CCR in Montreal: A more fan-friendly stadium.

[François]

from the Impact web site:



A MORE FAN-FRIENDLY STADIUM, DOMINOS PIZZA AND SUBWAY CONCESSIONS AMONG NEW FEATURES AT HOME GAMES


MONTREAL, May 16, 2003 — Nearly 5,000 tickets have already been sold for this Sunday’s Montreal Impact home opener against the Richmond Kickers (4 pm, live on CJAD, CKAC), but no matter how many fans attend the game, they will notice some changes at Claude Robillard Stadium this season. Several new features will allow fans to have a more pleasant afternoon, whether it be before, during or after the game.

"This season, our fans will see a difference from the moment they arrive to the minute they leave," said team president Joey Saputo.

For the first time, privately-owned food concessions will be on-site. There will be two Dominos Pizza points of sale, and two Subway Restaurants concessions at every home game.

In addition, the City of Montreal will open a greater number of their own concessions; snacks and refreshments will also be sold in the stands; ticket holders in the general admission area will have access to more sanitary facilities.

Before games, there will be more parking spaces, thanks to an agreement with Collège Ahuntsic, and waiting time to enter the stadium and purchase tickets will be reduced thanks to a greater number of on-site points of sale. After games, police will direct traffic to facilitate leaving the stadium.

"Our philosophy for the 2003 season and the future is simple. It’s to make soccer an entertaining and positive experience for the entire family, and to ensure that fans will want to come back and attend more games," added Mr. Saputo. "We hope that these measures will help make Impact games one of the events of choice for sports fans."

A RECORD CROWD SUNDAY?
The Impact’s popularity at the gate last season helped the team set a new record with an average of 5,178 fans per game, and with nearly 5,000 tickets already sold for Sunday’s game, the team’s popularity appears as strong as ever.

"We seem to be picking up where we left off at the end of last year," said Impact Director of ticketing Yannick Saint-Germain. "And the way things are going with sales, we could expect a record crowd for a home opener."

The Impact set a record for the largest attendance at a home opener last year with 5,821 fans at its inaugural match at Claude Robillard Stadium.

The Impact attracted more than 7,500 fans in its last three games of the regular season and more than 6,000 fans for its two playoff matches.

Tickets can be purchased for $15, $10 or $5 through the Admission network at (514) 790-1245.



François
www.impactsoccer.com

[Free kick]

Would a move to a new venue be a good thing at this time? Personally, I don't see anything wrong with CCR. Its a very nice facility by Canadian and A-League standards. It has attracted fans in much greater numbers than any Toronto stadium going back to the old CSL days when the Supra were there. I've been to CCR on several occasions to see soccer going back to the days of teh SUPRA. I've also been to Varsity, centennial, York U and even saw a North Rockets game at Ester Shiner ( can't recall if Radzinski played in that game or not). CCR beats all of them and it has a look and feel to it that can attract the casual supporter and even families. Some may not like this, but its important for the clubs and more importantly the club's marketing and bottom line. This is what counts most for the long term future of the game.

If you have a good thing going why disturb it with a move to McGill, where you might loose some of your fans. Besides, the North end of Montreal is where many of montreal's ethnic communities are located. Would they still be interested in going downtown to watch soccer? or might you lose some of the intimacy of being in a packed stadium with 7-8K fans when you play in a 25K stadium with only 8K?

Tony

[Daniel]

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

Would a move to a new venue be a good thing at this time? Personally, I don't see anything wrong with CCR. Its a very nice facility by Canadian and A-League standards. It has attracted fans in much greater numbers than any Toronto stadium going back to the old CSL days when the Supra were there. I've been to CCR on several occasions to see soccer going back to the days of teh SUPRA. I've also been to Varsity, centennial, York U and even saw a North Rockets game at Ester Shiner ( can't recall if Radzinski played in that game or not). CCR beats all of them and it has a look and feel to it that can attract the casual supporter and even families. Some may not like this, but its important for the clubs and more importantly the club's marketing and bottom line. This is what counts most for the long term future of the game.

If you have a good thing going why disturb it with a move to McGill, where you might loose some of your fans. Besides, the North end of Montreal is where many of montreal's ethnic communities are located. Would they still be interested in going downtown to watch soccer? or might you lose some of the intimacy of being in a packed stadium with 7-8K fans when you play in a 25K stadium with only 8K?

