Future fans of the CFL?

[Fatty Liver]

I was going to put this in the Royal Blue discussion but I think it's a separate discussion unto itself.

 

The ever-changing re-design of sports uniforms is mostly marketing towards the youth market.  Not really sure how much that demographic comes into play in the CFL marketing as I suspect the average CFL fan is 30-50 and up and doesn't appreciate change as they once did.  Sometime it's hard for mid-life white guys to think that the world revolves around anybody else but themselves and those like them so an outside perspective is needed. 

 

The youth market is important to the CFL because the very young fans are the future season ticket purchasers and should not be ignored.  Any of you have a view of how the CFL is working to attract the next generation of fans and whether they're meeting with any success?

[JuranBoldenRules]

The uniforms are minuscule in the big picture.  I spend far too much time with high school kids, many of them CFL fans, and they flat out laugh at the feeble "marketing" ploy that the 3rd jerseys this season are.  It's transparent and amateurish.  It could be argued that the negative reaction to most of the uniforms is far worse than any positive reaction for uniforms could have been in terms of the overall product. 

 

Two things the CFL needs to do is to make their product accessible, and make the overall game of football accessible.  I've found the CFL to be pretty inconsistent in their efforts to do both over the years.  At some times, the league and teams give a ton of support to youth football, other times they give very little.  Lately it seems that they are more interested in starting flag football leagues than getting kids playing the real sport.  In terms of making the actual CFL games accessible for young fans, the Bombers would be smart to bring back the Safeway style cheap seats using the several thousand seats in the endzones that never sell.  Can't speak to what other teams are doing in that regard.

[gbill2004]

Bombers do partner with Co-op on 2 P5 tickets (End zone) for $60 or 4 tickets and a parking pass for $125. I believe that's about $10-15 off the regular price for those tickets.

[mbrg]

The ever-changing re-design of sports uniforms is mostly marketing towards the youth market.

 

I don't think the CFL or anyone really believes that.  That's just easy marketing buzz speak, like saying you're being pro-active anytime you do anything.  Empty filler.

 

It's clothing that's for sale, just like hats and tshirts.  Bbq covers, wall clocks, rugs, chairs, golf cozies, etc.  A revenue stream.  Nothing more.  Reebok has a licensing deal with the CFL; this is the 7th different Bomber jersey released since 2007.  Other than this one is a bit Argoesque, what's the big deal?  Buy it.  Don't buy it.  Whatever.

 

I know your post had a deeper question than the endless typical jersey griping, but there seems to be this notion that the soul and essence of the Bombers has somehow been violated and defiled by these novelty jerseys.  They could have been better.  It's still not a big deal.

 

Some years the Bombers do a great job of getting the players out in the community and out into the rural areas.  I haven't heard of much this year, but I've also been paying less attention than other years.

[Guest]

Seems to me the CFL is trying to cater towards the hipsters.

 

Why anyone would cater to a hipster, I'll never understand.

[17to85]

New jerseys doesn't cater to the youth, all it is is trying to sell new jerseys to whoever has disposable income to buy a new jersey. 

 

If you really want to get young fans into the CFL, and I do think that is the key goal, you have to make going to the games fun, your team has to have a presence in the community and you have to engage the kids. New jerseys don't do that. 

[Floyd]

Beer snake appeals to the younger demographic.

[Fatty Liver]

Don't really care about the uniform thing, actually wanted to avoid that discussion, thus a new thread.  I guess the group that I'm most interested in is the 20 somethings.  Are there a lot of them attending games or have they succumbed to the omnibus marketing campaign of the NFL and deem the CFL "minor league"?  Must be a few of them on this board that can chime in.

 

I know in my case my buddies and I started to attend games in our late teens as a group as soon as we had a car to get us there and money of our own to purchase tickets....and beer!  For the most part that experience made us all life long fans of the Bombers and the CFL.  I must note that this was prior to the 100 channel universe and unbridled exposure to the NFL and it's marketing campaign was still in it's infancy.    Circa. Dallas Cowboys and Roger Staubach to be exact.

[TBURGESS]

The CFL needs to get to the kids way before they hit their 20's.  I became a lifelong fan when my 6 man football team played at halftime of a Bomber game.  I was probably 8 or 9.  A couple of Bombers came out to our last practice before the 'big game' and chatted with us.  Getting some players and coaches out to some of the kids games or practices would go a long way towards building support at the lower levels of the sport.

 

There's no sugar coating it... the CFL is minor league compared to the NFL.  It's a better game IMHO, but the level of the players and coaches is significantly worse.  It's not about NFL hype.

 

I used to buy the Salisbury house endzone tickets as they were all my friends and I could afford.  I'd like to see the Bombers bring that back in some way to allow the folks with less disposable income to attend some games.  A student section with discounted tickets would be great too.  Get the younger folks in the stands and some will become lifelong fans to fill up the expensive seats.

