Calgary Flames Attendance down 2018/19 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Yoho · 11-27-2018, 05:21 AM

According to ESPN, the Flames are averaging an attendance of 18,109 at home this season which is still a very respectable 12th in the league. However compared to the 19,289 capacity of the Saddledome (5th largest in NHL), the Flames are only filling their arena to 93.9% full on average. That number is 22nd in the NHL

https://www.matchsticksandgasoline.c...nhl-attendance

Phagoof · 11-27-2018, 05:56 AM

The fact that the internals of the dome are gross and the prices for refreshments are ridiculously stupid may have something to do with it.

rain_e · 11-27-2018, 06:10 AM

I attended my first game this year about a week ago after cancelling my season tickets. It was bad enough waiting the entire period to use the washroom but now i have to deal with cigarette/ cannabis smokers in the washroom too every period? If you aren't going you let them outside then at least do something to prevent it from happening inside.

dissentowner · 11-27-2018, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phagoof

The fact that the internals of the dome are gross and the prices for refreshments are ridiculously stupid may have something to do with it.

The prices to go to a hockey game in Canada are ridiculous, not just refreshments.

Phagoof · 11-27-2018, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissentowner

The prices to go to a hockey game in Canada are ridiculous, not just refreshments.

I get your point, but paying $10.50 for a watered-down Bud is just a FU to the fans who show up and make this franchise what it is.

Monahammer · 11-27-2018, 06:16 AM

Bringing back the fan section pricing for the nose bleeds and the upper reaches of bowl two would help. I went to the BOA in the nosebleeds and it was a riot- but tickets were way more expensive than they used to be (when I bought them I didn't even think that they were up there...)

Also if I'm not mistaken the raw number of people attending games on average is still more than the max capacity of winnipeg's arena... doesn't seem like a big deal to me that the percentage is less-it seems to be a way of choosing a number that will favor the flames story of not making money when really it shouldnt matter as they dont currently pay to use the saddledome fwir.

Boreal · 11-27-2018, 06:29 AM

Burke mentioned on Tim & Sid that the main problem with the Dome is an undersized lower bowl that limits the amount of revenue they can generate.

When you look at the seating structure it makes sense.

Erick Estrada · 11-27-2018, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nobles_point

Burke mentioned on Tim & Sid that the main problem with the Dome is an undersized lower bowl that limits the amount of revenue they can generate.

When you look at the seating structure it makes sense.

They lost 1/4 of the lower bowl when they renovated to add the suites. Maybe that's the only way they could do it but I always thought it was a little odd as it's the only arena I know of that has a larger middle deck than lower bowl. The dome was unique at it's time but the team may have been better served with a more standard building as it would have made for easier renovations and we wouldn't have the roof issue for concerts.

Even at 18.1k per game that's inline with Edmonton in their new arena. The economy stinks and lots of people are out of work so it's not really a surprise that a perpetual bubble team is not filling the arena on a nightly basis. IMO this organization is very lucky fans decided to come back given the disaster (terrible home record and unwatchable at the best of times) they served us up last season on home ice especially.

ST20 · 11-27-2018, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Bringing back the fan section pricing for the nose bleeds and the upper reaches of bowl two would help. I went to the BOA in the nosebleeds and it was a riot- but tickets were way more expensive than they used to be (when I bought them I didn't even think that they were up there...)

Also if I'm not mistaken the raw number of people attending games on average is still more than the max capacity of winnipeg's arena... doesn't seem like a big deal to me that the percentage is less-it seems to be a way of choosing a number that will favor the flames story of not making money when really it shouldnt matter as they dont currently pay to use the saddledome fwir.

You can get really cheap nosebleed/press level tickets aftermarket so I don't think that is the problem. The Battle of Alberta game is probably the biggest game of the year but in the past you probably would've paid more than what you actually did for those tickets (assuming you bought in the after market). I couldn't attend the game this year so I sold it. Whereas last year I would fetch almost double the face value of the game; this year I sold it for less the face value.