Tony


CCR is great, but the fans are WAY too far from the field (we're talking at LEAST 20 yards!) and it has that Toronto-region-stadia stigma: it's perceived as the community stadium that it is. Molson Stadium brings a level of credibility to the team which puts it on par with the other 3 pro teams ("Royales" are barely that...). It attracts a more diverse crowd (and the Impact are not reliant on ethnic communities... The ones in the North End have had 10 years to decide if they support the Impact.

A move to Molson Stadium and continuing strong marketing will prove to be a winner. Once word gets out, the stadium'll fill up, as long as the club makes every game an event (like the Alouettes have done). Remember, the Als attracted 7,000 people at Olympic Stadium, but 19,000 one year later JUST BECAUSE they changed venues!

Allez l'Impact!
Allez les Rouges!
Allons Ultras!

[Cheeta]

Don't know if the Als experience would be a suitable comparison for the Impact. Is very telling though of the effect an appropriate grounds has on getting fans to come out to support. Not saying McGill wasn't a shambles. Just a better venue all in all for the Als than the Big Owe.

Hope the Impact out grow CCR and make a move to McGill but you'd hate to rush it and spoil all the good work the organization has done over the last couple of seasons.

Minority of one

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by Cheeta

Don't know if the Als experience would be a suitable comparison for the Impact. Is very telling though of the effect an appropriate grounds has on getting fans to come out to support. Not saying McGill wasn't a shambles. Just a better venue all in all for the Als than the Big Owe.

Hope the Impact out grow CCR and make a move to McGill but you'd hate to rush it and spoil all the good work the organization has done over the last couple of seasons.

Minority of one



Thats kind of what I'm saying. Move to McGill when you outgrow CCR and I think that its a little premature to say that the Impact have outgrown CCR.

[DJT]

quote:Originally posted by Cheeta

Is very telling though of the effect an appropriate grounds has on getting fans to come out to support.All this proves to me is that most of those people who now attend Alouette games aren't fans at all. They are just spectators.

And, whether they are fans or spectators (I think it's more of the former), last year the Argos had more people in SkyDome for a worse team, regardless of the tiresome spin that the media puts on this whole thing and people blindly accept (ie. Montreal is successful, Toronto is a failure, blah, blah, blah).

[Daniel]

1. The Als could have gotten bigger crowds (in reagrds to the Argos), but CAN'T because of the stadium. They also have almost no free ticket giveaway compared to the Argos. Did the Argos attract 57,000 for their playoff game?

2. It seems that the people "against" a move to McGill are not from Montréal and the ones who think it's a good idea are from Montréal. We have the inside track on the mood and feel of the city. Others see CCR as a top-rate-for-the-a-league facility, we see it as a will-always-seem-minor-league stadium, and McGill WILL broaden the fan base.

3. Spectators or fans. At which point does the line blur? Am I a fan of the Habs? I only went to two games on free tickets, I read the writeup of probably 65 games... By moving to Molson Stadium, the Impact will attract all sorts of "fringe" people who DO go to the Als because it's an "event", but that's half the fun. It should also bring in a higher proportion of older fans (ie not kids), which usually means more fidelity and a better image.

Allez l'Impact!
Allez les Rouges!
Allons Ultras!

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by Daniel

1.

3. Spectators or fans. At which point does the line blur? Am I a fan of the Habs? I only went to two games on free tickets, I read the writeup of probably 65 games... By moving to Molson Stadium, the Impact will attract all sorts of "fringe" people who DO go to the Als because it's an "event", but that's half the fun. It should also bring in a higher proportion of older fans (ie not kids), which usually means more fidelity and a better image.

Allez l'Impact!
Allez les Rouges!
Allons Ultras!



Absolutely agree with point number 3. Who is a fan and who is spectator. When your selling tickets who cares about the difference? Funny, I used to be a baseball fan and moved from Montreal to Toronto around the time when when the Blue Jays were selling out all time. Yet I found very odd when talking baseball with people I came into contact with or even listening to people talking baseball on the airwaves. Its seemed to me that, generally speaking, I was able to find more people knowledgable baseball people in Montreal than in TO. I still recall sitting in a packed skydome listing to yakers around me who were totally clueless. Unlike at the almost empty big owe for example. I was in Baseball pools ( ie.: rotissery league) with others when living in both cities. I was amazed how clueless people here were about players teams and so forth yet these were the guys who were packing the skydome but now aren't going anywhere near it.

Whats a fan? yes thats a big question that no one can ever define? to the people who run teams, its what they call their customers who bought a ticket.