by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Since plans for new ownership and a new league fell through for the Jacksonville Barracudas, the hockey team’s management has been quiet, too quiet, according to the manager of the Jacksonville Veteran’s Memorial Arena.
SMG General Manager Bob Downey, who runs the arena for the City, said Wednesday he’s been disappointed in the team’s lack of off–season marketing to fans and to sponsors. Although last season was a success on the ice — they won their league championship — Downey said the team was less successful in the stands. He said the team needed to attract an extra 2,000 fans a game to turn minor league hockey into a moneymaker for the team and the City.
“This is typically the time to sell sponsorship and season tickets,” said Downey. “So far there’s been no effort to market the team.”
Minor league hockey was a break-even venture for the City last year said Downey. Although the Barracudas drew about 3,000 fans downtown for each of the team’s 30 home games, Downey said the City earned little due to hockey’s large overhead costs.
Much of the expense comes from maintaining the ice. The City pays extra to keep the building cool enough to keep the surface frozen, and and to employ a maintenance team. Covering the ice for concerts or other events requires a 20–man team to work about 10 hours said Downey.
“There’s a lot of cost associated with hockey. There are indirect costs with maintaining the ice; you have to provide practice time. It’s a very expensive sport from a building standpoint. It makes it more expensive to host concerts,” said Downey.
The team pays for the maintenance through its lease. But during tight times last year, Downey said the team fell behind on payments. The team is in good financial standing with SMG now, and as long as that remains true, Downey said the Barracudas have the right to use the building. The team has two years left on its lease with SMG and then has the option to renew for the following three years. The team has paid SMG a $60,000 deposit for the building’s use.
Downey said SMG was committed to hockey, “so long as it’s properly financed and they have sufficient staff to market the team.” He said the team needed to draw about 5,000 fans per game to turn a profit.
Unless the team can draw at that rate, Downey said hockey might be approaching the point of diminishing returns for the City–owned arena.
“It gets to the point where, you’re tying up the building for 30 dates that could be used for some other activity, there’s a lot of overhead cost . . . there is that point where it’s not worth it,” said Downey.
Team owner David Waronker talked last month with a group interested in buying the team and moving it to the World Hockey Association. Team representatives promised fans a step up in the level of play and even suggested the NHL’s labor problems might bring some top–level professionals to Jacksonville. Waronker didn’t sell the team. Instead he moved it into the Southern Professional Hockey League, which will feature many of the same teams and players. The SPHL is scheduled to start a 60–game season Oct. 13.
Downey worried that the uncertainty surrounding the team’s ownership could result in softer ticket sales. He said some fans might feel let down after they were promised a level of play close to NHL caliber.
After close to a decade of professional hockey in Jacksonville, Downey said SMG and the Barracudas were still looking for the formula that would capture the City’s sports enthusiasm.
“I don’t want to see the team struggle,” said Downey. “I don’t want to see anybody lose money. I want them to make money, I want the City to make money. But it all depends on how many tickets you can sell, and right now they don’t have anyone out there as far as I know. Maybe they’ll come out like gangbusters before the season starts.”