The Alouettes in constant adaptation

Some fans at Percival-Molson Stadium for the Alouettes’ first game believed that corporate partners had left the ship due to the lack of advertising on the field. This is not the case, assures the president of the Montreal football club, Mario Cecchini.

“It’s very nice that people are worried about it!” But essentially, it’s a step into the future. That is to say that we have a new agreement, all the teams in the league, with TSN and RDS, who were very happy to have a field free of logos, explained Cecchini during an interview with The Canadian Press. As a result, the partners’ logo is displayed on the screen virtually for as long as the exposure time it enjoyed by being painted on the field.

“For now, this is income shifted, not increased, but there is growth potential in the medium term. “

This possible new source of income also allows for better equity through the Ambrosie circuit.

“Some terrains did not offer the same quality of grip for these pubs, they could become slippery or capricious. […] In the field, you cannot have 25 logos: this new way of doing things allows it. Others, like the BC Lions, just couldn’t (have ads on the pitch). They were therefore penalized on this point. There are fewer limits. The limit being the time, we can multiply the customers. “

The technology is not new: it is already being used in hockey and other sports. RDS / TSN, the broadcasters of the CFL for several years, were however very happy that the league offered them.

“It was good for him to have land that was free of advertising,” noted Cecchini.

Vaccination passport

The Alouettes’ next local game, on September 18, against the Lions, will be the club’s first under the new health protocols in effect. The team is ready.

“We cannot be lapped because we have not lived it, but we are well prepared,” noted the president. We put the guidelines on our website. We ask people to arrive as soon as possible so as not to clutter the entrances and we ask them to respect the entrance (of the four) assigned to them.

“It will be done in two stages: first there is the verification of the bag, it is at this point that we will check people’s passports and identity cards. Once people have gone through security, they can proceed to the app where their ticket is located. If people do that, we promise to be as fast as possible. “

The team did not have to deal with an influx of reimbursement requests due to the new rules in force.

“I ask my team every day, but there is no rush for reimbursement, which leads me to assume that our clientele is mostly double vaccinated. Someone who is not vaccinated for no medical reason will not be able to attend the match. People go to the cinema, to the restaurant, to the theater, to the gym: there are so many places where you are asked. People have known this for some time. If we want to play football, we have no choice. “

The team also offers fans to order their drinks in advance, on an application available on the Alouettes website. Customers get a discount on their drinks, alcoholic or not, when they do. Cecchini recognizes, however, that there is still a bit of breaking-in to make in the concessions.

“We will improve each game. Not all people are used to it and the rules are complex. Anything that is a drink, you can order it before the match through an app. It allows us to better prepare. But we have personnel challenges like all industries at present. We must have some distance in the lines: they seem longer than they actually are. There was a little more waiting than usual, but we will correct that as each game progresses. “

The team welcomed 14,753 spectators out of a maximum of 15,000 in the first match. The president expects a similar crowd on September 18.

“We approach it quietly. The ticket office people tell me not to worry too much. In the last match, we thought we would have between 12 and 13,000 spectators at the start of the week. Finally, it rose to 14,700. We are optimistic. “

In bulk

The team will take advantage of this next meeting to pay tribute to Robert Wetenhall. The former team owner, from 1996 to 2019, passed away last Friday.

“We will underline this in a sober way, in his image,” said Cecchini. Throughout the game, we will show photos to celebrate his time in Montreal, photos of Gray Cup victories, of his community involvement. “

Mario Cecchini did not wish to comment directly on CF Montreal’s decision to close section 132 of the Saputo stadium and to ban some of its supporters, but he understood the gesture made by the Sherbrooke Street organization.

“I don’t have all the ins and outs of the story, but what I can say, ignoring this situation, is that as soon as it becomes violent, as an organization, you have to protect all of your supporters . When it gets repetitive – I’m not saying it was, but I’m saying it hypothetically – you have to take action to protect all people. We do not wish that (to any organization), but we must think of the majority, as in the case of vaccination. “

Watch video



Reference-feedproxy.google.com

Leave a Comment