Murray Taylor, President and CEO of Investors Group and The Winnipeg Blue Bombers speaks during a press conference in Winnipeg Wednesday, December 14, 2011John Woods
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had major box office success last season and they trotted out a record profit on operations Monday to prove it.
They made $3-million, although it was whittled down to just over $2.3-million when development costs for a new stadium were factored in.
That line item should vanish in a couple of years when they settle into their new home, although they will have to start making payments on the $190-million facility. The Bombers are on the hook for about $85-million but have 40 years to repay it.
That $3-million on operations even topped the $2.9-million the Bombers made in 2006, when they hosted a Grey Cup, noted chief operating officer Jim Bell, who didn't hesitate when asked for a reason.
"No. 1, when we started our season ticket campaign, and of course when we got into the spring and our doors were just blown wide open with people coming and when we reached over 21,000 we thought this could be a very, very special year," he said.
In the end, they sold 21,155 season tickets as fans looked to lock down seats in the team's new home for 2012, Investors Group Field, now being completed on the grounds of the University of Manitoba.
Season ticket holders get first dibs on seats in the new stadium and the Bombers already have a waiting list of more than 1,500.
Their annual report shows season ticket revenue has gone from less than $4-million in 2007 to almost $6.3 million in 2011.
Year-over-year season ticket revenue was up by almost 14 per cent and game-day revenue by more than 11 per cent, as the team posted eight sellouts.
The move into their new home has been delayed until late July, although even that won't be certain until the situation is reviewed May 1. That means the Bombers will play at least one exhibition game at their old home, Canad Inns Stadium.
But that $2.3-million in net profit boosted the team's accumulated surplus to about $6.6-million and Bell was confident they can absorb the added costs of opening two stadiums this season.
"With a new stadium you've got to estimate some things, it's our first go around with our new venue, but I can tell you that we've done our due diligence and in our planning we can absorb the costs with opening both."
At the end of 2000, the team was $5.5-million in the red.
Newly minted Bomber president Garth Buchko gave a big thanks to fans as he crowed just a little about the team's performance both on and off the field.
"A special thank you to our fans, the best fans in Canada, who without doubt made Canad Inns the loudest stadium in the country," he said.
He had no trouble finding things to brag about in his first report as boss.
"Record season ticket sales, record number of sellouts, the CFL marketing award for the best marketing campaign and a complete turnaround in football operations from 4-14 the previous year to first in the East and a trip to the Grey Cup."
Even the Bomber store set records selling team merchandise.
About the only major disappointment in 2011 was Winnipeg's Grey Cup loss to the B.C. Lions.
The big disappointment so far in 2012 has been the construction delay at the new stadium, blamed on high winds that have hampered completion of the canopy that covers some of the almost 33,500 seats.