[JohnnyOnTheSpot]

I became a fan because my parents were.  They took me to one game a year until I was old enough to go on my own.  Also all the kids in the neighborhood were CFL fans too and we'd play pretending we were Bomber players or else I hate to say it George Reed because he really was that good.  Having only 3 channels and one TV helped too I have to say. You'd watch any game that was on and knew all the players at a young age.

[mbrg]

Don't really care about the uniform thing

 

I realize that, it's just that the misconception that the jerseys are a result of some marketing study aimed at the youth keeps coming up, when the reality is much simpler.

 

New jerseys doesn't cater to the youth, all it is is trying to sell new jerseys to whoever has disposable income to buy a new jersey.

 

He uses way fewer words than me.

 

As for getting new fans, it's just a matter of parents bringing their kids to the stadiums.  I've brought my son to a game every year since he was either 2 or 3.  He's hated it every time.  It's really loud, the guys on the field aren't cartoons, it's long, he has to sit in his seat, and he doesn't understand what is going on.

 

He's coming with me again Sunday.  If we stay till the end of the third quarter that will be a major victory.  And my parents have said I didn't enjoy going to games when I was his age either.

[B-F-F-C]

I became a fan because my dad was.  From the time I can remember we had season tickets.  My dad was a small business owner so he worked 6 days a week if not 7.  Going to the football games was the one time I got some time with my dad.   When I was older I started to buy tickets with my friends and went with them instead of my dad.  I still regret that decision as he gave up the season tickets because my mom and my brother and sister weren't interested in going.   

 

When I was 22 I bought a set of two season tickets and took my dad to every game for the next few years until I moved to Calgary.  My dad was a huge football fan and used to go to |Grey Cups with my mom.   The year I was born (1962) he went to the Grey Cup a week after I was born leaving my mom at home.  BIG fan?  Or just a husband that wanted to get away from a new baby?

[pigseye]

imo, it all comes down to peer groups.

My father was not a football fan, I went to 1 Bomber game up until the time I was 18, and that was only because my uncle took us. Despite that, I was always a Bomber/CFL fan because all my friends were too. My son is now 17 and despite being to dozens of games with me over the years, he is not a fan, neither are most of his friends.

btw, why are Bombers so against wearing road whites? Everyone else in the league does, why do we have to be different.

[Mr Dee]

 In terms of making the actual CFL games accessible for young fans, the Bombers would be smart to bring back the Safeway style cheap seats using the several thousand seats in the endzones that never sell.  Can't speak to what other teams are doing in that regard.

 

 

 

I used to buy the Salisbury house endzone tickets as they were all my friends and I could afford.  I'd like to see the Bombers bring that back in some way to allow the folks with less disposable income to attend some games.  A student section with discounted tickets would be great too.  Get the younger folks in the stands and some will become lifelong fans to fill up the expensive seats.

 

 

Bombers do partner with Co-op on 2 P5 tickets (End zone) for $60 or 4 tickets and a parking pass for $125. I believe that's about $10-15 off the regular price for those tickets.

 

All these points are super important for the Bombers to continue building the underlying base for future years.

 

It's not possible to have a Salisbury section with the new stadium configuration but maybe colour coded sections to highlight support would help.

 

And now would be a great time to have that Superstore down the road get more heavily involved with tickets in their own SuperSection.

 

Good on Co-Op for a unique approach in their support for the club.

[pigseye]

And not having experienced what it's like to win a GC won't help win you new fans either.

[17to85]

imo, it all comes down to peer groups.

My father was not a football fan, I went to 1 Bomber game up until the time I was 18, and that was only because my uncle took us. Despite that, I was always a Bomber/CFL fan because all my friends were too. My son is now 17 and despite being to dozens of games with me over the years, he is not a fan, neither are most of his friends.

btw, why are Bombers so against wearing road whites? Everyone else in the league does, why do we have to be different.

I think it can be both. I picked up the love of football mainly from my friends in highschool but it's perfectly reasonable to think that some people get it from their parents. Everyone is different. The key is to get kids exposed to the game and they'll either develop and affinity for it or they won't. There will always be sports fans in the world, it's just a matter of making sure they watch the CFL. 

[Rids]

I'd love to see the CFL get involved in sponsoring a flag football league similar to how the NFL does. It's great to see these kids here wearing NFL logos on their flag football jerseys (that are all good quality shirts) and they get involved that way. The sponsorship keeps the cost low to the families which is #1 in expanding the reach. 

[Goalie]

I don't know but, the games i've gone too, i've seen more young people than older people actually. Dunno if it's just the games i go too or what, i doubt it but seems to me the bombers and Jets for that matter have quite a lot of younger fans at their games. Let's call them the under 30 crowd. 

[pigseye]

Yup, there's no problem in Wpg with getting young fans involved.

[Jimmy Pop]

Under 30 crowd, checking in.

I don't think there's much of an issue getting people my age or younger involved. Had the last regime stayed another year or two, maybe another story.

