by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Before meeting hundreds of fans Friday, Team Teal officials took their Jacksonville Jaguars ticket-selling message to several dozen members of the business and legal community to discuss their role in continuing the momentum that began in 2010.
After having zero season ticket holders at this point last year, officials said they had 17,000 heading into this year’s efforts and wanted to achieve a 90 percent renewal rate. In addition, officials said they hoped to sell an additional 6,000-7,000 season tickets.
“We need your help to get there, because we can’t do it without you,” said Jaguars majority owner Wayne Weaver.
Weaver specifically talked about the East Club seats as a targeted area in this year’s drive. That’s because TV cameras often showed the section nearly empty and left viewers believing the progress made last year was “smoke and mirrors.”
According to one independent study that Team Teal officials presented the group, the opposite was true as the team led the league in rising attendance rates, with more than a 13,000-fan attendance increase over the 2009-10 season.
Home games for the 2010 season averaged 63,033 attendees, according to the study, up from 49,652.
Several of the local business leaders said having an NFL franchise is a boon to the local economy and quality of life as a whole.
Having tangible results from Team Teal’s prior efforts helps change that negative perception, said one attendee.
“Jacksonville needs successes,” said Jacksonville Civic Council Chair Peter Rummell, holding up the independent study, ”and this is a huge success.”
Team Teal Commissioner Tony Boselli challenged the group to help fill the 2,200 or so club seats and said he and others would be ready to attend community events.
Boselli said Team Teal officials would “push just as hard” as they did last year to continue momentum and build on last year’s success.
“There’s no reason we can’t be like the Packers, like the Steelers,” said Boselli, referring to the tradition-rich Super Bowl opponents with massive fan bases.
But they can’t do it without help from the business and legal community leaders, said Team Teal official Carl Cannon.
“It was a terrific start,” said Cannon, founder of Touchdown Jacksonville. “You all were very, very instrumental in getting us there.”
Ray Driver, a founding partner of the Driver, McAfee, Peek & Hawthorne law firm, will again lead the ticket drive for the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m here because like everyone else in that room, we care about Jacksonville,” said Driver after the meeting. “The team is an overall boost to the local economy and civic pride.”
While the threat of a potential lockout and a March 3 deadline looms, Weaver told the group he believes a deal between NFL owners and players will be done, football will be played and the Team Teal momentum will continue.
“We’re not finished,” said Weaver after thanking the group. “We have another level to go.”
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