Is the PWHL's preseason plan a missed opportunity for the league? The league itself did not seem to understand the plan for fan engagement during their own preseason when discussing in a recent media conference writes Pat Laprade.
One of the things that could be improved in terms of fan experience in the PWHL happens during the preseason. Many fans complained online about not being able to watch those games. Unfortunately for them, it’s apparently such a non-priority for the league that executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer misguided the media when she was asked about it in Tuesday’s press conference.
The question I asked was simple.
“Why are the preseason games not available on YouTube and do you plan to change that in the future?”
Regrettably, the answer I got, and I want to choose my word correctly here, was not accurate at all.
“I think from a business side, every venue except for Vancouver was open for fans to go and watch in person. So, we provided that this year," Scheer said. "So, every arena was open for season ticket holders to go and watch. We kept Vancouver closed so we could get the building ready for when the public does come in.”
The problem with this statement is that it is simply not true. Except the part about Vancouver!
Four venues were selected this year to hold preseason games: Verdun Auditorium where Montreal usually practices, Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey, TD Place in Ottawa, and the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
I reached out to every team asking the same question: were season ticket holders allowed to go and watch preseason games in person?
In Verdun, I already knew the answer, but wanted to be 100% positive. And like I thought, only friends and family could go watch those two games.
In Ottawa, the first one was actually open to season ticket holders, as a gift for their loyalty to the team. Tickets were free for them and approximately 3,000 fans showed up on Sunday afternoon, during a snowy weekend. But it was also confirmed to me that the game on Monday wasn’t available for fans to watch in person.
The Vancouver media team confirmed to me that the venue was closed to fans. And in New York, the team confirmed to me that fans were not allowed at those games. However, the Sirens hosted a practice last week open to all season ticket holders.
So, let me ask this now.
How can an executive vice president of business operations miss something like this? How low on your priority list it must be when you can’t even get this answer right the day after preseason games ended? It’s beyond me.
I’m really hoping that someone within Scheer’s team let her know that she was wrong here. Or maybe they will after reading this. All I know is that I haven’t received an email with a corrected answer to my question.
Not a Priority
This was the third preseason in PWHL history. The first year, nine preseason games were played all at Utica University Nexus Center and they were closed to the general public, aside from one game.
Last year, six games were played in two cities, Montreal and Toronto, and those were not available for season ticket holders either. And this year, there were eight games in four different venues.
What does it mean for the future?
“I mean sure, someday we’ll get to the point where we put preseason games on YouTube or another media outlet, but it’s just not there today in terms of priorities,” Scheer said, before adding a comment with questionable intentions.
“There’s 120 more games coming this year for you to watch. We’re good.”
We’re good. Really? Amy, Amy, Amy. That wasn’t necessary.
It was not about me or the number of regular season games available. It was about improving the fan experience and listening to what they have to say.
A missed opportunity?
There were 104 preseason games in the NHL this September. And perhaps not all of them were broadcast, but they were all open to public, with actual tickets being sold.
The PWHL had eight preseason games. No tickets were sold and no fans could watch them from the comfort of their home.
Maybe a missed opportunity of adding some revenue here? Or at the very least, a missed occasion to allow fans to watch more games, especially when the off season is a bit under six months?
But why should we care? There are 120 more games to watch, right?