Were just one week away from the Vernon Vipers training camp and the start of a new BC Hockey league season. It's hard to believe fans will be flocking to Kal Tire Place to watch hockey in mid August.
If you are new to Vernon within the last few months, you might not even know we have a junior hockey team. If don't follow the Vipers on a regular basis you might not even know training camp starts in a week, with the lack of media coverage over the summer. I know its summer and people are away, travelling and not thinking hockey but you think with a week or two before training camp starts this is the time the Vipers would be getting fans excited for the upcoming season and start marketing. Why not have season tickets on sale now? Start advertising training camp is a week away, and that were two weeks away from the preseason. I talked to a friend over the weekend who goes to about ten or so Viper games a year, had no idea the Vipers opened training camp in a week. He said he has heard nothing about the Vipers all summer and asked what was going on.
Other then one or two small articles in the local newspaper there has been no mention of Viper news since the playoffs ended in March. The Vipers website has also be fairly stale over the summer with very little to no news regarding the team. If your a regular follower of this blog you have read the "BCHL News & Trades" posts on this blog you have probably noticed most of the teams across the league have been very busy announcing player commitments, trades, new coaches and personal changes etc. Most teams have been keeping their fans in the loop, except the Vipers. The Morning Star newspaper had a little blurb just after the playoffs ended with a short list of a few players that might return for this coming season. Other then that, Viper fans are left in the dark when it comes to knowing much about the 2018-19 Vipers and their roster. The team has yet to announce any player commitments or given any news about the upcoming roster/team. I understand its summer but it would be nice to keep the diehard fans updated a little through out the off season. Once or twice a month the local paper could have an article or story on the Vipers new players or plans for the upcoming season. The Vipers could release some player commitments over the summer, keeping the fans informed in someway.
The Vipers have a strong hardcore group of diehard fans that follow the team on a regular basis. It would be nice if the Vipers had a little more media coverage on the team. With the size of Vernon and surrounding area you think the Vipers could attract more then the average 1800-2000 fans a game. One great example of marketing and being involved with the city and their fans is the Penticton Vees. A much smaller town compared to Vernon and the Vees have managed to pack over 3000 fans a night, some nights getting over 3,500. There's no reason why the Vipers couldn't average 2300-2600 fans a night.
How about an update on the Vipers ownership group. After the passing of Duncan Wray his daughter announced in early June her mom, Duncan's wife was the new owner of the team. Since then lots of speculated rumors going around, more lately then before. Are the Wrays keeping the team? Is the team for sale? Has the team been sold? Nobody knows.
I hope within the next week we start to hear some news of player commitments, the Vipers roster, & any new players or news regarding the team.
6 comments:
I completely agree. There have been rumours of veteran players returning for another year and, at the very least, these could have been announced. This team's marketing is pathetic. Their website has a player profile of Steven Jandric and he left for NCAA before last season. I'm sure they've got some committments for the new year. They'd better.
There was a rumour of the sale early in the summer and I can understand that it fell through or another group came up with an offer.
There's been a rumour about the team being sold and that the announcement will be made sometime in September. Why? I don't interpret the mystery about the sale and lack of committment news as hype for the new season, I interpret it as a continuation of marketing laziness and sloth.
To say the Vipers site is a little stale is an understatement. It still has a photo of Colton McCarthy as our captain on it..What a Joke!!!
The vipers organization as a whole is kind of a joke I have to say. I love the hockey of course it's just the amount of secrecy is ridiculous. Were the only team that hasn't released any info about anything. This isn't pro hockey it's Junior it doesn't have to be so hush hush all time.
DieHard....I think its time you get paid for what you're doing. Take over the vipers website...get your opinions heard.
The marketing for the Vipers sucks and I agree with everything you said.
I can't see us holding on to Graham Turnbull for much longer either with his recent awards.....I can see him making a jump to bigger things. So another big loss on the radio.
Even the arena atmosphere isn't that exciting. Same old marketing ploys, same old routine, same music from the 80's and 90's. Nobody cares who sponsors the puck out of play ffs!
Thank you for the kind comments, It really means a lot. I take pride in this blog and the work I do. It's something I love and love doing it. Most people don't realize the amount of time, effort and countless hours it takes on running this blog and the research needed to make this blog work. Its a lot of hours sitting in front of a computer screen but I really do enjoy it and I think most of you do too.
As for the comments about the Vipers, I also agree the Vipers marketing is very poor. The teams website is very stale, outdated and rarely updated unless a trade or some kind of news regarding the team wich isn't very often. There's no real marketing in trying on getting fans in the seats, as their attendance proves that year after year. There isn't much of an atmosphere inside Kal Tire Place. The music is twenty plus years old and whoever plays the music, plays the same repetitive music game after game after game. The marketing ploys and giveaways in between periods and through out the game is basically the same old same old from year to year. I have to go back to the Penticton Vees once again and look at what they have done over the past six-seven years with their marketing. They average 3000 fans per game, the building is rocking night in and night out, with upbeat and up to date rock music that should be played at hockey games. The fans are into the game and make for a great atmosphere not including seeing more people in Vees merchandise. Once the season starts, the Vees are the talk of the town. I have read in the Penticton papers where on game days the Vees are the talk of the town around town. The City has really bought into the Vees and the Vees have bought into the City of Penticton.
Were now just four days away from the Vipers training camp and still no word on camp, posting a training camp schedule for the fans and no news on the roster/commitments. Whos returning from last year? Who are the new commitments for this year? Who are some players to watch at training camp? Nothing! The Vipers have a fairly large group of diehard fans that follow the team regularly and they keep us left in the dark regarding the team sometimes.
Perhaps , DIEHARD, what should happen in regards to looking at more season ticket holders is the existing promo staff think about budgeting towards having a daily spot on the radio of which they have gone with promoting the idea of purchasing a season ticket early before the season starts. In penticton this is a practice that they do and it works very well as you only have to look at there attendance. Also on the radio they would be able to inform or promote any ideas they might have before the season starts. I agree it would be nice if the vernon vipers promo staff could look outside of the box and be alittle more creative. The fans will have to wait and see if any changes to the approach the vipers promo staff takes make a differance in our attendance. I talk to a viper fan at one of our games once and his position was as the promotion manager of the Florida Gators. His comment about the vipers was based on the size of the town and the history of our club he saw no reason that with a little bit of effort that we shouldn't have a problem filled up the seats in our ice rink . Well fans,Diehard , will just have to wait and see. GOOD LUCK .
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