News Article: Ottawa Senators Organization Actively Considering Building Arena At Lebreton Flats

[jason2020]

Sesn Mile

That was Harper that wanted to move all or most out of the core the Liberals want to have most downtown.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

A few quick points re tickets...

The Sens as an organization have decided not to give away seats this year from what I understand. Previously, there could literally be 1,000's of tickets that were giveaways as part of other packages. Freebees basically, which pumped up previous year attendance. As such, no big surprise the team has less attendance this year, although it doesn't impact revenue much when you stop giving away tickets (although concessions likely down a bit).

Ticket prices went up this year quite a bit.

The new seating in the lower bowl has replaced two seats with 1 VIP seat in Club Bell. This was one corner of the lower bowl last year, and this year it is two corners. These seats are literally more than 2x as expensive as the old seats, and these are now sold out every game, where as the end of the lower bowls used to often be unsold. Big boost to revenue.

So while the team has lower attendance, it is quite likely the revenue is up.

 

[topshelf15]

Sesn Mile

That was Harper that wanted to move all or most out of the core the Liberals want to have most downtown.

The very same guys that now have me paying 15 cents more a litre in fuel,Carbon Tax.....what a joke

 

[starling]

The very same guys that now have me paying 15 cents more a litre in fuel,Carbon Tax.....what a joke

That's not the very same guys and you are wrong by about 400% in your estimations. And even those 4 cents are revenue-neutral, not that it has any relation to Lebreton Flats anyway

 

[Fandlauer]

That's not the very same guys and you are wrong by about 400% in your estimations. And even those 4 cents are revenue-neutral, not that it has any relation to Lebreton Flats anyway

Revenue-neutral lol

 

[jason2020]

Revenue-neutral lol

The Ontario one is not but from reports the federal one will be.

 

[Derivation]

My excuse for not going to a game this year is because I live in the Tri Cities and it is a bit of a hike to the arena for me.

I have seen the Sens play in Detroit for the Red Wings last home opener at the Joe, and I am going to see them battle the Leafs at the ACC this Saturday.

The excuses this fan base constantly makes is getting extremely old. This team is average, the owner is not invested, the location of the arena is inconvenient, the lack of entertainment etc. etc. If the Sens played at the old Civic Centre I would still be going as much as possible. If you don't have the love of the sport and cannot get engaged in a live hockey game than you just aren't meant to be a fan.

 

[jason2020]

My excuse for not going to a game this year is because I live in the Tri Cities and it is a bit of a hike to the arena for me.

I have seen the Sens play in Detroit for the Red Wings last home opener at the Joe, and I am going to see them battle the Leafs at the ACC this Saturday.

The excuses this fan base constantly makes is getting extremely old. This team is average, the owner is not invested, the location of the arena is inconvenient, the lack of entertainment etc. etc. If the Sens played at the old Civic Centre I would still be going as much as possible. If you don't have the love of the sport and cannot get engaged in a live hockey game than you just aren't meant to be a fan.

More and more people are moving into the core that is part of the issue.

 

[SilverSeven]

Senators attendance issues this season have been a big interest to me (as I'm sure they have to most of you), so here's my take:

I think the entirety of the issue has been stated in bits and pieces. Let's take myself as an example (the only "for sure" thing I can state): I am a huge Sens fan and a huge Ottawa CFL fan. I have held REDBLACKS season tickets since year 1. Up until this season, I have, on average, attended maybe 8-10 Sens games per season (2 tickets per game). This past CFL season, in addition to my regular seats, I took in a REDBLACKS game in Montreal and was fortunate enough to be at BMO to see the big game in November (2 tickets/game). That alone accounts for a good chunk of my entertainment dollars that would likely have otherwise gone to Uncle Euge. On top of that, Ottawa is hosting the Grey Cup next season, which for me, is ANOTHER $880.00 to retain my seats for that game. You see where I'm going....

What has happened to the Sens this season I believe has to do with stagnation and temporary market saturation. If money was no factor, I'd be a Sens season ticket holder without question. As it stands, I (like most people) have to pick and choose where I want to spend my entertainment dollars. While there are likely a lot of REDBLACKS ticket supporters who don't frequently - financially - support the Sens....that blue-collar football crowd (directly linked to ticket pricing on average), there are likely more people ("Sens" fans) who, before this season, could and would support both, as was my case. With the money I have chosen to spend on football season tickets, going to Grey Cups, road games, etc., I no longer have those dollars for the Sens. It's not because I don't care to go to Sens games, it's because as long as I choose football, I can't choose hockey (as frequently). This is the small-market saturation of the sports scene I'm talking about. In bigger cities, or as ours continues to grow, the problem decreases as there are more people to gobble up tickets across the board.

....The stagnation, I believe, has been touched on already. I love the Sens and I love going to games, but they are getting thoroughly throttled by the REDBLACKS in terms of their individual experiences. Coming from someone who lives in Kanata, the Sens need to get the hell out of there ASAP. People are getting a taste for what a game day experience actually is with the REDBLACKS basically writing the book on it, and aside from a rock solid playoff atmosphere at CTC when the Sens qualify, the Sens haven't offered that with any consistency, ever (and no, not every game should be a playoff atmosphere). Yes, I realize the football schedule is much smaller and not all the comparables are apples-to-apples in nature, but the game day experiences and hype are night-and-day. Granted, it is much easier to win championships in a 9 team league vs a 30 team league, but the reality here is that in 3 short seasons, the REDBLACKS have built a brand, become competitive, invested in personel, made back-to-back Grey Cup appearances and won a championship. The Sens, both here in the community and abroad, have the reputation for being cheap, middling, sort of a "too good to be bad, too bad to be good" organization. I do agree, as well, with whoever said some people are now just waiting out the move downtown. The fact is, the Sens aren't the only ticket in town anymore and regardless of the differing scales the NHL and CFL operate on, I believe currently, more people are choosing the REDBLACKS. I'm no marketing expert, but that's the way I see it.

Ottawa is a rapidly growing city and the Sens are entering that "third generation fan" territory and coupled with a move downtown, I do believe the Sens are on solid footing in terms of a continued long-term presence in Ottawa. I guess it's just been a perfect storm, so to speak, of suburb stagnation, poor marketing, a rival for entertainment dollars and being thoroughly average for too long. For me, the only reason I've been less present for Sens home games this season has everything to do with the REDBLACKS and for what it's worth, I consider myself a Sens fan first. The stagnation of the Senators I think has been highlighted, as I said, because they are not the only ticket in town. That's not a good equation in a small market,

I can't say for certain anything else beyond that (the government pay issues, for example, as I do not work for the government), but I'm sure there are other factors. I'm not sure if any other REDBLACKS supporters find themselves in the same situation, but in conclusion, I think there is just too much excitement and interest in the REDBLACKS that has taken away and/or highlighted the lack of those things for the Sens.

Things are cyclical, however. Sorry for the long-winded and perhaps a bit scattered reply. Cheers.

I agree with most of this, but it overlooks what I think is likely the biggest issue this year:

Phoenix