Toronto F.C fans watching their club play Real Madrid in a friendly PHOTO BY: ADRIANO MANCINI
By Adriano Mancini
Toronto FC fans were rewarded for their loyalty Thursday following the announcement from Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment that season ticket prices will be dropping next season.
“It’s a real positive first step,” said Phil Tobin, President of the Red Patch Boys, known as the official fan club of Toronto FC.
The news comes near the conclusion of another TFC season that has seen the club sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table and mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
The team’s results over the past couple of seasons have now begun to show in the stands with empty seats at BMO Field seemingly increasing for home matches and with performances on the pitch unlikely to change, fears of attendance for the next season began to surface.
According to Tobin, the price reductions are a good idea and something that needed to be done in order to reward the fans.
“I have really seen a lot of our members and people who come to our meetings post that they were already on the fence of renewing or getting season tickets and now because of the price reductions they are saying it’s an easier decision to make,” Tobin said.
Thomas Michalakos, a soccer columnist for Rogers Sportsnet and a TFC season ticket holder, echoed Tobin’s comments.
“Toronto will never allow a team to fold, but in order to build on a failing product, the club had to be realistic in its approach to get seats filled for season seven,” Michalakos told Humber News.
With the club beginning to struggle to fill the stadium and field a competitive team Michalakos said all the problems begin with TFC’s upper management.
“It has to start from the top, TFC needs to bring in experienced soccer minds to reshape and redesign the club,” he added.
The club, which was founded in 2006, has never qualified for the playoffs.
Listen to the full interview with Phil Tobin, President of the Red Patch Boys.