Attendance at Newfoundland Growlers home games has been a hot topic since their inaugural season with numbers at the gate falling below what the city’s previous hockey franchise, the St. John’s IceCaps would see on a nightly basis. A few factors could be attributed to this. A struggling economy, more weeknight games than most other teams in the league, people that consider the ECHL to be a “glorified senior league”, having to compete with another franchise in the building, the St. John’s Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada and many more examples. I’m here to discuss ways that I personally think would assist the team to get more fans in the stands to watch a highly talented squad.
Pace Of Play
This isn’t a fault of the Growlers, yet more so of the ECHL. The average Growlers home game that didn’t go into overtime during the 2019-2020 season was two hours and 20 minutes. Not terrible, yet that unquestionably could be better.
I figure a decrease of time during interludes ought to be diminished from 18 minutes down to 15. My explanation behind this is during an intermission, as opposed to being continually irritated with commercials, we normally just regard a couple before some music begins playing, and the two Zamboni’s emerge out of the corner to clean the ice in around five minutes. This process is similar for individuals tuning in on ECHL.TV, Rogers TV, mixlr.com and other platforms.
It is, generally interviews, period recaps and a couple of tunes to go with it. Advertising is not as big of a factor as it would seem to be, so diminishing the intermission lengths would not hurt the Growlers nor the league.
Let’s have a look at other sports. In baseball, pitchers have 20 seconds to throw the ball towards home. If they do not, they will be warned by the umpire and every violation following suit will be called a ball and shall be advantageous for the hitter.
On the reverse side of things, hitters also have to step in the batter’s box within a certain time or else they will have strikes called against them. In American football, the offensive team only has 40 seconds to decide their play on their next down. In basketball, within gaining possession, teams have 24 seconds to shoot and a mere five seconds to inbound the ball once the referee hands it over in a situation located out of the playing area. For what reason are there no equivalencies similar to these in hockey?
Practically all whistles should be followed by a 30-second timer, whether it be after a goal, penalty, offside, icing or just a covered puck. In my opinion, if a team decides to waste time, and is not present at the face-off dot, the linesman should drop the puck, and get the game back underway. Obviously, it relies on the circumstance, however, if unnecessary time-squandering is taking place, there is no need for it, and the dilly-dalliers will eventually learn to do things quicker.
Education Day Games
Who wouldn’t prefer to go to a hockey game as opposed to attending class?! Field trips are one of the best things to do during school hours, so having one at Mile One Centre would be an extraordinary experience. It is no surprise that the younger generation is important to any professional sports franchise, as one intrigued child fills two seats at the very least, and this could do the trick, even with kids who have never seen a game in person. Not to mention, it takes a midweek game off the schedule that few people would be seeing anyways.
Start Times
Imagine getting off work at 5:00pm, driving home, getting cleaned up and making supper before driving downtown, trying to find parking, possibly having to walk in deep snow and arriving at Mile One Centre for puck drop just two hours after you’ve completed your shift. Not very easy, is it? That’s why many working-class citizens decide to attend games on Saturday or Sunday and many butts are not in the seats for puck drop already, but that could change. Advertise the new game times and drop the puck at 7:15 pm. It’s not so late as to prevent younger children from attending (weeknight games are a tough sell anyway, however, it would not affect Friday’s and Saturday’s) and it’s not so early that 9-5’s decide to skip going. More people would be inclined to attend if they weren’t rushed into doing so.
Food And Beverages
I am not necessarily referring to the options that are currently available at Mile One, more so of what they could do with them. I noticed a while back that the home of the Kalamazoo Wings of the Central Division announced a partnership with a corporation known as FanFood which grants fans access to pre-order food and drinks from their seat and will be notified when it is ready for pickup. Similar to Mile One Centre, Wings Event Center has a very narrow concourse, which makes for a hassle when trying to move around.
