Reconsider the Reduction of Seating in Lansdowne 2.0 Plans
Reconsider the Reduction of Seating in Lansdowne 2.0 Plans
The Issue
VERY IMPORTANT - Please read the first update which has all of the contact information for city representatives. A direct email or phone call from you will make a significant impact in ways that a petition simple cannot, no matter how many signatures this gets. If you want change to happen, you need to send an email or make a phone call to the mayor and your representative. Is the future of this team worth enough to you to do that?
Copy OSEG on your emails
foundation@oseg.ca
and cc Shawn Menard capitalward@ottawa.ca
these two things are critical.
Growing up without the opportunity to play hockey or be part of a women's league, I now regard this planned reduction in seating capacity from 9500 to 5500, as a potential devastation to my community and the growing popularity of the sport. I strongly believe that the re-evaluation of Ottawa's Lansdowne 2.0 project is critical for the community’s growth and prosperity. This renovation, while may seem minimal, places a limit on the accessibility and audience capacity, which could lead to a decrease in ticket sales and ultimately, impacting the local economy. Reports have suggested that sports facilities like this one in Lansdowne can significantly contribute to a community's economy (source: The Economic Impact of Sports Facilities on Local Communities). Therefore, we need to ensure our acknowledgement and support for this important cause. Stand with us to encourage a second look at the Lansdowne 2.0 plans and keep the opportunity for a grand hockey experience alive in Ottawa. Please sign this petition today. Your action will safeguard the future of sports-loving individuals and entire community alike.
An open letter to the Mayor:
Mayor Sutcliffe,
My name is Tris, and I am known around the community as one of the PWHL Ottawa team’s most passionate fans. Through this passion, I have connected with hundreds of people within our community in various formats. I launched a program called “26 for 26” which helped get kids in our community to games, who otherwise would not have had those opportunities. I joined the team at Red Scarf Union, which is a fan built community to support our team and hosts over 2.1 thousand fans on facebook alone and is one of the largest PWHL pages on any social media platform for any team. It is continuing to grow daily with no sign of slowing down. I have personally committed to four season seats, with plans to commit to six next season in my efforts to grow the sport and give back to my community. I am not alone in these efforts. I am extremely proud to say that with how active I am in the PWHL fan bases and my history working for and being part of various comic cons and sporting leagues, PWHL Ottawa truly has one of the most passionate ones I have ever seen.
I have lived in Ottawa my entire life. I have always felt frustrated that Ottawa boasts such beautiful scenery, such amazing attractions, and world class citizens, and yet is not seen as a destination city for tourism and travel in the same light as our neighboring cities. An arena that can not only allow for growth in our professional womens hockey team, but can also be a landing spot for touring entertainment not quite at the CTC levels in a beautifully renovated lansdown would help us compete with those markets. Cutting down the capacity is short sighted and irresponsible from a long term business stand point.
When I was a young girl growing up in the 90s, hockey was a passion of mine like many other young girls I knew. Opportunities were simply not there for us. My dad would build me my own hockey rink in our backyard every year, and we would go to the outdoor rink at Fisher Park jr. high school to work on my shot and try to find kids my age willing to play. Eventually I was able to play recreationally at Tom Brown arena. At that time, access to watching women play hockey was non existent. I didn’t even know there were womens leagues until much later on. It wasn’t something that my parents were aware of either. The womens game is rapidly growing, as seen in the record breaking attendances over the course of this short inaugural season. Ottawa boasted the highest average attendance, and in many cases was sold out completely. Montreal and Toronto both have smaller rinks, and fans were frustrated at the lack of ticket availabilities, and many fans heartbroken that they could not attend games and support their teams. We are now looking at doing the same thing to our community. Season ticket sales are up this year with over 90% renewal rate over last year. There is no sign of attendance slowing down. Ottawa is now home to female athletes that have won Olympic gold medals and championships, and the young girls in our community are able to attend the games and watch them play. Reducing seats by THOUSANDS will be stripping away those opportunities when games sell out and resale tickets become like what Montreal and Toronto saw.
When Ottawa is given the chance to thrive, we do it in waves. We are a hungry and passionate city who want to rally together for our teams and be part of something special. History is being made right now, and you are in a position to help it exceed and put Ottawa at the top of it all, or you can extinguish the fire that is spreading. I saw you at the inaugural home opener, as you were given the opportunity to do the opening ceremony puck drop. Other teams had retired female sports legends, and we got you. I’d like to think that opportunity gives you pause to reflect on the significance of now only that moment, but the ones yet to be had.
Sincerely,
Tris Sparling
plus passionnées que j'ai jamais vues.
J'ai vécu à Ottawa toute ma vie. J'ai toujours été frustré qu'Ottawa puisse se vanter d'avoir des paysages aussi magnifiques, des attractions aussi étonnantes et des citoyens de classe mondiale, et pourtant, elle n'est pas considérée comme une ville de destination pour le tourisme et les voyages au même titre que nos villes voisines. Un aréna qui peut non seulement permettre la croissance de notre équipe professionnelle de hockey féminin, mais qui peut également être un point d'atterrissage pour des spectacles en tournée pas tout à fait au niveau de la CTC dans un terrain magnifiquement rénové nous aiderait à rivaliser avec ces marchés. Réduire la capacité est une démarche à courte vue et irresponsable d’un point de vue commercial à long terme.
