What does Team Teal need to do for an encore?
Surprisingly, and dare I say pleasantly, lost in the current mix of coaching chatter and premature draft talk is the almighty ticket sales issue. However, as the season ticket renewal deadline comes to a close in the coming weeks, it will once again take center stage in Jacksonville. Such is life for a small market team that still gets an obligatory mention whenever some writes “NFL” and “LA” within a few words of each other.
Last season, Tony Boselli led Team Teal on the herculean task of rebuilding the Jaguars fan base. While most thought it was a long shot, the Jaguars managed to climb back up the league’s attendance rankings. The main goal was to make sure the team did not have any home games blacked out in 2010 and that happened.
However, several other goals weren’t attained and the club sections remained sparse. For the Jaguars to remain viable in Jacksonville, Team Teal has to kick it into 2nd gear and create a truly solid foundation for the franchise during 2011.
I believe things look the bleakest last March/April, when the Jaguars couldn’t hit their goal of retaining 90% of season ticket owners from 2009 to 2010. That the Jaguars managed to still pull off a blackout free season with that start is a minor miracle. The team badly needs to make sure it hits at least an 80% renewal rate this season. The team can illafford to make up lost ground, when so much still needs to be done.
Goal #1 for Team Teal should be to get the entire general bowl sold out on a season ticket basis. Remember, the Jaguars “took responsibility” of several thousand tickets per game as part of their group sales efforts. Even then, several extensions and a playoff push had to help the team sell out the bowl. If the team keeps a high enough percentage of season ticket holders, Team Teal could very well make this a reality. After adding approximately 17,000 new season ticket holders in the last offseason, I would not put anything past them.
Goal #2 has to be to boost the Club seat sales, particularly in the East club. The Jaguars have one of the highest club seat totals in the NFL. In an age where the JerryDome and other new stadiums drive revenues skywards, the Jaguars must have their club sections filled in order to compete. This is going to be difficult thought. The Fortune 500 companies that typically buy these kind of tickets were already scarce in Jacksonville, and the few that are present are mostly struggling.
However, Goal #3 is their most important. Team Teal has to try to keep fan hostility towards a lockout to a minimum. In a blue collar town like Jacksonville, millionaires vs billionaires won’t fly anytime soon. A lockout could ultimately undo everything Team Teal has accomplished so far. Perhaps their biggest challenge will be to simply show people why they need to invest in the franchise.
-Jonathan Loesche
