Winnipeg | Goldeyes | Blue Cross Park

[trueviking]

Ah thanks. Seems reasonable to me.

Is there a nicer minor league ballpark in all of Canada? Im not sure there’s anything even close.
Covid surely hurt the Goldeyes. It has hurt the Jets for goodness sake. The Goldeyes missed entire seasons.

Affiliation would probably be helpful.

Fun fact. Winnipeg was the first AAA franchise for the Montreal Expos.

[rivercity]

I always have a good time going to goldeyes games with friends. Probably go to 5-10 a season. Tickets are 12ish bucks, the craft beer corner is awesome with rotating local breweries.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by rivercity

I always have a good time going to goldeyes games with friends. Probably go to 5-10 a season. Tickets are 12ish bucks, the craft beer corner is awesome with rotating local breweries.

Single game tickets haven't been twelvish bucks in many years. $18.50 for outfield seats as cllew pointed out, $26.50/$32.50 for the infield. So over $100 for a family of four just to walk in the door if you want decent seats, and no one goes to a Goldeyes game without buying a ton of food and drinks so realistically it is at least $150 on the outing.

I guess value is in the eye of the beholder but I find that expensive for what it is. I can take my family to a Bomber game for less than that.

[trueviking]

you can get $18 tickets for bombers games?...i have the worst seat in the house and it's like $50.

"family of four" is always a difficult metric....going to the movies, or even lunch at Perkins is $100 for a family of four these days.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

you can get $18 tickets for bombers games?...i have the worst seat in the house and it's like $50.

"family of four" is always a difficult metric....going to the movies, or even lunch at Perkins is $100 for a family of four these days.

The Bombers have a family pack. $114 all in, it comes with 4 tickets (2 adult, 2 youth), 4x soft drinks/chips/hot dogs and a parking pass. Probably the best sports bang for the buck in town when it comes to families.

For the Goldeyes game, $114 gets my family in the door and in seats behind the netting so I don't have to worry about the kids getting drilled by a foul ball.

Don't get me wrong, a Goldeyes game on a nice day is a good time. I'm sure I'll go once this season just for the hell of it. It's just really expensive for what it is, which is why I don't go more often. It's not shocking that their attendance has dropped off so much.

[esquire]

And let's face it. Spending money at Shaw Park knowing that it goes into Katz's pocket is not a great feeling.

[trueviking]

wow...i didn't know the bombers had that deal....nice if you are the 10% with a family of four....they are getting better at those things....i buy one upper deck, corner seat ticket and it's twice what the best seat at a Goldeyes game is.

I guess I don't see $20 as expensive to do anything anymore....not many things cost less...i would have been surprised if it was cheaper to be honest....costs me more to go to a movie than a baseball game.

but people are spending less on all kinds of entertainment because of cost of living, so it probably has an impact...fewer people are going to restaurants, movies, sports...pretty much everything.

[bomberjet]

I'm waiting for the outrage to come when social tickets go up from $10, to $20. Like TV mentioned, pretty much everything now is $20 minimum. Spending $15-$18 for a Goldeyes game does seem reasonable. When were tickets $5? In the 90's?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I'm waiting for the outrage to come when social tickets go up from $10, to $20. Like TV mentioned, pretty much everything now is $20 minimum. Spending $15-$18 for a Goldeyes game does seem reasonable. When were tickets $5? In the 90's?

It's not that $100+ or a family of four is some exorbitant amount. It's more a question of what else can I get in terms of sports entertainment for that money.

A Bomber game is far more entertaining and generally means more to most people (without googling, do you know how the Goldeyes are doing in the standings?), and with the family pack it's a cheaper night out.

A Valour game also has family packs and it's cheaper. Entertainment value roughly similar.

An ICE game is more entertaining to me and also significantly less expensive for a family to attend.

Moose games and Sea Bears games are more entertaining and are similar in terms of price point.

Hell, I went to a Jets game this past season where I bought resale tickets for $25 a pop (vs. Arizona).

So when you consider the sports landscape, the Goldeyes are not really a great deal. It's a steep cover charge to sit outside, drink beer and eat which is probably what most people do. And I think you are seeing that play out in team attendance which has been consistently declining for the last 20 years.

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by esquire

The Bombers have a family pack. $114 all in, it comes with 4 tickets (2 adult, 2 youth), 4x soft drinks/chips/hot dogs and a parking pass. Probably the best sports bang for the buck in town when it comes to families.

For the Goldeyes game, $114 gets my family in the door and in seats behind the netting so I don't have to worry about the kids getting drilled by a foul ball.

Don't get me wrong, a Goldeyes game on a nice day is a good time. I'm sure I'll go once this season just for the hell of it. It's just really expensive for what it is, which is why I don't go more often. It's not shocking that their attendance has dropped off so much.

Bombers have by far the most reasonable concessions in this town too.

They've done a good job of catering to the market in a way that's accessible. This regime seems to understand they are better off with 29-30k in the seats than 22-23k at a premium.

