Alarm bells are being sounded by one of the most successful junior hockey franchises in the province, at risk of folding before the end of the season.
On Saturday, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Yorkton Terriers posted a statement on social media notifying their fans and the community that the franchise is facing ‘dire’ financial circumstances that threaten the future of the team.
“Late last week we had an emergency board meeting and were presented with the fact that we had no more money and we wouldn’t be in a position to pay our bills,” said Terriers board president Corvyn Neufeld. “We just thought we need to let our community know where we’re at.
“It’s urgent enough that without change, our team might not be able to operate to the end of the season.”
The Terriers are aiming to make up a $200,000 deficit which is approaching critical for the organization.
According to Neufeld, a significant drop in attendance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic is being cited as the main reason for the team’s financial struggles.
“We’ve been averaging around 650 people a game this season so far,” said Neufeld. “We need around 1,000 or 1,100 to break even, so that creates quite a shortfall all by itself.”
In response to the financial crisis, the organization has launched a ‘Save the Terriers’ ticket drive for the 2024-25 SJHL season with a discounted price of $200 per ticket or $400 for a family pack.
Neufeld is aiming to sell at least 1,000 ticket packages to make up for the team’s $200,000 deficit.
“We’re offering some really affordable pricing on season tickets for next year, but we need people to buy them now so our cash flow situation can get better,” said Neufeld. “The second thing is we’re just encouraging people to come out for the rest of the season.”
The Terriers have been one of the SJHL’s winningest franchises with six league titles stretching back to 1983, their lone national championship coming in 2014.
This season, Yorkton struggled out of the gate and sit last in the SJHL Viterra Division with a 14-22-1-2 record.
Making playoffs remains a key goal according to Neufeld, who is optimistic that the Terriers can remain a staple of the Yorkton sports scene with the help of community donors and season ticket holders.
“I think the Terriers are just critical to the fabric of our community,” said Neufeld. “I can’t imagine our community without the Terriers in it and I think there’s a lot of that sentiment around our community. I’m very optimistic that our community will not let this team fold, they just won’t. But we got to work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
If the Terriers are unable to receive enough anticipated community funding, the SJHL confirmed it will be up to the league’s board of governors to decide if they will provide further financial support.
The Terriers are back on the ice Friday night in Estevan to kick off a home-and-home series against the Bruins at 7:00 pm.