So I had a good chat with Joe at Cavalry today. Nice guy. Answered a lot of questions.
He conceded that they have been hearing a lot about ticket prices. Gave the usual lines about it being difficult to compare to other cities because of differences in capacity, city involvement, etc. I told him that's all fine and good, but they are limiting grassroots support in favour of revenue right off the bat, and that might bite them in the ass later.
I also said that it felt like they grossly inflated the central sections of the stadium (to near-Whitecaps levels, I might add) in exchange for some more affordable but undesirable options to bring the average down. $13.50 safe standing virtually in Bragg Creek? Come on now.
I brought up the parking, and he didn't really have an answer, but understood my concern. I said that $10 doesn't seem like much, but multiply it by 15 games and it becomes yet another barrier. I told him that there are some hardcore supporters that will come at any cost and travel any distance, but they won't be the ones filling up the stadium. Parking, higher than expected ticket prices, distance, etc. are all barriers for casual fans. He suggested the shuttle, and I told him that I've already got a 45 minute commute each way, so I won't be making it more like 75 by taking the train and shuttle, or more like 60 by driving to the shuttle. I told him that, although they can't help the location, the time/cost/hassle trade off are all pretty poor between driving and parking, driving and shuttle, or LRT and shuttle. Having a free shuttle does not justify the parking situation. He conceded that they've got bills to pay, etc. and I understand that, but others may not be so understanding and it feels like a lot of nickel and dimeing right off the bat, and a possible disincentive.
I do understand that they've got a limited, 5000 seat stadium, and not a big one like Winnipeg where they can just open up additional sections. They seem confident that they've calculated the demand vs. their supply. I still feel that they've missed the mark, but when/if those nearly-$80 sections (not even mentioning the $200+ hospitality stuff) are filled each game, then I suppose that they've made the correct calculation. The business case makes sense of filling it at the highest possible average cost, but it seems a bit presumptuous for an inaugural season in an un-established (apathetic, even) market for pro soccer, in the midst of a huge economic slump. He didn't disagree, at least verbally.
Some other tidbits that we chatted about (most came up naturally in conversation), some of which may be known and some not:
- January 16th is when season tickets can be purchased. Not sure if that is based on my member number (249).
- 15 home matches.
- 3 and 5 game packs will be available later, and the cost will be somewhere between the season ticket cost and the game day cost.
- Season tickets are subject to GST but no service fee from Ticketmaster (yes, Ticketmaster is their ticket provider). Game day tickets will have a $3 service charge added.
- You will have the ability to transfer tickets to somebody else for free, as long as they have the free app.
- App-based entry is encouraged, but the option to print tickets will be available as well.
- You can split the cost of your season tickets into 4 monthly payments with no additional charge added.
- The league is currently weighing 13 proposals from TV providers, covering the whole spectrum of broadcast, subscription, free streaming, etc. but he did say that the league would like the games to be easily accessible for people, particularly for away games.
- They've currently got about 1130 members.
- Your membership ranking remains with you for life, so even if you didn't do all-in this season, you would keep your priority rank forever. This would be, of course, after current ticket holders renew or cancel. Remaining tickets would be made available based on your member number.
- Players will enter between sections 200 and 109.
- Kids on lap are free, with no age limit. Depending on your kids age, size, fidgetyness, etc. that might be an option for some.
- If you are planning on going in on a season with a friend, you can jump ahead to the higher priority member and buy together, but keep the payments/account separate (as opposed to member A having to pay and then being reimbursed by member B).
At the end of the call he asked (optionally) if I would provide how many tickets, if any, I might be interested in, and my preferred sections. I told him that I'd probably need to limit myself to below $30 per game, so probably something like section 108 or 109 for 2-3 seats at the absolute maximum, but that I wished $25 would get me a bit closer to the centre than the end of the stand (I'm not a huge fan of the ends behind the goals, but may consider something back there too). I did also tell him that I almost certainly would not be doing a full season, but would be looking for a split with someone, or waiting for game packs.
So there you go. 25 minute chat. Nice guy. Handled my questions and criticisms well. Now I have a month and a bit to decide how much I can commit to, who I can drag with me, who to split with, etc. I don't think that 5 games will be too hard for me. A half season of 7 or 8 is on the table. 15 games I think would simply be too much for me personally with my current life, kid, holidays, etc.
