Winning the Gray Cup doesn’t change the world, except… The Alouettes have received more than 2,000 orders for derivative products since the conquest about ten days ago. That’s almost as much as the organization has sold in total over the last year and a half.
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“We have people who can’t sleep because they have to pack packages and send them to our customers!” said Mark Weightman, president and CEO of Alouettes, during the organization’s end-of-season review yesterday at the Olympic Stadium.
We bet there will be a few jerseys with the number 24 of Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Quebec’s new darling.
Tickets that sell out quickly
For the Montreal organization, the positive effect of the first win in 13 years can also be felt at the box office.
“If we talk about the momentum that the Gray Cup gives us, we have already sold more than 700 new season tickets for next year based on the success of the last few weeks alone. It’s extraordinary,” Weightman continued.
A new enthusiasm for the Sparrows was already noticeable when Pierre Karl Péladeau, the Quebec owner, bought the Alouettes last March after difficult moments of uncertainty.
Then the team, which took shape late, evolved over the course of the campaign to peak at the right time.
During the 2023 season, the club recorded an increase of 24% in individual tickets sold, 53% in group tickets, 28% in box tickets and 16% in revenue from ticket sales.
“We also have 21 new business partners,” Weightman said. Quebec Inc. is there, sitting at the table, interested in supporting his team and recognizing the value that working with us can bring.
More and more popular
Not to mention, the Als were also popular on television with the third-best per game average in the CFL with 577,000 viewers. And 3.6 million Canadians saw Montreal triumph in the final.
Then last Wednesday there was this parade in the streets of the city center despite the cloudy weather.
“Did you all see the sea of people and the excitement we felt that day? the president recalled. If we combine all the channels that broadcast the parade, 576,000 people watched it on television. It’s absolutely incredible.”
Riding on this wave of victory, the Alouettes will look to reconnect with the community by taking the Gray Cup on tour to Quebec. The organization also plans to offer soccer camps and lessons as well as flag football, a non-contact sport that will debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“I remember the Canadian who came to Lachute to play softball in the summer,” Weightman said. There was a time when we did hockey tours and that was very much appreciated. I was told that we still have good hockey players on the team…”