The Yorkton Terriers are looking to go a different direction in terms of marketing for the 2020-21 season.
“Ryan (Kormos) is no longer with the Terriers,” said Terrier Club president Coryvn Neufeld. “We decided we wanted to make a change.”
With the marketing and public relations position vacant, the question is what comes next for the Terriers in regards to the jobs the positions entailed.
“Because of the times we’re in the Board is stepping back to look at doing some things differently,” said Neufeld.
One of the changes may be to look to “use volunteers more,” added Neufeld.
It’s a situation where the team will need local support, potentially money from a government support program, and other efforts to stay financially viable.
“We’ll need some help through a tough time,” said Neufeld, adding playoff runs are where a team can generate some additional revenues, and the Terriers managed only two home games in the opening round of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs before the league shutdown because of COVID-19.
The Terriers went into the 2019-20 season in the red, and while the final financial numbers on the season have not been crunched, the team will still be in the red, suggested Neufeld.
“It’s probably fair to say we won’t be out of the situation,” he said, adding he has hoped to emerge from the recent campaign “not quite as deep as we went in, but I’m not sure we’ve been able to do that.”
That means the team’s approximate $55,000 debt is likely to remain.
How that will be addressed is a major concern.
The Terriers have relied on a major lottery each spring as one off-ice fundraiser.
“The lottery has been extended by two months,” said Neufeld, adding people have not been in the mood to buy a major lotto ticket in the last few weeks. “Sales were not where they needed to be.”
So the team is looking at avenues to reduce costs, which could include the marketing and public relations position.
“We have actually put together a committee to look at what options we have,” said Neufeld, adding making the positions volunteer, “is one of the options they’re looking at pretty seriously.”
While finances are a question mark headed toward the next season, Neufeld said the team has a positive to report too.
“The good news is Mat (Hehr) is coming back as coach and general manager,” he said, adding “we’re really happy with what he’s done with the team.”
Neufeld said this past season the organization “really felt we had a shot. That’s because of the team he (Hehr) built.”
