TORONTO — Toronto FC season-ticket-holders may be in for another break at the box office.
If that’s the case, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment will be — temporarily at least — biting the bullet on $110 million in renovations to BMO Field.
“The bad news for our owners is we’re spending more money than we’ve ever spent, and by multiples and multiples,” MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke said in an interview Tuesday. “But we value the relationship with our season ticket-holders.
“We clearly understand they want us to make the playoffs and that has to be the goal around here. We’re not backing down from that goal. And we also understand — I made it very clear when I began here — that we should be paid and we should ask for an increase based on how we do on the pitch. That’s all that matters.
“We’re going to use that rule of thumb as we go forward here with our existing season ticket-holders.”
Toronto failed to deliver on Leiweke’s playoff promise this season, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference with an 11-15-8 record. The team has yet to make the post-season since joining MLS in 2007.
The MLSE boss did not comment directly on pricing, saying an announcement would come soon.
“I think we have a relationship with our season ticket-holders that continues to grow,” he said. “And I think even though we didn’t make the playoffs this year, the one thing they do appreciate about us is we are jumping back in the ring and staying in the fight and we’re going to win this fight. And I think they believe that. And so we’re not going to do anything to damage that relationship. This is a relationship based on integrity and communication and we’re going to try and keep that up.”
Prior to the 2013 campaign, Toronto rolled back season ticket prices to those of the club’s inaugural year in 2007 due to continued failure on the field. The franchise held the line on those prices for the 2014 season, even pushing back the payment date to allow fans to see some of the big-ticket off-season moves before committing.
The signing of designated players Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Gilberto helped push the number of season ticket-holders to a club-record 17,000 with a waiting list of 3,500.
The MLS team drew 375,463 fans to BMO Field in 2014, up 30,928 over the previous franchise record of 344,535 set in 2011. This season TFC attracted 15 straight sellouts of 22,591 before attendance at the two final home games dropped to 18,269 and 18,329, respectively.
The club drew 308,233 fans in 2013.
Toronto averaged 22,086 a game this season, second only to the Seattle Sounders (43,734) and well above the league average of 19,147.
The Vancouver Whitecaps averaged 20,408 (346,943 in total, fifth in the league) and Montreal 17,421 (296,159, 11th).
