[GenerationW]

It is not the size of the stadium but the ability to generate revenues. It is sort of like the difference between SkyDome as a venue for the Bills and the Bills stadium....SkyDome is smaller but generates far (way far) more income. BMO Field (for regular season games) has higher ticket prices than any other stadium in MLS....they will be able to charge higher tickets for the MLS Cup here than in any other city they have taken the game to....and I bet the end result is that the revenue generated from +/- 22k in Toronto is not that far off of the revenue that they generated from 46k in Seattle last year.

Regarding Skydome, that's true in theory. In reality however, Rogers has already taken a huge bath after only three games, and they still have five more embarrassments remaining. Only the Bills are happy with the deal (more like laughingly ecstatic).

And if the Bills disaster is any indication, I'm not sure MLS Cup tickets can be sold at that much of a premium, unless of course TFC season ticket holders are forced to buy them similar to how some Leaf subscribers are forced to buy Raptor tickets.

 

[TOareaFan]

Regarding Skydome, that's true in theory. In reality however, Rogers has already taken a huge bath after only three games, and they still have five more embarrassments remaining. Only the Bills are happy with the deal (more like laughingly ecstatic).

Well they may have overshot the mark on what they paid for the games and, as a result, overpriced the tickets....but there is a huge space between what is charged in Buffalo and what they charged here.....the fact remains, a sold out SkyDome at appropriate Toronto prices (including the box and other premium seating) generates way more revenue than a sold out stadium in Orange County at Buffalo prices.

And if the Bills disaster is any indication, I'm not sure MLS Cup tickets can be sold at that much of a premium, unless of course TFC season ticket holders are forced to buy them similar to how some Leaf subscribers are forced to buy Raptor tickets.

Soccer/TFC fans in this city have already shown that for premium/special games at BMO they are more than willing to pay higher prices. The all-star game a couple of years ago sold out easily with prices higher than regular season tickets and last year's Real Madrid friendly had very high (by soccer standards) ticket prices (depending on where you sit 2 to 3 times above regular season games....which are already at the high end of MLS ticket prices).

In both of those cases, no season ticket holder "had" to buy their tickets....but a lot (most?) did!

They are only dealing with 22k seats....some of those will not be available to the public (the league will reserve some for sponsors/vips/broadcast partners) so you only have to find 15 - 20k (I have no idea on the actual number) of fans willing to pay a premium price for a one-time special game.

 

[jn_12]

Plus depending on who is in the finals, the supporters of the teams could make up at least a 1/4 of the stadium. If TFC some how made it, it'd be easily filled at whatever price.

The Commissioner of the MLS was on Prime Time Sports yesterday and talked about this. He said they want to showcase the smaller stadiums and the fans that fill them as much as they do the larger stadiums that MLS teams play in. They also wanted to reward MLSE and TFC's fans for the support that they've had so far.

 

[GenerationW]

you only have to find 15 - 20k (I have no idea on the actual number) of fans willing to pay a premium price for a one-time special game.

That's true. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[nfitz]

^ Not as many as you think. They're mostly shmoozefests for corporate clients, and they've become such an exercise in corporate ass-kissing that the various leagues have had to resort to things like fanfests and skills contests in order to appease the regular fans (or at least to make it look like they care about the fans).

Really ... I know a lot of people who went to the game (tickets were offered first to the 16,000 or so season ticket holders, and many took them; they weren't that expensive), and all were regular fans who had bought tickets, rather than who had gotten them through corporate contacts. I think you may be confusing MLS with NHL or other leagues.