As for the raw numbers, I believe most of those are season ticket holders and you'll see those numbers come down as they give up their seats and the flames seem to be relying on STH because I'm not sure how many people buy tickets for face value directly from ticket master anymore. Even with the fees it is much cheaper to attend a game buying tickets after market. However, like the poster above I think more and more season ticket holders will be giving up their seats because it is getting harder and harder to sell games that you cannot go to (or they sell for under their STH price). I believe the season ticket wait list is pretty much non existent now. I was offered season tickets the same year I signed up during the first Gulutzan playoff run so team success (that year and this year) doesn't seem to be fixing the issue. This year, I went to the Pittsburgh game (usually a premium game that is sold out) and I can tell you that it wasn't close to 90% full so many STHs must be throwing away games.

The good news is probably 90% of the issue is the economy but the bad news is it looks like the economy isn't going to improve anytime soon. Pipelines take a long time to build and unless another industry develops quickly in this city, it'll be a tough run over the next few years. The Olympics would've been nice...

Table 5 · 11-27-2018, 07:22 AM

The two years of Gullutzan hockey really drained the passion out of the game, so I'm sure they had a few people giving up their season tickets. And as others have said, the entire event has gotten so expensive, it feels like pure greed at times. It's mostly why I've gone to one game in the last year and a half.

Add in the economic woes, I'm not surprised it's down.

But if they keep playing like the way they are, it'll trend back up.

DeluxeMoustache · 11-27-2018, 08:01 AM

I let my season tix go last year for a number of reasons. The guys I split them with were out or waffling, reselling at STH price when you can’t attend was tough.

2004 is 15 years ago and a lot of the people who went to that run were, well, 15 years younger then, and a decade and a half of mediocrity failed to attract new fans, plus the general responsibilities of those folks makes the volume of games it is feasible to attend lower.

Also the economy is crap. When we have some new pipelines built, then we may see an uptick. :-)

rotten42 · 11-27-2018, 08:24 AM

It is one thing to pay for the tickets because for a decent seat they aren't cheap. But it feels like a slap in the face with the prices of beer, food, parking, etc. I'm done paying the inflated prices there. I don't go anymore unless I get corporate tickets. I'd rather watch at home or at the local pub. There are just better things to spend my money on these days.

GioforPM · 11-27-2018, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phagoof

I get your point, but paying $10.50 for a watered-down Bud is just a FU to the fans who show up and make this franchise what it is.

$14 USD at the Vegas game. For two choices of draft beer.

habernac · 11-27-2018, 08:26 AM

I love hockey, I watch two different NHL teams. But I can't justify paying high ticket prices and then higher food prices when I can sit in my comfy living room and watch my HD TV with my beer of choice (which is 1/5 the cost).

CaptainCrunch · 11-27-2018, 08:28 AM

Lets see, we're in a city with 10% unemployment, 25% head office vacancy, a primary sector in crisis and people worrying about their jobs.

Yeah I wonder why attendance is down.

GioforPM · 11-27-2018, 08:29 AM

I don't think the type of hockey (GG) or even the cost of beer is the issue - I can make it for a game without having to drink beer, and the food aside from that isn't that expensive. It's the cost of the ticket versus availability at home, including being able to record, skip commercials, see replays, etc.

Monahan For Mayor · 11-27-2018, 08:35 AM

Last home game I noticed a lot of empty seats in the lower bowl.

White Out 403 · 11-27-2018, 08:39 AM

everything is in cycles. hockey in Canada was in dire condition before, and if Canadian owners keep raping their customers it will be again.

Toonage · 11-27-2018, 08:39 AM

I had a blast at the last game I attended. Crowd has amped, beer was good (Mill St), atmosphere was awesome. If they could all be so good it would be easier to convince people to come out more often but not all games are created equal. A Saturday night against Chicago isn't the same as say a Wednesday night against Minnesota or Carolina.

Table 5 · 11-27-2018, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I don't think the type of hockey (GG) or even the cost of beer is the issue - I can make it for a game without having to drink beer, and the food aside from that isn't that expensive. It's the cost of the ticket versus availability at home, including being able to record, skip commercials, see replays, etc.

It may not be for you, but it is for others. The reality is that it's not just one thing... there are many varied and valid reasons to prevent people from going at the moment, and combined they've all resulted in a lower attendance.

At least the Flames are playing entertaining hockey again. Winning can help gloss over a lot of ills.