By CKPG Today with files from the WHL

Cougars

Cougars nominated for WHL Business Award after attendance jumps 29 per cent

Apr 3, 2024 | 10:16 AM

CALGARY — The Prince George Cougars have been recognized with a nomination for the WHL Business Award.

The award is handed out annually to the WHL team that best exemplifies giving back to the community and producing an electrifying game-day experience for fans.

The Cougars enjoyed increases in all areas of ticket sales during the 2023-24 WHL season.

For instance, the team enjoyed a year-over-year 29 per cent increase this year when it comes to attendance. The average attendance during the regular season was 3,519 per game – up from 2,755 last year.

In fact it’s the largest average since the 2016-17 regular season when an average of 3,626 people showed up for games.

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Season membership sales increased 43 per cent from 2022-23 and now exceed pre-COVID lebels.

The Cougars specialty loge seating space continues to be highly sought after, with 40 premium seats sold out once again for the 2023-24 season.

The WHL also notes that new game-night experiences have helped to enrich the atmosphere at CN Centre on Cougars game days.

Promotional theme nights in Prince George also served as a significant contributor to the revitalized experience in 2023-24, providing the Cougars with the opportunity to reach new fans. Over the course of the campaign, the Cougars celebrated a number of promotional theme nights, including:

• Community Heroes Weekend in support of teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters, RCMP, first responders, wildfire service members, search and rescue, and more.
• Teddy Bear Toss
• Indigenous Night, which welcomed 12 different First Nations communities and included a speciality uniform and logo designed by local Lheidli T’enneh First Nation artist Kym Gouchie.
• Pink in the Rink, which featured specialty uniforms and 50/50 sales of nearly $145,000 with proceeds benefitting the B.C. Cancer Foundation in support of cancer research in Prince George.
• Retro Night, which re-introduced fans to a celebrated nostalgic Cougars brand.

Across 34 home games, including the various theme nights, the Cougars managed to increase overall 50/50 ticket sales to nearly $1 million in 2023-24, up from roughly $600,000 in 2022-23. Community groups that benefitted from the Cougars impressive 50/50 include the Prince George Community Foundation, B.C. Cancer Foundation, Salvation Army Foodbank and Spirit of the North Healthcare.

On the merchandise front, the Cougars have diversified their offerings, revamped the team store and taken a different approach to marketing the product, resulting in significant increases in sales.

Corporate sponsors in Northern B.C. have responded, resulting in a 74 per-cent increase in overall corporate sponsorship sales from 2022-23 to 2023-24.