Yes, the Hunt interview article is an interesting one. As written, it could sound as if reducing the Lansdowne 2.0 arena is a good thing for everyone. But there is also another way of looking at things.
I like Hunt’s analogy of the bar. If a place ‘feels’ dead, people don’t go there. But the same could be true from the other side; if a bar is way too packed and expensive, it is no fun either. There needs to be enough of a crowd to provide energy, but not so much as to turn people away.
When Hunt was actively pushing for the Redblacks, attendance was great. There were also a number of discounted tickets distributed – just as there were for the 67s, when Hunt was pushing them. This is another way of generating fuller seats and excitement.
Redblacks average attendance (as provided by Google AI):
2016 – 24,673
2017 – 24,523
2018 – 23,276
2019 – 22,605
2020 – CoViD-19
2021 – 13,938
2022 – 20,175
2023 – 18,902
2024 – 18,813 – on a 7-1-1 home record
2025 – 18,136 – 2nd lowest in the league.
Something that is relevant, but not mentioned in the article is that the renovation that reduced the seating at Frank Clair Stadium by 4,000 seats was also the renovation that added the Suites and Boxes. That is to say, ‘cheap’ seats were removed to make way for much more lucrative seating. This was not a reduction so that the stadium wouldn’t feel too empty. In fact, as the article points out, attendance was very high at the beginning. They probably could have filled most of those 4,000 seats – but they would have lost revenue.
Let’s look at another example used in the article; the Montreal Alouettes. The franchise was revived in 1996 when it played its home games in the ‘Big O’. There was much excitement about the revival, but average game attendance in 1996 was only 26,173. The next year, 1997, saw that number drop to 9,585. The Alouettes could not afford to keep playing in the Olympic Stadium, so they moved to the much less expensive 20,202-seat Percival Molson Memorial Stadium at McGill. With the Alouettes back at McGill, the attendance grew to fairly consistently sell out the stadium. Thus, in 2008-2010, almost 5,000 additional seats were added, along with some corporate boxes and suites, for increased revenue. The Alouettes average around 20,000 per game. For playoff games, the Olympic Stadium is used, as game attendance can swell to over 50,000.
So, in the case of the Alouettes, moving to a much cheaper, smaller venue was the best idea. Having less than 10,000 fans rattling around in a 60,000-seat venue was ridiculous. Now the big stadium is only used when needed. This is apples and oranges, with regards to the Charge and Lansdowne 2.0. The Alouettes’ new stadium still left room for additional fans.
The Argo’s new owner moved the team into a purpose-built football Stadium – BMO Field – in 2016. The Argos didn’t need to be in a large (primarily designed for baseball) stadium that seated over 31,000 people. Their average game attendance is as follows:
2014 – 17,791
2015 – 12,432
2016 – 16,380 – the year they moved
2017 – 13,914
2018 – 14,211
2019 – 12,493
2020 – CoViD-19
2021 – 11,874
2022 – 11,018
2023 – 14,311
2024 – 15,127
So, really, even the 27,000-seat BMO Field is still too big for the Argos. According to Hunt’s philosophy, the Argos should be moved into a 13,000-seat venue.
Looking at the Hamilton Tiger-Cats example; the Ivor Wynne Stadiun opened in 1928. Despite being extensively renovated in 1970-71, it needed to be replaced. The Tim Hortons Field – currently Hamilton Stadium – was built in its place with a capacity of 22,500 seats. However, the stadium is designed to have seating expand up to 40,000 for special events. The Alouettes vs Blue Bomber Grey Cup game in 2024 had over 28,800 fans attending. The Ti-Cats routinely have a full house (and actually sell a lot of ‘temporary’ seats too) with average attendance in the 22,500 – 24,00 range over the years. These numbers are consistent with the attendance in the old Ivor Wynne Stadium. In this case, there was not a big decrease in seating because of the expandability.
The Ti-Cat owners also own the Forge FC franchise in Hamilton. They also play at the new stadium. The attendance at their games is generally in the 5,500-6,500 range – so I would guess, based on the article, that there is not much ‘buzz’ at those games.
The Washington Commander’s game attendance has been in the low 60,000s. There was no reason for them to be in a 90,000-seat stadium, when a 67,000-seat one is probably less expensive. And it still does not limit their attendance.
I could go on and give numbers for the other teams, but I think the point is clear. None of what was talked about in that article has much bearing on the situation with the Charge having their attendance so drastically throttled.
‘Right-Sizing’ a stadium or arena makes a lot of sense. Severely reducing its capacity to far below average attendance does not.
Lansdowne 2.0 is a case of the owners of a specific team(s) convincing the City to provide the team(s) owner with a facility that is specific to the needs of their team(s) to the detriment of any other team that might be owned by another.
I wonder what Hunt’s opinion might be if he was told that the 67s were to be moved to the Peplinsky Arena at the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre? It has a seating capacity of 2,000. Surely that would make 67s tickets ‘the hottest tickets in town’.
Prev
Linear Mode
