Empty seats, no worries

Toronto Argonauts president Copeland not concerned about club’s attendance woes

It’s been a tough start to the CFL season for the Toronto Argonauts, with more obstacles ahead.

The Argos drew just 11,219 spectators to their 28-15 home loss to the B.C. Lions on Friday, their lowest attendance since relocating to BMO Field to start last season. And that came after just 13,583 fans attended Toronto’s 32-15 seasonopening win there over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 25.

But Argos president Michael Copeland isn’t concerned.

“I think we as a group, from ownership right down to management and staff, understand this is a rebuild,” he said.

“Ask anyone who’s trying to build a major brand, very rarely is it done overnight. We’re going to take our time and have patience while we do it but work aggressively each day until we reach that goal.”

There were factors working against the Argos on Friday.

Not only was it the start of a holiday weekend but the Toronto Blue Jays were also in action at Rogers Centre versus the Boston Red Sox. However, the opening-night attendance sent up red flags as Hamilton is usually a solid draw for the Argos.

Last year, 24,812 spectators — many clad in Hamilton’s colours — watched the Ticats beat Toronto 42-20 at BMO Field to kick off the 2016 campaign.