The nation’s winter league baseball teams are looking for ways to attract fans to purchase season tickets for the upcoming winter baseball season that starts in mid October 2017.
Teams have to become creative to sell tickets after it was reported that traditional sponsors have cut back on support. For example, the Aguilas Cibaeñas have arranged financing through a bank for their season-ticket purchases, and the Leones del Escogido now has Internet purchases available for their fans.
The Tigres Del Licey have begun to award their loyal fans with the Licey Fan Fest in early October. The event will be held on 7 October 2017, a Saturday, at the Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo starting at 4pm. Fans will get special discounts on team items and there will be games for children and adults together a music food and drinks. Lots of photo opportunities with ballplayers will also be available.
As the Licey team says in its promotional email, buying ball game tickets ahead is the best way to avoid scalpers who are always outside the stadium at the Fan Fest. Season-ticket holders will be allowed to bring three other persons and can obtain their wristbands beginning today at the ticket office at the ballpark. According to research by the Diario Libre, two seasons ago the Tigres had 3,970 season-ticket holders in the stadium and this represented close to 70% of the best seats in the house.
According to an executive of the Escogido Baseball Club, ticket sales might contribute as much as 30% of a team’s income. Another DL researcher found that in the 2015-2016 season, the Escogido had 3,815 season-ticket holders. Last year Licey had sold over 4,000 season-ticket holders. On Monday, 25 September, the Escogido began delivering season tickets to those who purchased them over the summer.
The president of the Aguilas Cibaeñas, Winston “Chilote” Llenas, told the newspaper that pre-game ticket sales this year are up 15%. He said last year they had 1,735 season-ticket holders for the regular-season and 3,287 persons who bought tickets for the entire playoff series with the Licey. While attendance during the regular-season averages out at about 6,700 persons for games against Licey, it fell off to his little as 550 when the Aguilas played the Toros. Nonetheless in the post-season, attendance soared to 12,500 for most of the games with the Licey.
27 September 2017