This would be very convenient for parents who otherwise would have to drag around their youngsters. I have also pondered in the past why the stadium does not employ workers to walk up and down sections with refreshments and snacks, similar to what they currently do with volunteers selling 50/50 tickets. This would be a win/win situation: easier to get, more profit.
SPO’s
What are SPO’s exactly? Well, it’s a concept I have invented. Let’s say likewise above, you are a 9-5 and won’t make it to a game on time, so you buy an SPO at a discounted price opposed to a regular ticket. It stands for Second Period Onwards which would allow patrons to enter the arena after the first period. If tickets are $20, you could charge $15 for entry after the first twenty minutes of play. If people think buying tickets are too expensive while having to miss a large chunk of the game, this is the Growlers solution.
Air games On The Radio
Like with what the IceCaps formerly did, I think the Growlers should air games on 930 KIXX Country. Mixlr.com is not the easiest platform to use and I can understand why some opt not to listen while driving as not to burn up all of their data. It is likewise another approach to grow the brand. A partnership between these two organizations would be beneficial to both sides.
Hosting A Food Festival
I was fortunate enough to attend three Growlers games this past season in the Sunshine State, one of which was in Orlando. It was a buzzing Saturday night where an MLS match and a Grateful Dead concert were also taking place just down the road, however, the Solar Bears managed to put in nearly nine thousand screaming fans in the building. Prior to opening faceoff, outside of the Amway Center, better known as the home to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, the squad hosted a food festival, where local chains brought samples of their snacks for the tons of people who purchased tickets and arrived.
To say it was a massive success is an understatement. Why shouldn’t the Growlers do that here? Weather, obviously, as we do not have many points in the season where a grand-scale event such as this could be hosted outdoors. Be that as it may, why not inside? The convention centre is attached to Mile One through an overhead walkway and would be able to host an ample amount of supporters.
Park ‘N Ride
It’s no surprise that parking downtown is a costly nightmare. If you can’t get there early enough to find street parking, expect to dish out ten or twelve bucks for a spot in a garage. This is why a bus service transporting fans to and from the stadium and back to their cars, spread out across the city and its suburbs, is necessary.
The IceCaps used to do it and so did the Growlers, bringing it back for one game during their inaugural season. Making it permanent would make much more sense to have multiple shuttles heading to and from different stops, as it would be much more convenient than spending wasted time with the engine running, waiting to leave a garage post-game. In addition, it could also help bring in more high-school and university students, who do not yet have a car, and therefore a way to get there.
The Battery
From December onward until the Kelly Cup Playoffs in their first season, the Growlers had an open area behind the net, next to the Zamboni gate. It contained a stage and a few seats, available for a group of around 30 to sit in. That needs to come back, no question.
What I’m suggesting is that they add a bar/concession stand where college students could get in and enjoy the night, looking at it as going to an event as opposed to a game. This could also allow people to purchase snacks and not have to take their eyes off of the game. This brings in more revenue for the city and the team, and makes Mile One Centre a more vibrant place.
Preseason Games
The Growlers definitely need to have a set of preseason games every year before the season starts. After all, they are called the Newfoundland Growlers. There are numerous communities in the great province that could support one of these games.
The Corner Brook Civic Centre holds up to 3,700 spectators and is within an hour’s drive of close to sixty thousand people. Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander and Clarenville are all service-centres along the Trans-Canada Highway with strong hockey history and enough people nearby to pack the barn and bring the noise. Expanding the market would be huge for the Growlers as it could also lead to more merchandise sold and higher subscriptions to ECHL.TV, bringing in more cash.
In the end, more people need to get out and support the defending Kelly Cup Champions as they may be the last professional sports franchise ever to play in the province. These solutions could potentially help the team financially, and Newfoundlanders may be more inclined to attend more often if it is worth what available money they have. I am excited to see what the 2020-2021 season brings, both on the ice and in the stands, as the Growlers push for their second league title. The Growlers will open up the season at home against either the South Carolina Stingrays or North Division rival Adirondack Thunder who Newfoundland held a 10-0 record against last season.