Central Illinois’s favorite minor league baseball team is getting ready for yet another season, but are fans going to show up this year? Peoria Chiefs franchise has an optimistic plan set in motion to keep increasing attendance records at Dozer Park in 2014.
Photo courtesy of Peoria Chief’s Website
Kelly Sheehan
PEORIA– Whether winter will allow it or not, baseball season is back, and Dozer Park is ready to open the gates to another successful season.
The Peoria Chiefs are getting ready for their 2014 baseball season beginning this week in Wisconsin. On April 8, the team will return to Peoria for their home opener against the Dayton Dragons.
Fresh with a new name endorsed by Caterpillar, Dozer Park is excited to welcome in what’s predicted to be another exciting year for minor league baseball.
Last year, the city of Peoria forgave the franchise for its owed $1.2 million debt in hopes that the stadium would start generating more tax revenue in the up and coming warehouse district. It was no surprise that the franchise had been struggling.
According to the Peoria Chiefs website, attendance for games had been quite low since its largest yearly attendance record of 275,973 fans in 2008.
In 2009, the franchise saw a 20 percent decrease in attendance.
Box Office Manager Ryan Sivori said that the economy might have had something to do with it, but mostly it was the ballparks lack of attention on the fans.
“In the past, we had high numbers because we were able to pull in people from all over the state. We had hall of famers like Ryne Sandberg managing the team,” Sivori said. “We never had to focus on promotions, the fan loyalty was just there, and we got complacent.”
Since the 2009 plummet, the franchise began focusing its efforts more on their promotional and marketing efforts.
“We have a renewed focus on fan attention,” Sivori said. “The promotions department started doing fireworks nights and themed baseball games, like Star Wars night.”
Marketing and promotions Intern Elyse Vasiliades said she saw a strong commitment in the staff this past summer.
“I’m not surprised the attendance records are on the rise,” Vasiliades said. “We worked really hard this summer to get people more involved in the games. We had theme nights, giveaways and free merchandise. You could really see the ballparks focus on fan loyalty, it was a great time.”
The weather also has a small role in fan attendance. According to Dozer Park records April always tends to average the lowest turn outs. For example, in 2002, only 1,315 fans attended games, and in August of the same year, the total rounded out to 4,105 fans.
“Plain and simple, weather is a factor we have to be ready for,” Sivori said. “April is always rough in central Illinois, but near July and August we start seeing more consistent sun.”
In coordination with the city bail out and the new refocus on the ballpark experience, attendance definitely saw an improvement over the 2013 season. The Peoria Chiefs saw a 10 percent increase in attendance.
The ballpark is headed for a slow recovery, but it is starting to see positive results. The Peoria Chiefs will keep their fingers crossed for a sunny day.
The Peoria Chiefs are now selling cheaper packages for season holding tickets and special promotions.