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Tuesday December 27, 2011
The New Year is just a few days away, officially turning the page to ‘next year’ for the Okotoks Dawgs. 2011 was another tremendous year for the Dawgs program in many different areas, including another increase in attendance for the summer collegiate club.
Ever since the construction of Seaman Stadium for the 2007 season, the Dawgs have ranked among the elite in summer collegiate baseball attendance. That first season in Okotoks saw the team draw 1650 fans per game, and the number has continued to grow in the years since, and the 2011 season saw the Dawgs set yet another club record for average attendance, with a mark of 2,349 fans per game at Seaman Stadium.
The fifth season of Dawgs baseball in Okotoks saw an increase of 126 per game over last season, giving Okotoks the 4th highest summer-collegiate attendance figure (per-game) for the second consecutive year, and top-10 for the fourth consecutive season.
Okotoks Dawgs per-game attendance by year:
2007: 1,650 per game
2008: 1,825 per game
2009: 1,819 per game
2010: 2,223 per game
2011: 2,349 per game
Dawgs Managing Director, John Ircandia comments on the ever growing support of Dawgs baseball,
“The support for Dawgs Baseball from the community since our move to Okotoks has been phenomenal. We are so fortunate. From the First Opening Night in 2007 when we experienced a scene right out of Field of Dreams, with car after car driving into the parking lot at Seaman Stadium, we have experienced something very special. To go from averaging 1650 fans per game to almost 2400 per game this past season, is mind boggling. This is truly a story like no other. To think a town in Alberta is the 4th top summer collegiate franchise in all of North America is a testament to an extraordinary partnership between the Dawgs and the communities from Calgary throughout the Foothills, centered in Okotoks.”
Although the Dawgs would fall just short in the Championship Series, it was another special summer at Seaman Stadium, as the Dawgs would post a remarkable 21-5 record in Okotoks, including playoffs. This season again saw several capacity crowds at the ballpark, including another unforgettable Canada Day at Seaman Stadium that saw a remarkable 4434 fans come through the gates to take in a Dawgs win and the post game fireworks display. For the second straight year, the Canada Day game set a team, and league record for single-game attendance.
Another highlight this season again was the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Day on July 10th. For the 4th consecutive year, the Dawgs’ special edition pink jerseys were auctioned off throughout this game through live and silent auctions, this year raising over $16,000. In the 4 years of this great event, which was awarded the Community Achievement Award from Baseball America in 2010, $105,000 has been raised for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Dawgs fans again took it to another level during the playoff run, with capacity crowds every night, capped off with over 7,000 fans attending the 2 Championship Series games in Okotoks.
2011 was another memorable year at Seaman Stadium. The first 5 years of Dawgs baseball in Okotoks have been truly memorable, to say the least.
From the Dawgs…
“Thank you Okotoks!”
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