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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1505828
too," says Vienneau. "So we said, Why don't we do that for season's seats? We have six games this year that are at 4 p.m.; someone from the Island or Interior can get to the game, watch it and still get home in one day." Those two programs, says Vien- neau, made it easier for people to become fans of the Lions. "We don't just say, Hey, buy a season ticket," he says. "We really target people, reach out, determine what sort of special programs we have to find for whatever region or type of fan to make it work." As pivotal as Vienneau has been for the team's marketing and ticket sales to this point, one gets the feel- ing that the Lions really hired him for 2024, when they'll be hosting the Grey Cup. Vienneau most recently served as chief Grey Cup and events officer for the CFL. The plan for that game has already been designed: it'll feature tailgate parties, street clo- sures and zip lines. The league will be taking over both the east and west convention centres and will be host- ing non-stop concerts. "Vancouver has had good Grey Cups in the past, but we haven't really done a lot of the outdoor activations some of the other cities have done," he says. "We're just trying to bring the best of the best with some additions and make Vancouver the best one that's ever been." For now, though, Vienneau is focused on the season at hand. A cou- ple of days after the Lions' follow-up game against the Alouettes (a 35–19 win by the Leos, with 20,106 fans in attendance), I asked Vienneau via email for his take on the crowd. The excitement was still evident over the screen. The trepidation less so. "We are very happy with the fan support for game two. The fam fest theme was a huge hit: the stadium was loud and enthusiastic. And we got a big WIN." £ A xel Schuster is aware of the challenge ahead of him. Vancouver is filled— absolutely packed to the brim—with soccer fans. That was obvious enough two summers ago when Italy won the Euro Cup and legions of people crammed Com- mercial Drive for an afternoon street party. It's evident every four years when the World Cup makes bars impossible to get into even at 7 a.m. And it will be known once again in 2026 when the city serves as one of the hosts for the World Cup. The problem, at least for Vancouver Whitecaps CEO Schuster and the rest of his club, is that the city doesn't have nearly as many MLS fans. Things were pretty good not so long ago, in the halcyon, pre-COVID days of Alphonso Davies. The Canadian superstar was a rare gift to the MLS, and to the Whitecaps in par- ticular. Consider that Vancouver's average attendance in seasons that Davies played games (2016-18) was over 21,000—a number never reached in a Whitecaps' season before or since. The pandemic also seems to have dug its claws into the Whitecaps' business pros- pects. In 2019, the squad averaged over 19,000 fans—that was good for 11th in the BOTTOM: STEVEN CHANG SEPTEMBER 2023 BCBUSINESS.CA 61 After starring for Laval University, Mathieu Betts was one of the last cuts of Chicago Bears minicamp in 2019. He played for Edmonton for a couple of seasons before signing with B.C. last year. Over a full season in 2022, he had seven sacks. This year, the 28-year-old has nine in five games to lead the league. Betts is on pace for the most sacks since former NFL star Cameron Wake had 23 in 18 games. KICKING AWAY The Vancouver Whitecaps are putting a quality product on the pitch. Will it translate to solid box office numbers? P L AY E R TO WAT C H Vancouver Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster has had to answer some tough questions this year