The Thunder Bay Border Cats are turning to the corporate community to build on the 16 per cent attendance growth the Northwoods League team.
Owner and general manager Brad Jorgenson on Tuesday said while he’s pleased with the jump at the turnstiles, the 10th-year club could still use a couple hundred fans a night to help with the bottom line.
“It’s not where we want it to be. We want to get it over the 1,000 mark and I think in speaking to a lot of the other owners in the league, we know how that’s gotta get done,” Jorgenson said.
“That’s with corporate group outings – or any group outings, it doesn’t have to be corporate. That’s where the big push and the focus of the league is. If you’ve got companies out there and you’ve got a summer barbecue, just about everyone does something for their employees, come on out to see a ballgame.”
With so many options out there, Jorgenson said he’s hoping more people will simply give the Border Cats a chance. They won’t leave disappointed, he said.
“You’ve got to come an experience it,” he said. “We’ve never had anyone come out for a corporate event who didn’t renew for it. We’ve had a number of them and speaking with them they’ve said they had a great time.”
From a business standpoint, the Cats are off to a pretty good start in 2012. They’ve moved their corporate offices across the street from Port Arthur Stadium to the Canada Games Complex, giving them a year-round presence.
It’s something that’s been missing for several years.
Season tickets, as a result, are already slightly more than last year’s level, as the team adds to its diehard core of fans to populate the rowdy and renowned Section 2 and beyond.
“Season ticketholders are the backbone of the organization and their support has been great over the years,” Jorgenson said.
“Our diehard fans are the best diehard fans in the league. Our season-ticket base has been here longer than I have.”
Jorgenson confirmed the club is looking at building a special on-field seating area behind home plate, common in other ballparks around the league. But it won’t happen until the logistics are worked out, likely not this season.
The Cats begin their 10th anniversary season on May 30 in Alexandria, with the 2012 home opener slated for June 4, also against the Beetles.
