a pretty good ball club, like Calgary does this year, may help.