Attendance at Lethbridge Hurricanes games has dropped significantly this season and the organization believes paid parking is playing a role in fans not coming out to support the team.
“The only variable or the only change that we have seen in the nature of our operations really is the paid parking,” said Trevor Lewington, chair of the Hurricanes board of directors. He added he feels the parking change disproportionately affects hockey games when compared to other events at the Enmax Centre. “A five dollar parking fee on a multi hundred dollar outing to go to the concert of your choice. That’s a very different sort of percentage impact as opposed to five dollars on a 20 or 25 dollar ticket.”
BACKGROUND: Enmax Centre prepares to implement paid parking
Hurricanes officials presented an update on paid parking, which was implemented in September, at the city’s economic standing policy committee on Nov. 8. Terry Huisman, general manager of business operations, said the first five games of the season saw about 400-500 fewer spectators. “If we continue on this pace, we will lose over $200,000 this season,” he said.
Huisman says while they have seen a high number of season ticket renewals, a major decline, believed to be around 70 per cent, in walk-up ticket sales, continues to be an alarming trend. Season ticket holders are exempt from paid parking.
So far operating costs have cost about $2,000, Huisman said, with a cost of about $280 to enforce parking for each event. The total implementation cost for paid parking was around $60,000 and he added the parking system has generated about $12,000 so far.
The Hurricanes did not come with an ask for the committee, but rather to open a dialogue about alternative options.
“At a time when other WHL teams are returning to pre-COVID attendance levels, the Hurricanes have seen a lag in attendance and you may recall from our previous correspondence a number of months ago that all of the mid-size communities where a WHL franchise has seen the implementation of paid parking, thos venues have subsequently moved away from it because of lost revenues inside the venue,” Lewington said, adding he does not believe paid parking has delivered on revenue expectations. “Our primary concern is to be able to fulfill our capital repayment obligations to you at the end of this season and at the current trajectory, we will simply not be able to do that.”
The committee carried the presentation for information without a motion for action.