We were just talking about this at my office...one mixed with mid20's to middle age folks, male and female. Consensus was Miller is doing a lot of positive things to engage people. Allowing fans on the field and keeping the vendors open past the final whistle is only one ex of something theyre doing to engage fans, young and old.

Bottom line: 20-23K are going to be at the stadium rain, shine or earthquake. When the team is promising (hello 2014!) the casual fans will come out in droves.

/non issue. Handled internally.

[Goalie]

The other thing is, those under 30's, heck let's say under 40's even, 35 to be fair crowd, they will have families of their own and kids of their own and just like what happened to most of us, our parents were fans so in a way it made us fans too, our kids will become fans too. It's a never ending cycle really lol. 

[Fatty Liver]

Under 30 crowd, checking in.

I don't think there's much of an issue getting people my age or younger involved. Had the last regime stayed another year or two, maybe another story.

We were just talking about this at my office...one mixed with mid20's to middle age folks, male and female. Consensus was Miller is doing a lot of positive things to engage people. Allowing fans on the field and keeping the vendors open past the final whistle is only one ex of something theyre doing to engage fans, young and old.

Bottom line: 20-23K are going to be at the stadium rain, shine or earthquake. When the team is promising (hello 2014!) the casual fans will come out in droves.

/non issue. Handled internally.

 

Great to hear your perspective, it's encouraging.  One huge influence that hasn't been mentioned is having all the games broadcast on TSN so that younger fans who can't afford to go to the games can follow their favourite team.  All it takes is the interest of a father or older brother tuning into the weekly contest for the seed to be planted. 

 

In my case I was a huge Montreal Canadiens fan from the age of 5 simply because the weekly broadcasts on HNIC were a staple in our household every Saturday night.  Football broadcasts being so much more erratic in the day, I really didn't become a Bomber fan until around 10.

[Mr Dee]

 In terms of making the actual CFL games accessible for young fans, the Bombers would be smart to bring back the Safeway style cheap seats using the several thousand seats in the endzones that never sell.  Can't speak to what other teams are doing in that regard.

 

 

 

I used to buy the Salisbury house endzone tickets as they were all my friends and I could afford.  I'd like to see the Bombers bring that back in some way to allow the folks with less disposable income to attend some games.  A student section with discounted tickets would be great too.  Get the younger folks in the stands and some will become lifelong fans to fill up the expensive seats.

 

 

Bombers do partner with Co-op on 2 P5 tickets (End zone) for $60 or 4 tickets and a parking pass for $125. I believe that's about $10-15 off the regular price for those tickets.

 

All these points are super important for the Bombers to continue building the underlying base for future years.

 

It's not possible to have a Salisbury section with the new stadium configuration but maybe colour coded sections to highlight support would help.

 

And now would be a great time to have that Superstore down the road get more heavily involved with tickets in their own SuperSection.

 

Good on Co-Op for a unique approach in their support for the club.

[JuranBoldenRules]

 

 In terms of making the actual CFL games accessible for young fans, the Bombers would be smart to bring back the Safeway style cheap seats using the several thousand seats in the endzones that never sell.  Can't speak to what other teams are doing in that regard.

 

 

 

I used to buy the Salisbury house endzone tickets as they were all my friends and I could afford.  I'd like to see the Bombers bring that back in some way to allow the folks with less disposable income to attend some games.  A student section with discounted tickets would be great too.  Get the younger folks in the stands and some will become lifelong fans to fill up the expensive seats.

 

 

Bombers do partner with Co-op on 2 P5 tickets (End zone) for $60 or 4 tickets and a parking pass for $125. I believe that's about $10-15 off the regular price for those tickets.

 

All these points are super important for the Bombers to continue building the underlying base for future years.

 

It's not possible to have a Salisbury section with the new stadium configuration but maybe colour coded sections to highlight support would help.

 

And now would be a great time to have that Superstore down the road get more heavily involved with tickets in their own SuperSection.

 

Good on Co-Op for a unique approach in their support for the club.

 

 

Why not?  There are at least 4 sections that are consistently empty in each corner, probably more.  That means there are few season ticket holders in those sections if any.  They could easily give dozens of blocks of tickets to an interested partner (most likely a grocery store or restaurant) to sell for cheap.

[Mr Dee]

 

 

It's not possible to have a Salisbury section with the new stadium configuration but maybe colour coded sections to highlight support would help.

 

 

 

Why not?  There are at least 4 sections that are consistently empty in each corner, probably more.  That means there are few season ticket holders in those sections if any.  They could easily give dozens of blocks of tickets to an interested partner (most likely a grocery store or restaurant) to sell for cheap.

 

 

No, simply meant as to the difference in the two fields.

It was easier to isolate seats in the north end zone or south end zone (when they had it) and price them accordingly at the old field.

It was definitely harder to move to better seats.

 

Of course, now, they could just price them differently according what the lousy selling seats are and they well should.

To me, any seat that is sold, even at a bargain price, is a future seat sold in a better seating configuration.

It's the big picture and they should get on that.