EDMONTON — The Edmonton Eskimos spent weeks rallying fans in hopes of packing every seat at Commonwealth Stadium for Sunday’s West Final against the Calgary Stampeders. But did it work?
In a stadium that holds more than 56,000 people, it’s a feat to get all of the seats filled. But it seems as though it’s more of a challenge these days than it has been in the past.
During the 2015 regular season, the Eskimos averaged 31,517 fans at each game. That’s the lowest regular season attendance average the club has seen in the last 10 years, despite having the best record they’ve seen in the same time frame (14-4).
The team saw the highest attendance on Saturday, Sept. 12 against the Stampeders, with 38,906 fans. The lowest attendance was on Thursday, Aug. 6 against the B.C. Lions, with 21,170 fans at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Are we worried? Absolutely not,” said Len Rhodes, Eskimos president and CEO. “What we want to do, though, is to say, what can we do to get people involved? We were number 1 again in league attendance this year so we are very proud of that.”
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While the Eskimos have a very devoted fan base, Rhodes admits it is an aging one. He said the organization is working on new initiatives to get younger people involved next season, particularly targeting the 21-to-35 age group.
“Everything that we’re going to be doing is going to make sure that we’re going after that target,” he said. “We have a strong tradition but we’ve got to get young people coming to our games. We put a lot of emphasis this game in terms of the north end zone. We removed the tarps, we put a $20 ticket price for students to be able to come out so that’s a first start.
“We know that when you come once you’re going to want to come back.”
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Before game time Sunday, the Eskimos had sold 33,300 tickets to the West Division Final. Speaking before the game, Rhodes said he was pleased when they hit the 30,000 mark and hoped attendance would end up being upwards of 34,000 to 35,000.
“It makes a difference to all of our staff, but also the players on the field when there’s a buzz in the stadium. When you’re north of 30,000 in Commonwealth Stadium it becomes euphoric.”
The final attendance for Sunday’s game was 34,414.
Sunday was the first time Edmonton hosted the CFL West Final since 2003. It was a sunny 7°C at kick off.
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