From Gerda Peachey. Re: Heat Announce Hockey Heros Education Partnership – “The Abbotsford Heat are dedicated to being a significant community partner for Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley. Over the past three seasons, the Heat have raised more than $300,000 for local charities and minor hockey groups and the Heat Foundation has donated more than $100,000 to local charity groups. Last season, the Heat raised nearly $94,000 for local groups through 50/50 sales and more than $65,000 through the Fundraiser ticket program.”
Well, I read the above blurb all the way through and could not find any reference to the millions that we taxpayers are forced to shell out to the ‘Abbotsford Leeches’.
I did note that Comrade Bruce has decreed the AESC must be filled with adoring fans, and so the parking rates must be slashed.
I make the assumption here that the honourable owners of this team, the Calgary Flames, and Lane Sweeting and Co. are the ones who will absorb the loss of revenue.
I can’t imagine that such sterling folk would expect us Abbotsford folk to subsidize men chasing pucks any more than $5.7 million ‘supply-fee’ that already sweetens their side of this contract. Sports is after all meant to produce sportsmanship, …right?
It is reported the heat raised$300,000 for charity over three seasons, which is wonderful but the taxpayers paid out $15 million +- over in 4 seasons…think if one million of it would have been put towards charity in the community!
Reduced parking, reduction in ticket sales, reduction in concession
prices..bottom line families cannot afford to buy tickets to attend
games regularily.
The fan base for hockey was overestimated by Lane Sweeting and the City of Abbotsofrd, a survey done by Lane Sweeting, who referred
to 6000 people interested in ticket sales as “hockey mad town.”
He definitely had the blinders on, when it came to estimating the
Abbotsford fan base.
The people outside the city do not see value in driving time and
costs to attend hockey and hockey.
A fan base of at least 20,000 is needed in order for arena to
have people attend regularily and that is even cutting it thin.