Calm Before the Storm
On Wednesday night the Saskatchewan Roughriders held their annual general meeting at the Conexus Arts Centre and unveiled a $2.2 million profit.
What the club also revealed as it transitioned from the Jim Hopson to Craig Reynolds era at CEO is an awareness of the strength and fragility of the franchise.
While the overall profit was down compared to 2013, which was not just a Grey Cup hosting year but a winning year, it was enough to be double what the Riders usually make in non-Grey Cup years. Taking into consideration the new stadium is 44 per cent completed and should be done by spring/summer next year, the Riders will need to count on years of accumulated surpluses and corporate partnerships to help meet its $40 million obligation to the new stadium. The club has already put aside $10 million, and will have to pay the City of Regina $25 million by June 2016 and have $15 million for the teams space including locker room, players area and business offices.
Wayne Morsky, chair of the Rider board of directors, said the Riders good health off the field was due to the fans and that contributes to the Riders success on the field. The Riders unveiled their marketing campaign around the theme All of Us, indicating the Riders were more than the team on the field, they were also the fans who supported the team at Taylor Field as well as across the country.