REGINA – The Weyburn Red Wings – one of the original teams in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League – is facing a dire financial shortfall that could force the team to hang up its jerseys.
The Red Wings organization is $180,000 in debt this season, and they still have 16 regular season games on the schedule (not including potential playoff games).
“You can’t pinpoint exactly when the team’s financial woes started but it came to a head this month,” said Red Wings President Larry Tribiger.
It costs around $800,000 a year to run the junior club, and the team relies heavily on attendance plus community sponsorships for funding throughout the season.
“One of the biggest reasons is declining attendance at the games, Junior A teams rely heavily on attendance. Also, busing and equipment costs have gone up,” added Tribiger.
The team is hosting their 13th annual sportsman dinner this weekend. It’s one of the team’s main fundraisers but ticket sales for the event are down.
The Red Wings have not officially informed the league about their financial crisis, but will this weekend at a league meeting.
“Hopefully the league can help us with the marketing end of things or maybe they can even help us out financially, I just don’t know,” said Tribiger.
Tribiger said there is a 50/50 chance that the Red Wings will not be able to play next season.
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