The team in Winnipeg has taken a real beating from two major factors... COVID, and they have been horrible on the field. Bad spring weather this year hasn't helped either.

Valour FC has a fairly low profile locally. They get some media coverage but not really a whole lot. There was some excitement and some decent crowds when they started up in 2019 but their crap record followed by the pandemic really let the air out of their tires.

I haven't been to a match yet this season but from the highlights I've watched the crowds look super sparse even compared to last season, the 1,000 number sounds about right. You can basically hear individual people talking in the stands at that point. There is zero atmosphere in a 33,000 seat stadium when you have so few people in it.

For what it's worth Valour is not alone. The Goldeyes have had small crowds too at the ballpark, as we all know the Jets didn't sell out a single game last season and the Moose and ICE struggled at times too. It's been a rough go lately for the home teams.

Seems canada wide most teams in many sports struggling with attendance. With local sports tv and radio stations being dismantled past few years wonder if that is playing a part as they were good areas to get them publicity.

With the kerfuffle currently going on between the CSA, CSB and the Men's NT, some of those questions might be answered

https://3downnation.com/2022/06/07/r...atings-on-tsn/

Preseason TV ratings, 2022:

Toronto at Ottawa — 145,000
Winnipeg at Saskatchewan — 212,000
Ottawa at Montreal — 174,000
Saskatchewan at B.C. — 348,000

Average: 219,750

Why is BC Saskatchewan way higher than Winnipeg Saskatchewan?

More people in BC than in Manitoba? More people predisposed to watching football on the weekend as compared to on a Tuesday night? Wpg-Sask was so early in the preseason that many people may not have been aware it was happening as well.

Winnipeg is more a traditional CFL hotspot than Vancouver and have a winning team again finally.

It likely has to do with the rescheduling of the game and the time it occurred.

When Winnipeg and Saskatchewan meet on Labour Day, it should be the highest rated game of the regular season as it always is.

Ya thats what I would figure.
And maybe a lot of Lions fans were only dormant and are now coming back with the new ownership.

What's up with Edmonton???

What's up with Toronto?

Those Winnipeg numbers are probably double what it has looked like in the stands, although the chilly weather up until last week may have been keeping people with tickets away.

I wish valour played next door at pan am stadium 5000 seats and natural grass would be way better atmosphere than 33500 seats at IG.

Edmonton has always had bad attendance going back to their North American Soccer Days a few years ago.

I've heard a few people online complain about the stadium saying there is at least one other site with comparable capacity that would serve as a better home. The owner has also put together terrible teams year after year for most of the teams existence. That won't help sell tickets.

The place would need a lot of work to handle a pro team... there isn't much there. It's extremely basic. The field is in bad shape too. But it probably would be the most realistic shot at getting Valour out of IG Field.

Its very basic but a little bit of money spent and could be a much better option for valour

^ Come to think of it, Pan Am Stadium doesn't even have lighting, which always struck me as odd. So there's another expense to add to the list.

-Grandstand upgrades
-Media facilities
-Premium seating
-F&B (there isn't even a concession stand)
-Expanded washrooms
-Lighting and sound systems
-Scoreboard
-Field improvements

That's a lot. I wonder if the teams could use the dressing rooms at IG Field to save the cost of having to add that?

Maybe play at assiniaboia downs think of all the gambling revenue

Or we could just build a proper 5,000 seat soccer stadium? :shrug:

Although I know the traditional Winnipeg thing to do would be to create some sort of weird franken-stadium where we try to save a few bucks by mashing a soccer field into an existing golf course or some such.