Last season was a successful one for the Humboldt Broncos on the ice, but the team's financial model needs to be adjusted, said team president Jamie Brockman at the club's annual general meeting, held at the Uniplex on July 30.
In front of a small crowd of maybe 10 people, Brockman began by reviewing the surprising success of last year's team.
"The Broncos were not supposed to compete last year and all we did was finish first in the SJHL with an exciting playoff run to the league final," he said to laughs from the audience.
Off the ice there was more of a mixed message. For the financial year ending May 31, 2013, the Broncos lost nearly $28,000, compared to a $40,000 surplus the year before. Brockman attributed a good deal of the loss to a bad year for the spring lottery, which took in about $30,000 less than in 2012.
What was perhaps most alarming about the team's finances was that nearly a quarter of all revenue ($170,000) came from ticket sales, 50/50 proceeds and lounge sales during the team's nine home playoff games. During 27 regular season home games, the team took in only about half of what it made during the playoffs.
If the Broncos had missed the playoffs, the financial situation would have been much more grim.
"We rely too much on the playoffs to be financially viable," Brockman said. "We're looking at ways through different marketing methods to make the playoffs a bonus and not a dependency."
Another significant cost was about $32,000 for the GETIX online ticketing system. The team's three-year contract with the system's manufacturer expires at the end of the 2013-14 season and Brockman said he wasn't sure if the contract would be renewed.
The team sold 422 season tickets last season (374 adult, 39 youth, nine children), which accounted for 21 per cent of revenue.
"We would really like to increase these numbers," Brockman said of season ticket sales. "We're hoping to do that through some of the blitzes we're doing."
One such blitz took place during the Summer Sizzler, when 138 adult season tickets were sold at a price of $299.
For next season there are a few price changes. Adult season tickets will now cost $330, up from $314, although an early bird price of $314 is available until Aug. 24. Youth season tickets are down to $199, from $214 last season, and child prices have dropped to $99 from $144.
Prices for single game tickets will remain at $15 for adults and drop to $10 for youth and $5 for children.
"Costs never go down and we'll need to be creative going forward when it comes to marketing," Brockman said.
The team's marketing efforts are off to a bit of a slow start this year, Brockman said, mainly due to staff turnover. New assistant coach Brayden Klimosko and office manager Kim Brockman have both been on the job for less than a month.
Brockman is hoping that the golf tournament fundraiser on Aug. 23 will be a great success and said an Internet auction would be taking place in October. He hinted at another fundraiser being in the works and expressed hope that this year's Lottery of Cash, the 20th anniversary, would include some special elements.
The team is also looking for a new trainer/equipment manager and is hoping to fill the position shortly.
Two games, one home and one away, will be added to the schedule this season. Brockman also announced that home games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will now start at 7 p.m.
"We're hoping this will help families with young kids get home earlier through the week," he said.
There were also some changes to the team's board of directors. Russell Gehlen stepped down, while Jonathan Barlage and Loree Howe were elected as new board members.
The meeting also involved a look forward to next season. With August upon us, the Broncos' fall camp is now less than a month away. It will be Sept. 6-8, wrapping up with the traditional Green and Gold game. The 2013-14 home opener will be on Sept. 21 against the Notre Dame Hounds.
