EDMONTON – It’s been a decade since the Eskimos have advanced to the Grey Cup and the team is doing everything it can to rally the fan base ahead of Sunday’s Western Final.
The team has opened its practices to the public, volunteered in the community, handed out tickets at schools, and been very active on social media.
By late Friday afternoon, 30,500 tickets to Sunday’s game at Commonwealth Stadium had been sold. Supporters are hoping for a big boost in ticket sales on Saturday.
“I would say that 30,000 to 35,000 is a total failure,” said Global Edmonton sports reporter Quinn Phillips.
“It’s quite concerning to me,” said sports reporter John Sexsmith.
“I don’t feel the love like we used to in this city concerning the Eskimos.
“We’ve seen sagging attendance throughout the year,” added Sexsmith. “It’s an ageing population out there, it’s an ageing Eskimos season ticket base. Unfortunately, the CFL hasn’t captivated the younger crowd like the NFL has.”
Despite the team’s incredible showing, another Battle of Alberta on the ticket and a pretty nice weather forecast for the game, the Esks are still having to work hard to get people in the seats.
“I think it must be a bit disheartening for management because they’re not getting the fans out they think they deserve based on the position of the franchise within the community, based on the competitiveness of the franchise this season, and based on perhaps the weather being agreeable this weekend,” said Dan Mason, a professor of Sports Management at the University of Alberta.
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“I don’t know whether you could ask their players to be any more involved than they already are in terms of being out in the community, working with different charities…working in schools, working with minor football,” added Mason.
“They’re making all – what you consider – the right moves out there in order to make themselves consistently supported in the community.”
But, this season saw the lowest average attendance for the Eskimos since 2005.
In Calgary, Randy Chevrier pointed out the less-than-strong showing for the West Semi-Final.
Sunday, the Alberta rivals will face each other, but some feel the Esks making it this far should be enough to fill the stadium.
“I don’t think it should matter who your opponent is,” Phillips said. “It’s a playoff game and it’s a one-off to the Grey Cup.”
WATCH: The Global Edmonton Sports Department – Kevin Karius, John Sexsmith and Quinn Phillips – talk about the big game and make their predictions.
Mason points to another sport – and its young star in particular – as one reason the shine may have come off Edmonton’s football team.
“One of the issues has been the arrival of Connor McDavid. I think that’s created a buzz in the city and even though the Oilers aren’t any more competitive than they were last year, I think certainly there’s a lot more focus on the team, a lot more excitement about the team.”
“That’s probably overshadowed some of the accomplishments of the Eskimos.”
Still, he credits the CFL for embracing its strengths and continuing to work on its ties with teams’ communities.
“It has established itself as a sport that has its own following, that has its own style of play, and its own brand. I think it’s comfortable in that sense. But…in the case of Edmonton, there’s just some things going on in the community that are anomalous that are impacting the ability of the team to generate fans this year.”
But that’s not stopping the Eskimos from trying.
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