| | | | | | | | CITY OF PEORIA, ARIZONA
COUNCIL COMMUNICATION | Agenda Item: 13.C. |
| Date Prepared: 4/5/2017 | Council Meeting Date: 4/18/2017 |
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| | | | | | | | | TO: | Carl Swenson, City Manager
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| | | | | | | | THROUGH:
| Susan J. Daluddung, AICP, Deputy City Manager |
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| | | | | | | | | FROM:
| John R. Sefton, Jr., Director
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| | | | | | | | SUBJECT:
| 2017 Spring Training |
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| | | | | | | | Background/Summary:
As the 2017 Spring Training season comes to a close, the countdown begins to the 25th anniversary season of Spring Training at Peoria Sports Complex in 2018.
2017 featured the World Baseball Classic (WBC), an international tournament of nations which Major League Baseball hosts every four years. While the WBC promotes the game to a global audience, it does tend to adversely impact the Cactus League, in the short-term, with the early start to the spring schedule, the attention shift from media and fans alike, and the departure of the teams’ best players from spring training to participate in the WBC. Despite lower attendance compared to the year prior, with the support of 3 additional games overall gross revenues surpassed 2016’s mark to setting a record for the 3rd consecutive year.
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
% Change
(2016-2017)
|
|
# of games
|
36
|
29
|
31
|
32
|
35
|
|
|
Total Attendance
|
196,881
|
192,513
|
238,847
|
240,111
|
227,646
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-5.2%
|
|
Average Attendance
|
5,469
|
6,638
|
7,705
|
7,504
|
6,504
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-13.3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Ticket Revenues
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$2,874,652
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$2,920,133
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$4,057,316
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$4,301,925
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$4,250,836
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-1.2%
|
|
Concession Revenues
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$1,510,242
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$1,535,588
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$2,042,687
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$2,208,108
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$2,138,039
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-3.2%
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Novelty Revenues
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$851,903
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$851,505
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$1,325,120
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$1,286,876
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$1,452,169
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12.8%
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Advertising Revenues
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$310,921
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$283,647
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$307,195
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$320,612
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$357,512
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11.5%
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Parking Revenues
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$230,320
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$226,921
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$282,597
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$274,276
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$252,559
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-7.9%
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Scorecard Revenues
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$11,238
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$10,172
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$12,148
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$12,551
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$12,988
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3.5%
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TOTAL REVENUES
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$5,789,276
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$5,827,966
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$8,027,063
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$8,404,348
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$8,464,103
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0.7%
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The 2017 season opened with the debut of Peoria Cove, consisting of The Ballyard, a miniature baseball diamond, and The Shipyard, a playground featuring a small splash pad and play structure set in and around the frame of a seafaring ship.
Also new for 2017, was the 2,100 square foot scoreboard, with a video display measuring 35 feet high and 61 feet wide, the largest in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues. This up-to-date LED technology makes it easier for fans to see the board on sunny days, as well as from any angle in the park. Additionally, the scoreboard can be divided into multiple sections to show a variety of statistics, videos, graphics and images, enhancing the in-game experience. The scoreboard replaced the original, built in 1994.
Our partners, the Peoria Diamond Club (PDC), started the season with 633 “Red Shirt” volunteers; over 24% of them were new this season. The PDC annual Charity Game, which took place on February 25, drew over 6,300 fans. Through their efforts, the Peoria Diamond Club continues to support local youth charitable organizations through their grant-giving program.
There was early season inclement weather, but it did not result in any rainouts or delays. There was a significant midseason heat wave with mid-90’s temperatures as well.
Below is a Cactus League team comparison of total and average per game attendance:
|
Games
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Total Attendance
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Average per game
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Cubs (Mesa)
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17
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251,899
|
14,818
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Diamondbacks (Salt River)
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17
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176,883
|
10,405
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Giants (Scottsdale)
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18
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182,518
|
10,140
|
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Dodgers (Glendale)
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18
|
165,911
|
9,217
|
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Rockies (Salt River)
|
17
|
152,985
|
8,999
|
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Mariners (Peoria)
|
18
|
135,401
|
7,522
|
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Angels (Tempe)
|
17
|
114,780
|
6,752
|
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Indians (Goodyear)
|
16
|
101,517
|
6,345
|
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Royals (Surprise)
|
16
|
98,487
|
6,155
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A's (Mesa)
|
17
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102,212
|
6,012
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Rangers (Surprise)
|
17
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98,934
|
5,820
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Padres (Peoria)
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17
|
92,245
|
5,426
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White Sox (Glendale)
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17
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91,698
|
5,394
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Brewers (Phoenix)
|
16
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80,285
|
5,018
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Reds (Goodyear)
|
17
|
72,852
|
4,285
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Peoria had the third-highest attendance for a two-team facility in the Cactus League this season:
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Games
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Total Attendance
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Average Attendance
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Salt River (D-Backs/Rockies)
|
34
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329,868
|
9,702
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Glendale (Dodgers/White Sox)
|
35
|
257,609
|
7,360
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Peoria (Mariners/Padres)
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35
|
227,646
|
6,504
|
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Surprise (Rangers/Royals)
|
33
|
197,421
|
5,982
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Goodyear (Indians/Reds)
|
33
|
174,369
|
5,284
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| | | | | | | | Contact Name and Number:
Chris Calcaterra, 623-773-8703 |
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