Bandit
01-08-2004, 08:58 PM
.: Jan 19, 2003. Copyright The Sudbury Star 2003)
The Sudbury Wolves' plan to upgrade the Sudbury Arena should make fans smile
The season after next, select Sudbury Wolves fans will be able to luxuriate in modern, decorated suites high above the ice surface and dine on catered meals while watching their favourite team play. It's all part of a dream on the part of team officials to improve the standard of hockey entertainment in Sudbury, and also to put the club on a more stable financial footing.
The Wolves are preparing detailed plans for a $2.4-million renovation of Sudbury Community Arena. The plan is to build an addition over the back of the arena -- the north side overlooking Memorial Park -- that will house 14 corporate skyboxes, as well as concessions, private washrooms and an elevator. As well, the team hopes to take over 990 seats on the north side and turn them into club seating with exclusive access to the new amenities.
It's an idea well-heeled Wolves fans will surely welcome, as access to the new facilities will not come *****. In the long run, however, all fans should welcome the plan, as it could make the difference between the club staying in Sudbury, or leaving.
The Wolves plan to build skyboxes was first introduced four years ago. At that time, the city, which owns the arena the team calls home, was less than receptive to the team's ambitious cost-sharing plan. At the time, skyboxes and club seating were not common in the league and were not seen to be essential to the club's survival. The plan fell apart when the two sides could not agree on how to cost- share the project.
Now, however, the Ontario Hockey League is a much different entity. New teams -- Mississauga, Brampton, Barrie and Saginaw -- have entered the league with modern arenas and skyboxes. Club seating and modern concessions are features of all of them. In addition, a number of existing teams -- London, Sarnia, Peterborough, Owen Sound -- have or plan to build new arenas or upgrade existing arenas that continue this trend.
The result is that, while community support remains strong for the Wolves, the club's revenues and revenue-generating potential have fallen behind the league standard.
While the cynical among us will say the bottom-feeding team would likely do better on the ledger sheet if it did better on the ice, club officials argue traditional forms of revenue -- ticket sales, rink advertising, concessions and merchandising -- will never be enough to sustain an Ontario Hockey League franchise anymore.
To this end, the club is willing to pay the full cost of upgrading the arena, and assume the burden of selling the plan to hockey fans. Club officials say they are counting on the corporate community to buy into the plan and make it work.
Sudbury has always been an excellent hockey town, and with ambition like this it always will be. Kudos to the Wolves for their vision and determination, and to the city for allowing the club to do what it needs to do to survive.
Now, it's up to the community to show the club that its ambition is not wasted in Sudbury. And then, hopefully, the team will repay its loyal fans with a return to the playoffs.
The Sudbury Wolves' plan to upgrade the Sudbury Arena should make fans smile
The season after next, select Sudbury Wolves fans will be able to luxuriate in modern, decorated suites high above the ice surface and dine on catered meals while watching their favourite team play. It's all part of a dream on the part of team officials to improve the standard of hockey entertainment in Sudbury, and also to put the club on a more stable financial footing.
The Wolves are preparing detailed plans for a $2.4-million renovation of Sudbury Community Arena. The plan is to build an addition over the back of the arena -- the north side overlooking Memorial Park -- that will house 14 corporate skyboxes, as well as concessions, private washrooms and an elevator. As well, the team hopes to take over 990 seats on the north side and turn them into club seating with exclusive access to the new amenities.
It's an idea well-heeled Wolves fans will surely welcome, as access to the new facilities will not come *****. In the long run, however, all fans should welcome the plan, as it could make the difference between the club staying in Sudbury, or leaving.
The Wolves plan to build skyboxes was first introduced four years ago. At that time, the city, which owns the arena the team calls home, was less than receptive to the team's ambitious cost-sharing plan. At the time, skyboxes and club seating were not common in the league and were not seen to be essential to the club's survival. The plan fell apart when the two sides could not agree on how to cost- share the project.
Now, however, the Ontario Hockey League is a much different entity. New teams -- Mississauga, Brampton, Barrie and Saginaw -- have entered the league with modern arenas and skyboxes. Club seating and modern concessions are features of all of them. In addition, a number of existing teams -- London, Sarnia, Peterborough, Owen Sound -- have or plan to build new arenas or upgrade existing arenas that continue this trend.
The result is that, while community support remains strong for the Wolves, the club's revenues and revenue-generating potential have fallen behind the league standard.
While the cynical among us will say the bottom-feeding team would likely do better on the ledger sheet if it did better on the ice, club officials argue traditional forms of revenue -- ticket sales, rink advertising, concessions and merchandising -- will never be enough to sustain an Ontario Hockey League franchise anymore.
To this end, the club is willing to pay the full cost of upgrading the arena, and assume the burden of selling the plan to hockey fans. Club officials say they are counting on the corporate community to buy into the plan and make it work.
Sudbury has always been an excellent hockey town, and with ambition like this it always will be. Kudos to the Wolves for their vision and determination, and to the city for allowing the club to do what it needs to do to survive.
Now, it's up to the community to show the club that its ambition is not wasted in Sudbury. And then, hopefully, the team will repay its loyal fans with a return to the playoffs.