Saskatchewan Roughriders struggle with ticket sales

A team second in the Canadian Football League (CFL) West Division standings is having a tough time filling its stadium this year.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have one of the strongest fan bases in the league. But the team’s last home game recorded the lowest attendance since Mosaic Stadium opened in 2017, with just shy of 24,000 fans.

The low turnout prompted head coach Corey Mace to plead with fans on social media.

“Rider Nation. We appreciate you, we love you. We heard you, you helped make a difference. Let’s skip the lake on [July] 19th, let’s pack this place like the good ole days,” Mace posted to X.

Saskatchewan Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds said the low attendance is largely due to the schedule.

The Riders’ home opener was on a Sunday while kids were still in school. Their second home game was on a Thursday.

“About 50 per cent of our fan base travels each and every game to attend our games … so that’s tough for out-of-town fans,” Reynolds said.

“But I got to tell you, the crowds that were there, it was electric. I’ve had people tell me that was some of the best sporting atmosphere they’ve seen in a long, long time.”

Rider Nation may still be loud, but season ticketholder Lance Hackewich said the last home game wasn’t as loud as it could have been.

“You can still feel the atmosphere lacking just a bit,” he said.

Hackewich and his son, Nelson, still remember the opening year of Mosaic Stadium in 2017. They said the atmosphere was electric with more than 30,000 fans packed into the stands during every home game that season.

Attendance levels have been slipping ever since. Last year, only one of the team’s 10 home games had a crowd larger than 30,000.

“This is obviously not just something that the Riders are dealing with. I think it’s sort of a problem across much of professional sports right now, and some teams are starting to figure it out. Some teams aren’t,” 3DownNation sports writer Joel Gasson said.

After five weeks of regular season play, only three CFL teams — B.C., Winnipeg and Saskatchewan — sit above last year’s seasonal attendance average of 22,393.

The B.C. Lions are on top with an average attendance of 36,402 fans at this year’s home games. The Lions home opener brought in more than 50,000 fans largely due to a pre-game concert by 50 Cent.

The Toronto Argonauts are at the back of the pack, averaging less than 12,000 fans at home games so far this season.

Besides scheduling, analysts point to a number of other factors including costs for tickets and concession items, as well as team performance.

“I think a lot of people are waiting to make sure that this is a team worth investing in before they start spending their hard earned money on the team,” Gasson said.

The Riders sit at 4-1, second in the West Division, but their previous two seasons were letdowns for fans.

“A lot of fans are cautious until after Labour Day,” Nelson said.

“If they can continue to win on Labour Day and after Labour Day, we could see business pick up.”

The average league-wide attendance has grown gradually since dipping during the pandemic.

With a rivalry matchup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night, the Riders could revive some of that Rider pride and get a few more fans in the stands.