Touchdown Atlantic begins in less than two weeks but the game isn’t sold out, even with fewer seats available.
When the teams were announced for this month’s Touchdown Atlantic game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Montreal Alouettes, many assumed the tickets would be snapped up quickly.
However, with less than two weeks to go until kick-off, 1,478 tickets remain.
“I think it’s a good litmus test, to really understand what’ s going on in the marketplace and what the future potential is,” says Mark Cohon, commissioner of the Canadian Football League.
With slumping ticket sales, questions are being raised about whether the Atlantic marketplace is losing its taste for football.
Seating at the stadium has been reduced to 16,000 for this year’s game - down from 20,000 for the last two CFL games held in Moncton.
“I’m absolutely confident we’re going to have this game sold out by the time the 21st gets here,” says Moncton Mayor George Leblanc.
For his part, Cohon says he isn’t worried about how the empty seats will affect Moncton’s chances of securing a permanent CFL team.
The possibility of a league expansion into the Maritimes is still on Cohon’s mind. Moncton remains in the running, but the possibility of a Halifax team is also gaining momentum.
“I think it has to be a regional approach,” says Cohon. “It can’t just be Halifax or Moncton. We’re starting to have those conversations, both with the mayor here and in Halifax and with business leaders.”
The City of Moncton has invested $150,000 in this year’s Touchdown Atlantic, with an economic spinoff estimated at $6 million.
“I think this is something that's a testament to what happens in downtown, it just brings all kinds of activity,” says Anne Poirier-Basque of Downtown Moncton Centreville.
The Alouettes and Tiger-Cats will hit the field at Moncton Stadium on Sept. 21.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