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by trueviking

wow...i didn't know the bombers had that deal....nice if you are the 10% with a family of four....they are getting better at those things....i buy one upper deck, corner seat ticket and it's twice what the best seat at a Goldeyes game is.

I guess I don't see $20 as expensive to do anything anymore....not many things cost less...i would have been surprised if it was cheaper to be honest....costs me more to go to a movie than a baseball game.

but people are spending less on all kinds of entertainment because of cost of living, so it probably has an impact...fewer people are going to restaurants, movies, sports...pretty much everything.

P7's are about $25 at IGF and discounted in different ticket packs. The base season ticket price is about $23 per seat including a playoff and preseason ticket. You must be in the middle of the upper deck, P4?

I have a ticket pack where we get P5's for about $30 each for regular season games. Pay more for playoffs since we don't buy them up front.

Youth tickets are $14 in P7 and $18 in P3 or P5 too.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I don't really get the hate on for the Goldeyes and the ball park. There's a boat load of land available to re-developed already. The Goldeyes have their regulars and give out a lot of tickets to kids programs.

And as was mentioned, it never was like we're going to see future pros. That's never what the Goldeyes were or will be. It's mostly just a good time to get out with the family and enjoy the weather for people who enjoy baseball.

Slipping Sammy now wants the Goldeyes declared non-profit in another scheme he’s cooked up to garner yet more tax dollars and subsidies for his D level pickup baseball team!

Guy never quits….

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I don't really get the hate on for the Goldeyes and the ball park. There's a boat load of land available to re-developed already. The Goldeyes have their regulars and give out a lot of tickets to kids programs.

And as was mentioned, it never was like we're going to see future pros. That's never what the Goldeyes were or will be. It's mostly just a good time to get out with the family and enjoy the weather for people who enjoy baseball.

Totally. Shaw Park is one of the nicest venues we have. Though, it would be cool to have AAA ball here.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

P7's are about $25 at IGF and discounted in different ticket packs. The base season ticket price is about $23 per seat including a playoff and preseason ticket. You must be in the middle of the upper deck, P4?

I have a ticket pack where we get P5's for about $30 each for regular season games. Pay more for playoffs since we don't buy them up front.

Youth tickets are $14 in P7 and $18 in P3 or P5 too.

I don’t actually know where my seat is. Had tickets since the place opened and I’ve never sat in it. I prefer the concourse. But I’m pretty sure I’ve never paid $23. I guess I need to try harder.

[blueandgoldguy]

https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/t-wg15427

1999 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 48 38 Roster Stats 248,488 6,061
2000 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 48 37 Roster Stats 271,513 6,465
2001 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 52 38 Roster Stats 292,095 6,491
2002 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 56 33 Roster Stats 303,786 6,200
2003 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 55 34 Roster Stats 300,760 7,161
2004 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 56 39 Roster Stats 323,241 7,027
2005 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 47 48 Roster Stats 322,758 6,867
2006 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 52 44 Roster Stats 312,213 6,504
2007 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 52 43 Roster Stats 300,938 6,542
2008 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 51 45 Roster Stats 284,398 6,464
2009 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 55 41 Roster Stats 278,099 6,180
2010 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 46 53 Roster Stats 271,399 5,654
2011 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 60 40 Roster Stats 275,521 5,740
2012 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 55 45 Roster Stats 285,263 5,705
2013 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 56 44 Roster Stats 276,359 5,880
2014 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 63 37 Roster Stats 258,429 5,618
2015 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 47 52 Roster Stats 258,922 5,284
2016 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 58 42 Roster Stats 231,206 4,817
2017 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 62 38 Roster Stats 219,556 4,391
2018 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 41 59 Roster Stats 219,370 4,477
2019 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 57 43 Roster Stats 195,787 4,079

As you can see from the stats above, The Goldeyes basically sold out or had near sellouts for the first 5 years at the new stadium...they expanded the stadium in 2003 to accommodate an additional 1200 seats. The following five seasons they averaged over 6,000 per game.

Starting in 2010 (1 year before the Jets came back) the average dipped to mid-5000s and stayed that way until 2015, so I don't think it's fair to say the Jets had any impact on Goldeyes attendance - it was essentially the same for 5 or 6 seasons. Then in a matter of 4 seasons average attendance dropped from 5600 to 4300. 2 seasons later in 2019, it dropped further to 4,000. Last year, the average was 3400. So far this season the Goldeyes are drawing 3100 per game.

The jets didn't effect attendance so it's something else. My bet would be boomers and the previous generation dying out or being too old to attend games. They are not being replaced by younger people looking for a night of "cheap entertainment." That and the decline in the quality of baseball compared to 20 years ago (more competition from better independent leagues) and less attractive pricepoints for tickets which used to be $10 or cheaper not that long ago.

I also think all those allegations against the former mayor plays a role in declining attendance. Who wants to put money into the pockets of a person who may have stolen hundreds of thousands (or more?) dollars from taxpayers?

[snowmobile]

Went to a game a couple Fridays back. 2500 ~ in attendance. Walking up to the stadium right before gametime and you could hardly tell there was a game that night.

