The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Huge attendances are icing on the cake
Crowds are flocking to family friendly club
The people of Dundee are coming in to the cold as Stars’ on-ice product has them flocking to the city’s ice arena.
General manager Omar Pacha is thrilled with the increase in attendances at home games and is glad to be able to reward the fans with some top-class displays.
Stars have seen their attendances hit the 1,000 mark eight times this season and one reason why the crowds have been increasing is due to the family friendly initiatives.
Special offers such as the “Kids for a Quid” deal and the game’s start times being brought forward to 5pm have made the sport more accessible for families.
Pacha, who has brought many positive changes to the club since his arrival in the summer, said: “As a business and as a team we are happy with the attendances from last month and since the beginning of the new year.
“Everybody knows this is a ‘bums on seats’ business so the more fans we attract the better product we can produce in the future.
“We have new people coming to the building each week and obviously we are keeping our fans happy. Everyone loves a winning team and right now we are winning hockey games. It is great for us to see those fans who stuck by us since day one get rewarded with wins and that’s why we are trying to push for them and to get that play-off spot.
“Our biggest asset is having our fans talk about the Stars when they go to work on Monday and when they are socialising with their friends.”
Commercial manager Elliot Shaw also emphasised the importance of the fan experience.
He said: “The attendances over the course of the last month have been magnificent. We are now seeing the results of our hard work with solid attendances each week including our record breaking regular attendance a few weeks back against Fife Flyers.”
Looking to the future, Shaw added: “Over the next few months and into the summer our main focus will be to continue raising the profile of the club.
“The more people who know about the organisation and enjoy the experience of a game night, the faster each department within the club will grow.
“We are constantly looking to innovate our marketing from external promotions to enhancing our fans’ experience on game day. Some of these implementations will be successful, others may be less so.
“The important thing is that we are constantly searching for new ways that are going to build the club and take it to where we want it to be.”
Across the Tay, fourth placed Fife Flyers travel to second top Belfast Giants tonight.
They edged Nottingham 7-6 in Belfast on Wednesday to reach the final of the Challenge Cup with a 12-7 aggregate win.
They now meet Cardiff Devils, who edged Sheffield Steelers 9-7 on aggregate after a 7-1 victory on Wednesday.
It is Fife’s first visit to Belfast in the league this term but Giants beat Fife 4-2 in Kirkcaldy earlier in the season.