Post by dogcatcher on Jan 24, 2008 7:32:10 GMT -4
Dogs’ president feels for expansion cousin
Demise St. John's QMJHL franchise done in by devilish lease agreement with city for arena use
Kevin Barrett
Telegraph-Journal
Published Thursday January 24th, 2008
Appeared on page B8
SAINT JOHN - Wayne Long admits the Saint John Sea Dogs have their challenges in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The president of the East Division leaders is frank when he says the club needs to average approximately 600 more fans per outing, bumping the current total of 3,752 into the 4,300 or 4,400 range.
But in light of the demise of the expansion-cousin St. John's Fog Devils, Long reiterated the Dogs commitment to Saint John for the long term.
"If you asked me on a scale of one-to-10, what the chances of the Sea Dogs being here forever were, I'd say 10," Long said of the third-year club in the midst of a record-breaking season.
"Do we have work to do? Yes. Do we need more fans to have a viable economic business model? Yes. But we are 100 per cent committed to doing that and we are 100 per cent committed to being in this city forever. We are not here for the short term."
News broke late Tuesday that Montreal businessman Farrel Miller, the founder and CEO of SportTV.com, was buying the Fog Devils from St. John's Dobbin family for slightly more than $3 million, the initial expansion fee paid to the league prior to the 2005-06 campaign.
Miller plans to relocate the team to Verdun and renovation plans for an arena in suburban Montreal are underway.
"You liken it to knowing a relative who is sick for a while," said Long of the Fog Devils' difficult financial situation.
"We knew they were suffering with fans, we knew their travel costs were through the roof and we knew their lease wasn't a great lease but to actually hear the news is a sad day for the QMJHL and St. John's."
Saint John and St. John's have been connected since both cities were awarded Quebec league franchises Dec. 1, 2004, ending a lengthy bid process by both cities. One of the most contentious issues was the franchise fee of $3 million, which St. John's was most willing to pay. However, it put Saint John bidders, who developed models using a $2-million entrance fee, in a bind.
That, as it turns out, was just the beginning of the Fog Devils' problems.
Their lease agreement with the City of St. John's calls for $10,000 per game to rent the 6,247-seat One Mile Stadium. The Fog Devils also have to play all travel and accommodation costs when visiting teams, such as the Sea Dogs, come to the Rock. There are other fees as well.
"But the big nugget was the rental fee," Brad Dobbin, the team's president, told the St. John's Telegram.
"At the end of the day, we were never going to generate enough revenue to cover the costs."
After losing $750,000 last year, Dobbin said late Tuesday the squad would be within $100,000 of that figure again.
"We have a lot of respect for the Dobbin family and the effort they made to make first-class hockey work there," said Long. "They are first-class people and to be blunt, they deserved to be treated better by the City of St. John's."
The deal to move the franchise to Verdun is expected to be ratified during a Friday morning conference call of the league's board of governors.
Demise St. John's QMJHL franchise done in by devilish lease agreement with city for arena use
Kevin Barrett
Telegraph-Journal
Published Thursday January 24th, 2008
Appeared on page B8
SAINT JOHN - Wayne Long admits the Saint John Sea Dogs have their challenges in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The president of the East Division leaders is frank when he says the club needs to average approximately 600 more fans per outing, bumping the current total of 3,752 into the 4,300 or 4,400 range.
But in light of the demise of the expansion-cousin St. John's Fog Devils, Long reiterated the Dogs commitment to Saint John for the long term.
"If you asked me on a scale of one-to-10, what the chances of the Sea Dogs being here forever were, I'd say 10," Long said of the third-year club in the midst of a record-breaking season.
"Do we have work to do? Yes. Do we need more fans to have a viable economic business model? Yes. But we are 100 per cent committed to doing that and we are 100 per cent committed to being in this city forever. We are not here for the short term."
News broke late Tuesday that Montreal businessman Farrel Miller, the founder and CEO of SportTV.com, was buying the Fog Devils from St. John's Dobbin family for slightly more than $3 million, the initial expansion fee paid to the league prior to the 2005-06 campaign.
Miller plans to relocate the team to Verdun and renovation plans for an arena in suburban Montreal are underway.
"You liken it to knowing a relative who is sick for a while," said Long of the Fog Devils' difficult financial situation.
"We knew they were suffering with fans, we knew their travel costs were through the roof and we knew their lease wasn't a great lease but to actually hear the news is a sad day for the QMJHL and St. John's."
Saint John and St. John's have been connected since both cities were awarded Quebec league franchises Dec. 1, 2004, ending a lengthy bid process by both cities. One of the most contentious issues was the franchise fee of $3 million, which St. John's was most willing to pay. However, it put Saint John bidders, who developed models using a $2-million entrance fee, in a bind.
That, as it turns out, was just the beginning of the Fog Devils' problems.
Their lease agreement with the City of St. John's calls for $10,000 per game to rent the 6,247-seat One Mile Stadium. The Fog Devils also have to play all travel and accommodation costs when visiting teams, such as the Sea Dogs, come to the Rock. There are other fees as well.
"But the big nugget was the rental fee," Brad Dobbin, the team's president, told the St. John's Telegram.
"At the end of the day, we were never going to generate enough revenue to cover the costs."
After losing $750,000 last year, Dobbin said late Tuesday the squad would be within $100,000 of that figure again.
"We have a lot of respect for the Dobbin family and the effort they made to make first-class hockey work there," said Long. "They are first-class people and to be blunt, they deserved to be treated better by the City of St. John's."
The deal to move the franchise to Verdun is expected to be ratified during a Friday morning conference call of the league's board of governors.