Only 22,500 tickets sold for home opener

[Bomber_fanaddict]

If I lived in Manitoba within an hour drive of Winnipeg I'd have season tickets. It wouldn't even be a question.

It takes me close to an hour each way and no complaints here.  I brought my 5yr old to the preseason and didn't get home until midnight and he still made school the next day  Should be no excuses

[Noeller]

Nobody's debating the die-hards here...it's the casual fans who are going to take awhile to come back. They need to see wins...

[gbill2004]

 

 

 

I think the Thursday games were a bad idea.  Sure people are in the city as opposed to Friday games where people leave for the cabin after work on a Friday, but for people who work the next day, it can make for a rough morning.  With the new 7:30 start time, games are over at 11:00pm.  Get home by midnight if you're lucky.  Could hurt concession too...who wants to be hungover on a Friday at work?

Why should Friday be any different from every other day?

 

 

My point is that it would be easier being hungover on a Saturday when your not at work.

 

Yeah and my point is that when you are showing up for work with a hangover every day, Friday doesn't really matter.

 

 

Yea, I guess for the alcoholics, it doesn't really matter...

[DR. CFL]

Game dates and start times are dictated by TSN. Just the way it is when you pay the big bucks you set the schedule.

[Jaxon]

I prefer the 7:30 start. It makes it easier for me to get to the game after work.  I found 7:00 to be rushed.    I also don't mind the Thursday night games.  Mind you, I have one, maybe two beers at the most during a game.  I actually go to watch the football, not to get hammered.

 

My point is that for everyone that doesn't like Thursday, there is another person who doesn't want it on the weekend because they go to the lake.  For every person who wants an earlier start, there's one that wants a later start.

 

The diehards, like me, will be happy to go to games to support the team.  The casual fans will go if the bandwaggon is making alot of noise and the team is winning. 

 

Thursday (or other weekday) games don't hurt the Jets, or the ballet, or the theatre centre.  People who want to go will go, those who want an excuse not to go will find one.

 

I agree with the earlier posters, winning will solve these problems.

[gbill2004]

Game dates and start times are dictated by TSN. Just the way it is when you pay the big bucks you set the schedule.

 

Not true.  Bombers specifically requested later start times this season and more Thursday games during the summer months. 

[AtlanticRiderFan]

I was kind of wondering this. I was looking at the seat map on ticketmaster, and alot of the sections were filled up with empty seats.

[17to85]

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

[saskbluefan]

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

I think people bitching about Winnipeggers bitching is far more common then Winnipeggers bitching in the first place.

When you consider 21,500 seasons tickets plus flex pack holders they have probably sold only a couple of hundred "walk up" tickets for this game. Even with the usual last minute purchases tickets sold will probably be below any game last year. If you consider that a non-story that's cool. But they probably don't agree with you over in the Bomber's offices.

[robynjt]

Well with those ridiculously priced end zone seats I'm definitely not surprised.

[robynjt]

Well with those ridiculously priced end zone seats I'm definitely not surprised.

[AtlanticRiderFan]

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

 

So you think they're going to sell 11 000 walk up tickets? Laughable.

[Blueandgold]

The game is still a week away. Let's have this re-visit this topic next Wednesday.

[The Unknown Poster]

 

The reason for the 7:30 start (as far as I know) is to provide a buffer between rush hour traffic and game traffic.  Im not sure I buy "game ends late" as a *huge* reason.  While Im sure it might keep a few people away, its Thursday night.  Its okay to be a bit tired on Friday.

 

Another angle to the story might have been "over 22,000 tickets already sold for Bombers home opener with only 7 days left to secure your seats".  Winnipeg is notorious as a walk up city.  Give it time.

 

I have a sense that the IGF issues are pushing attendance down but Im not ready to say that yet.  I went to two (or was it three?) games last season including the home opener which so many Kives' declared a disaster and I had ZERO issues getting in and out. 

 

Time will tell.

 

Also, to the person who said the Bombers budgeted for a loss, Miller said season tickets were where they budgeted, not game day attendance. 

 

I just think it's super sh!tty that we need a buffer between rush hour traffic and game traffic.  Hate to say the obvious thing, but building it right includes building transportation routes right.  There were public outcrys to consider transportation... the bumbling Selingers just flat out ignored them.

 

I think if traffic had been how it was mid-season right from the start, no one would say anything.  You also had an issue that was very hard-driven by the media.  I think the big brains involved never drove in that area and assumed having lots of busses would be the end all be all of the problem.  Once they realised how bad traffic was, they took steps to improve it and they did improve it.

