By Jeff D'Andrea

‘Where is everybody?’ Raiders on pace for their worst attendance

Nov 23, 2017 | 4:00 PM

During one of the last home games the Prince Albert Raiders played before their road trip, business manager Michael Scissons walked up to the radio booth during the second period on Oct. 27 against the Brandon Wheat Kings. On what’s always a busy game day, Scissons likes to spend a few minutes of hockey action from the top view.

He scanned around the crowd and saw an unfortunately familiar sight, empty seats in the Art Hauser Centre. Despite beating the CHL Top 10 ranked Brandon Wheat Kings 4-1, the Raiders had announced a paid attendance of just 1,827 that night.

“Where is everybody?” Scissons asked.

That’s a great question, and one the Raiders don’t immediately have.

They are averaging just 1,989 fans per game through their first 10 home games so far this year, down from 2,133 a year ago. That’s on pace to be their lowest ever paid attendance average (since attendance statistics were kept starting in the 1998-99 campaign). The Raiders will need to improve by at least 106 fans per contest to surpass their current lowest attended season back in 2001-02 season (2,094 fans per game).

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“If I had an answer as to why attendance was one way or another, I’d be a millionaire in a larger organization at some point,” Scissons said. “We’re down probably 125 people a game from where we were last year (through their first 10 games). I’m not saying I have an answer as to why, but I can assume people’s lives continue to get busier. It’s been a while since we’ve had a consistency on the ice, and that’s leading to a little bit of a lag at the gate.”

For this year, that 1,989 total is not only the lowest in the Western Hockey League, but the only one under the 2,000-mark. The Swift Current Broncos are the second-lowest, but are still averaging 341 more per game than the Raiders.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Raiders had their best ever attended season. They set a team record with 2,674 in the 2012-13 season, despite watching their team finish last in the WHL standings in the 2011-12 season. The Raiders’ attendance has declined each year since.

Raiders’ average attendance

2012-13: 2,674 *best attendance on record*

2013-14: 2,496

2014-15: 2,431

2015-16: 2,369

2016-17: 2,133

2017-18: 1,989 *worst attendance on record, through 10 games*

In an effort to combat this, Scissons and the Raiders front office team have explored different options to get more fans back to the rink. They’ve dealt flex packs both for family and individual buyers, as well as partnering with sponsorships to make tickets more available for fans.

As an example, the Raiders are pulling out all the stops on Friday against the Swift Current Broncos. It’s 80s Night at the rink, and all those retro tunes will be spun by Saskatchewan Rush music man DJ Anchor. The Raiders will be wearing specialty game-worn retro jerseys to auction off after the game, as well as an after party and 1,000 free pairs of neon sunglasses being given out.

“We’re trying all these things and we’ll continue to do so. There’s no magic wand I can wave and say tomorrow ‘there will be 500 more people because we did this and this,’” Scissons said. “All we can do is listen to what our fans are looking for and do our best to provide that to them. We still have an incredibly loyal fan base.”

This isn’t just an exclusive issue to the Raiders. Attendance has declined 8.2 per cent across the Western Hockey League since last year. Out of the league’s 22 teams, 15 of them are seeing decreases from last season’s year-end average.

The Edmonton Oil Kings, the big leaders from last year averaging 9,461 bums in seats per game, are now down to 6,536 so far this year—their lowest figure in the past six seasons. Other cash cow franchises are dealing with significant decreases like the Calgary Hitmen (7,599 to 6,562) and the Portland Winterhawks (6,080 to 4,749).

“I find it hard to blame it on major junior hockey all together, I think it’s just indicative of life. You look at how busy everyone is, and their access to entertainment—not only at home but on their phone or tablet at any given point,” Scissons said. “Entertainment has never been easier to find at your fingertips and I think you start seeing that. You’ll see that in every area in the entertainment world, I don’t think you have to look too far at the NFL and see their attendance has declined—that’s the biggest game in the world. It’s an unfortunate one, but people are busy and there’s more on the go.

“We have to find ways to connect with the people who support us in the community in hopes that they’ll give us a shot of what we have to offer,” Scissons added. “I think on the ice, we’re putting together a fairly good product.”

After going 2-4 on their road trip, the Raiders play the Swift Current Broncos on Friday at the Art Hauser Centre. The last time the two teams met, the Raiders skated away with a tidy 5-1 win Nov. 3 at the Art Hauser Centre despite the Broncos being ranked second overall in the CHL Top 10 Weekly Rankings that week.

After that, they’ll embark on another road trip—this one lasting five games from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW