Correction: The original story stated the wrong attendance number for Tuesday’s game. Global News regrets the error.
The emptiness of Mosaic Stadium on Tuesday night was apparent as the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosted rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a pre-season game.
There were 10,846 people scanned into the stadium. And fewer than that stayed for the entire game. Mosaic Stadium seats 33,350 people.
Regina Leader-Post sports editor Rob Vanstone said there could be a number of factors for the low turnout.
“Tuesday at 6:30 certainly isn’t optimal,” Vanstone said.
The game was originally scheduled for Victoria Day in the afternoon but was postponed to allow teams to prepare following labour negotiations. Some major players didn’t take the field.
“It was pretty much a glorified scrimmage from that perspective,” Vanstone added.
Vanstone also wondered if some fans may still be wary of COVID-19. He said the windy weather also could have been a deterrent.
Despite the number of empty seats, Vanstone believes Tuesday night’s attendance was a rare occurrence.
“I would attribute this one more than anything to the fact that it was a pre-season game that was rescheduled to a night that really isn’t ideal for attendance,” Vanstone said. “I think you can almost look at this one as an anomaly or an aberration. We’ll get a much better idea on June 11 when the (Hamilton) Ti-Cats are here.”
The Riders play one more preseason game on Friday at 8 p.m. in B.C. against the Lions.
The team’s first regular season game is 5 p.m. on June 11 at home.
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