For Lions, luring back fans a tall task
New team president has some good ideas, but boosting attendance will take time
After studying the events of the last couple of years, the B.C. Lions have drawn some conclusions about the best way to sell their product:
As things turn out, you do need a man at the top, and going an entire CFL season without a president is not an effective strategy.
The same can be said for the unending soap opera over the team’s ownership. Fans like it when they know who the owner will be from week to week.
While we’re on the subject, uncertainty over coach Wally Buono’s future or the post-Wally succession plan creates uncertainty in fans’ minds and uncertainty isn’t good for business.
Clinging stubbornly to unrealistic ticket prices isn’t the best way to draw new fans to the stadium.
And ...
If you’re trying to attract new fans, investing in the product is a good place to start.
OK, it’s not exactly a masters’ class in marketing but the Lions’ brand has suffered significant damage over the last few seasons, largely because each of those issues have occurred.
With a new regime running the show, the club has taken steps to address each of those areas as they begin the arduous task of luring people back toB.C.Place.
It just remains to be seen how many are still listening to the Lions’ sales pitch.
“There was no leadership,” says Rick LeLacheur, the Lions’ 69-year-old rookie president, ticking off the problem areas.
“There was no president. (Owner) David (Braley) was in Hamilton. The fans didn’t know if he was going to sell, or if he wasn’t going to sell.
“We had to clear that off. David’s the owner. He’s not selling. He enjoys it. Who knows when he’ll sell it, but I don’t think it will be anywhere near soon. He’s invested in it. He’s allowed me to invest in it.”
Which is the first step in revitalizing the Lions. But the journey back to its former place in this market will require a few more.
The Lions played their final pre-season game Friday and beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34-21 in front of just 15,237 fans at B.C. Place. And there were still a number of questions about the team’s direction on the field.
There’ s a new general manager in Ed Hervey, a new offensive coordinator in Jarious Jackson and as many as 13 new starters.
Coming off a 7-11 non-playoff season, the Lions had to present a new look to supporters.
The larger question concerns attendance numbers that have decreased each year since 2011, bottoming out at 19,588 fans per game last year. That number represented their lowest total since 2002, the year before Buono took over the team.
LeLacheur has stepped in and, while he has no illusions about the task before him, he’s at least provided some new ideas.
This year there will be a $10 end-zone ticket for kids 12-and-under, and a $20 general admission ticket designed to attract millennials to, ahem, the Beach Party Zone.
For the home opener against the Montreal Alouettes on June 16, two tickets are being offered for $65. That includes a couple beers and a couple hotdogs.
“My ticket experience is you always sell the top end and the bottom end,” says LeLacheur.
“But we’d heard a lot about the prices of the tickets so we decided to try some things. If they work, great. If they don’t, we’ll try something else.
“Our growth is going to come for individual game tickets. We have to prove ourselves on the field and with the game-day presentation.”
To that end, LeLacheur says Braley has allowed him to double the Lions’ sales force.
It hasn’t been reflected in the season tickets sales — the president says they are sitting around 10,000, the same as last year.
But this year, six of the Leos’ home games will take place on their favoured Saturdays and the club has invested in its in-game experience.
Again, the Lions created the impression they were trying to get by on the cheap in recent years and the ongoing melodrama over the sale of the team was consistent with that perception. Braley is now back and LeLacheur says he’s committed.
You can decide for yourself if that’s a good thing.
“The ownership thing is behind us,” LeLacheur insists. “The plan’s in place. (Braley’s) given me the money to sort this out.”
LeLacheur faces a lot of the market conditions the late, great Bob Ackles confronted when he returned as Lions’ president in 2002.
There was fan apathy. The Lions had been damaged by years of neglect. On the field the team was uninspired.
But the Vancouver of 2018 is also a different animal than Vancouver of 2002. Ackles revived interest through a grassroots marketing plan that wasn’t overly sophisticated but was rooted in hard work and raising the Lions’ profile.
We’ll see if that strategy still works.
“You’ve just got to grind through it,” says LeLacheur, who shares more than a few character traits with Ackles.
“It’s boots on the ground, making phone calls, sending out emails. There’s no magic bullet. It’s a combination of a lot of things.”
All of which have to be improved for the Lions to win back fans.