Fife Flyers: December drive to bring fans back rinkside

Music promoters will tell you audiences are down 30%, and people are leaving it until the last minute before buying tickets - adding even more uncertainty to booking gigs and organising tours.

Fife’s sports teams all face the challenge of covering costs while also pitching admission prices at levels that are within the reach of as many fans as possible. It’s an increasingly tricky balancing act.

Raith Rovers last three home games have generated crowds below 2000. Last Saturday, their Scottish Cup tie against Auchinleck Talbot pulled in 1600 spectators, and that total included a healthy travelling support from Ayrshire.

On the same evening at the other end of Kirkcaldy, Fife Flyers played to 1015 fans with no visiting supporters.

The club’s average attendance of 1172 is currently the lowest within the Elite League. Scottish rivals Dundee Stars are averaging 1472, and Glasgow Clan 2932 - the latter despite a horrendous losing streak.

But while Braehead Arena may be busier, the ‘house full’ signs once common place for games against Fife have yet to be deployed. The teams’ meeting in the west on the opening night of the season saw the arena littered with many empty seats.

The sport is still feeling the impact of lockdown when fans got out of their weekend hockey habits, and new supporters have yet to replace them.

Fife are also coming off the back of a dire 2021-22 season which blunted supporters’ enthusiasm for the team and the sport - getting the message across that the current roster is better, faster and more skilled, and games are much more entertaining is now a key focus for all off the ice.

The club has pegged ticket prices for its midweek Challenge Cup tie against Dundee Stars to £15 for adults, £12 for season ticket holders; ands £8 concessions and juveniles. As a thank you, anyone buying a ticket will be entered into a free prize draw to win a pair of tickets to see the club’s league game against Dundee on Tuesday, December 27.

It has also launched a discount double header ticket for its back to back home games against high flying Guildford Flames on Saturday, December 10 and Sheffield Steelers on Sunday 11th.

Off-ice events are lined up for every weekend - including a foodbank drive, toy appeal, CHAS night and Christmas jumper game. A skate with the team night is also on the schedule. The club’s school visits are also up and running once more after last year’s COVID restrictions made access to classes impossible.

Todd Dutiaume, head coach and general manager, admits: “We have a lot of home games coming up this month. These are our lifeblood.

“But we know it’s Christmas and there is a cost of living crisis so all these initiatives are hugely important. We need fans in the building, and we need to make sure they are entertained and leave satisfied.”

Fife have always been a gate-based club, but the link isn’t just financial - the team feeds off a noisy, packed rink, and, at full throttle it remains one of the most challenging places for visiting teams to play in.

It’s clear the team has upped its workrate significantly, and fans can see the potential within it - even although early home form has seen more losses than wins.

“It’s sport - you can’t write the script,” admitted Dutiaume who knows the work down off the ice is more important than ever to put hockey back on people’s radar post lockdown.

There are easily 1000 armchair fans in Fife who need to be won back rinkside - perhaps even more if the team hits that winning run in the second half of the season and its play-off push ignites.

But Flyers are not alone in facing that challenge. While arena teams routinely play to 4500-5000 fans, clubs based in smaller rinks are all hovering just a few hundred fans above Fife.

Dundee Stars are averaging 1472, Guildford Flames, flying high at the top of the table, are only pulling in an average of 1670 while Coventry Blaze are on 1791.

But, the difference that extra 400-500 fans can make on the finances is huge.

There is absolutely no doubt the entertainment factor has been racked up considerably this season - and the addition of a giant new video screen above centre ice needs to transform the nights as soon as possible.

The club is working harder than ever to bring back the lapsed fans, and spark interest among new ones. With seven home games across December, this is the ideal month to return rinkside and see for yourself if the hockey bug bites once more …