 

I do agree though.  I will admit that when IGF was announced, I was on the other side of the traffic debate thinking it would be managable.  It was "worse" than I expected.  But I think a lot of the loudest complaining came from people who lived closer to CIS.  Because when someone says they have to wait in traffic for an hour to get there, I say "yeah, so did I when it was CIS, so what".  Rapid Transit will help.  Converting some of those side streets (like Markham and Thatcher) might help too, though Im not sure how they are utilized on game day other then seeing police blockades.

[JuranBoldenRules]

Lawless makes me laugh.  We should record this date and then wait for his first article tearing the regime he loves so much apart.

 

He changes his strong opinions weekly, just look at the Kane column this week.

[LeBird]

With Micheal Boublé you are guarranteed a great night, The other choice...not so much.

[17to85]

 

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

 

So you think they're going to sell 11 000 walk up tickets? Laughable.

 

who ever said anything even close to that? I said ticket sales for the Bombers are always lower a week before the game. In Winnipeg most of the non season ticket holders buy their tickets last minute. No one expects a sell out on this team, they need to rebuild a lot of the casual fans trust, but they'll get into the 25000+ range I have no doubts, especially if it's a nice evening. 

[TrueBlue]

 

 

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

 

So you think they're going to sell 11 000 walk up tickets? Laughable.

 

who ever said anything even close to that? I said ticket sales for the Bombers are always lower a week before the game. In Winnipeg most of the non season ticket holders buy their tickets last minute. No one expects a sell out on this team, they need to rebuild a lot of the casual fans trust, but they'll get into the 25000+ range I have no doubts, especially if it's a nice evening. 

 

 

 

I'd hope they'd be much closer to 30k than 25k for the season opener.

[Goalie]

Still have a week to go, i'll agree with the poster who said let's revisit this topic Wednesday next week.

[gbill2004]

I'd like to see 28-29k for the opener.  I had initially assumed the home opener would sell out, but obviously that's not the case. 

[road griller]

I think the Thursday games were a bad idea. Sure people are in the city as opposed to Friday games where people leave for the cabin after work on a Friday, but for people who work the next day, it can make for a rough morning. With the new 7:30 start time, games are over at 11:00pm. Get home by midnight if you're lucky. Could hurt concession too...who wants to be hungover on a Friday at work?

Why should Friday be any different from every other day?

My point is that it would be easier being hungover on a Saturday when your not at work.

Yeah and my point is that when you are showing up for work with a hangover every day, Friday doesn't really matter.

Yea, I guess for the alcoholics, it doesn't really matter...

As a teen I always thought I would end up a sexaholic not an alcoholic.

Funny what marriage does to a guy.

[blueandgoldguy]

New stadium location and all the inherent problems with it dictates that the walk up will be much lower than the old Canad Inns site.

 

I think they will get a crowd around 25,000 - 26,000.

[AtlanticRiderFan]

 

 

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

 

So you think they're going to sell 11 000 walk up tickets? Laughable.

 

who ever said anything even close to that? I said ticket sales for the Bombers are always lower a week before the game. In Winnipeg most of the non season ticket holders buy their tickets last minute. No one expects a sell out on this team, they need to rebuild a lot of the casual fans trust, but they'll get into the 25000+ range I have no doubts, especially if it's a nice evening. 

 

 

Yeah, I see what you're getting at now. Sorry.

[BlueGoldBozo]

This is no suprise to me.

 

Bad year last year.

 

Stadium Traffic issues.

 

Ticket pricing. They have gone way up over the last few years.

[17to85]

 

 

 

Winnipeg has always been a walk up crowd to fill the building, why are we surprised by the number of tickets sold now? In typical Winnipeg fashion people just need something to ***** about.

 

So you think they're going to sell 11 000 walk up tickets? Laughable.

 

who ever said anything even close to that? I said ticket sales for the Bombers are always lower a week before the game. In Winnipeg most of the non season ticket holders buy their tickets last minute. No one expects a sell out on this team, they need to rebuild a lot of the casual fans trust, but they'll get into the 25000+ range I have no doubts, especially if it's a nice evening. 

 

 

 

I'd hope they'd be much closer to 30k than 25k for the season opener.

 

After all the **** this team put them through last year? Gonna take a while to build up some goodwill. The games were so bad last year that even the diehard fans were having trouble sticking it out until the end, how do you think the casual fans reacted to that? They'll take a wait and see approach and the first couple games are likely to be low attendance. If they show some back bone and maybe even win some games early in the year fans will come back, but they gotta earn the support back at this point.