I will say the stadium is being well kept, lots of staff even though the attendance is way down and the food and drinks options are still great. Need a new jumbotron though.

The tickets are way too expensive. You should be able to get in for $10 - $15. That’s where they lost the people. The low income families and pensioners aren’t spending $35 a pop. They are still getting the patio people out but the seniors and families are gone. They’ll just stay home and watch the Jays if they want baseball.

The baseball itself was the same quality it’s been since 1994. No way the WCBL comes close to the AA. Weyburn Beavers drawing 88 fans a game. Okotoks Dawgs getting 4500 is incredible though and Sylvan Lake has a brand new ballpark getting 1700 a game.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by Danny D Oh

Valour for sure suffers from the lack of relevance and exposure. Soccer does not have enough action to be a sport attended by casuals who don't know the background of who and what.

The Valour are insignificant since they play in a 🞵🞵🞵🞵 league. Hypothetically, in Winnipeg had an MLS team, it would be a different story.

Canada’s World Cup ratings were better than literally anything else for 2022. The Saturday game against Croatia did a massive number- over 4 million I believe.

If the Jets were replaced by an ECHL team, nobody would cate about them.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by esquire

The Bombers have a family pack. $114 all in, it comes with 4 tickets (2 adult, 2 youth), 4x soft drinks/chips/hot dogs and a parking pass. Probably the best sports bang for the buck in town when it comes to families.

For the Goldeyes game, $114 gets my family in the door and in seats behind the netting so I don't have to worry about the kids getting drilled by a foul ball.

Don't get me wrong, a Goldeyes game on a nice day is a good time. I'm sure I'll go once this season just for the hell of it. It's just really expensive for what it is, which is why I don't go more often. It's not shocking that their attendance has dropped off so much.

Why on Earth would the Goldeyes charge as much as the Bombers? Talk about not understanding your market. Outside of a few 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 baseball fans, everyone in the city prefers the Bombers.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by esquire

And let's face it. Spending money at Shaw Park knowing that it goes into Katz's pocket is not a great feeling.

What has Katz been up to since 2014? Did he just drop out of sight to live in Arizona?

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/t-wg15427

1999 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 48 38 Roster Stats 248,488 6,061
2000 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 48 37 Roster Stats 271,513 6,465
2001 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 52 38 Roster Stats 292,095 6,491
2002 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League Central 56 33 Roster Stats 303,786 6,200
2003 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 55 34 Roster Stats 300,760 7,161
2004 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 56 39 Roster Stats 323,241 7,027
2005 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 47 48 Roster Stats 322,758 6,867
2006 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 52 44 Roster Stats 312,213 6,504
2007 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 52 43 Roster Stats 300,938 6,542
2008 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 51 45 Roster Stats 284,398 6,464
2009 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 55 41 Roster Stats 278,099 6,180
2010 Winnipeg Goldeyes Northern League 46 53 Roster Stats 271,399 5,654
2011 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 60 40 Roster Stats 275,521 5,740
2012 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 55 45 Roster Stats 285,263 5,705
2013 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 56 44 Roster Stats 276,359 5,880
2014 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 63 37 Roster Stats 258,429 5,618
2015 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 47 52 Roster Stats 258,922 5,284
2016 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 58 42 Roster Stats 231,206 4,817
2017 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 62 38 Roster Stats 219,556 4,391
2018 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 41 59 Roster Stats 219,370 4,477
2019 Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association 57 43 Roster Stats 195,787 4,079

As you can see from the stats above, The Goldeyes basically sold out or had near sellouts for the first 5 years at the new stadium...they expanded the stadium in 2003 to accommodate an additional 1200 seats. The following five seasons they averaged over 6,000 per game.

Starting in 2010 (1 year before the Jets came back) the average dipped to mid-5000s and stayed that way until 2015, so I don't think it's fair to say the Jets had any impact on Goldeyes attendance - it was essentially the same for 5 or 6 seasons. Then in a matter of 4 seasons average attendance dropped from 5600 to 4300. 2 seasons later in 2019, it dropped further to 4,000. Last year, the average was 3400. So far this season the Goldeyes are drawing 3100 per game.

The jets didn't effect attendance so it's something else. My bet would be boomers and the previous generation dying out or being too old to attend games. They are not being replaced by younger people looking for a night of "cheap entertainment." That and the decline in the quality of baseball compared to 20 years ago (more competition from better independent leagues) and less attractive pricepoints for tickets which used to be $10 or cheaper not that long ago.

I also think all those allegations against the former mayor plays a role in declining attendance. Who wants to put money into the pockets of a person who may have stolen hundreds of thousands (or more?) dollars from taxpayers?

The allegations against Katz have nothing to do with attendance decline. It's the Jets. When average Winnipeggers feel the crunch of shelling out thousands for NHL tickets, the other entertainment options in the city will be adversely affected.

It's a matter of priority. The city would rather see the NHL than minor League baseball, especially if the baseball is pricey.