Quand j'étais une jeune fille dans les années 90, le hockey était une de mes passions, comme beaucoup d'autres jeunes filles que je connaissais. Les opportunités n’étaient tout simplement pas là pour nous. Mon père me construisait ma propre patinoire de hockey dans notre cour chaque année, et nous allions à la patinoire extérieure de Fisher Park jr. lycée pour travailler sur mon tir et essayer de trouver des enfants de mon âge prêts à jouer. Finalement, j'ai pu jouer de manière récréative à l'arène Tom Brown. À cette époque, il n’était pas possible de regarder des femmes jouer au hockey. Je n’ai su que bien plus tard qu’il existait des ligues féminines. Ce n’était pas non plus quelque chose dont mes parents étaient au courant. Le football féminin connaît une croissance rapide, comme en témoignent les records d'affluence au cours de cette courte saison inaugurale. Ottawa a enregistré la fréquentation moyenne la plus élevée et, dans de nombreux cas, a affiché complet. Montréal et Toronto ont tous deux des patinoires plus petites, et les partisans étaient frustrés du manque de billets disponibles, et de nombreux partisans ont le cœur brisé de ne pas pouvoir assister aux matchs et soutenir leurs équipes. Nous envisageons maintenant de faire la même chose pour notre communauté. Les ventes d'abonnements sont en hausse cette année avec un taux de renouvellement de plus de 90 % par rapport à l'année dernière. Il n’y a aucun signe de ralentissement de la fréquentation. Ottawa abrite désormais des athlètes féminines qui ont remporté des médailles d'or et des championnats olympiques, et les jeunes filles de notre communauté peuvent assister aux jeux et les regarder jouer. Réduire les sièges par MILLIERS supprimera ces opportunités lorsque les matchs se vendront à guichets fermés et que la revente des billets ressemblera à ce que Montréal et Toronto ont vu.
Lorsqu’Ottawa a la chance de prospérer, nous le faisons par vagues. Nous sommes une ville affamée et passionnée qui souhaite se rassembler pour nos équipes et faire partie de quelque chose de spécial. L'histoire est en train de s'écrire en ce moment même, et vous êtes en mesure de l'aider à la dépasser et de placer Ottawa au sommet de tout cela, ou vous pouvez éteindre l'incendie qui se propage. Je vous ai vu lors du premier match d'ouverture à domicile, alors que vous aviez l'occasion de participer à la mise au jeu de la cérémonie d'ouverture. D’autres équipes comptaient des légendes sportives féminines à la retraite, et nous vous avons eu. J'aimerais penser que cette opportunité vous donne une pause pour réfléchir à la signification de ce moment seulement, mais de ceux qui restent à vivre.
Sincèrement,
Tris Sparling
601
The Issue
VERY IMPORTANT - Please read the first update which has all of the contact information for city representatives. A direct email or phone call from you will make a significant impact in ways that a petition simple cannot, no matter how many signatures this gets. If you want change to happen, you need to send an email or make a phone call to the mayor and your representative. Is the future of this team worth enough to you to do that?
Copy OSEG on your emails
foundation@oseg.ca
and cc Shawn Menard capitalward@ottawa.ca
these two things are critical.
Growing up without the opportunity to play hockey or be part of a women's league, I now regard this planned reduction in seating capacity from 9500 to 5500, as a potential devastation to my community and the growing popularity of the sport. I strongly believe that the re-evaluation of Ottawa's Lansdowne 2.0 project is critical for the community’s growth and prosperity. This renovation, while may seem minimal, places a limit on the accessibility and audience capacity, which could lead to a decrease in ticket sales and ultimately, impacting the local economy. Reports have suggested that sports facilities like this one in Lansdowne can significantly contribute to a community's economy (source: The Economic Impact of Sports Facilities on Local Communities). Therefore, we need to ensure our acknowledgement and support for this important cause. Stand with us to encourage a second look at the Lansdowne 2.0 plans and keep the opportunity for a grand hockey experience alive in Ottawa. Please sign this petition today. Your action will safeguard the future of sports-loving individuals and entire community alike.
An open letter to the Mayor:
Mayor Sutcliffe,
My name is Tris, and I am known around the community as one of the PWHL Ottawa team’s most passionate fans. Through this passion, I have connected with hundreds of people within our community in various formats. I launched a program called “26 for 26” which helped get kids in our community to games, who otherwise would not have had those opportunities. I joined the team at Red Scarf Union, which is a fan built community to support our team and hosts over 2.1 thousand fans on facebook alone and is one of the largest PWHL pages on any social media platform for any team. It is continuing to grow daily with no sign of slowing down. I have personally committed to four season seats, with plans to commit to six next season in my efforts to grow the sport and give back to my community. I am not alone in these efforts. I am extremely proud to say that with how active I am in the PWHL fan bases and my history working for and being part of various comic cons and sporting leagues, PWHL Ottawa truly has one of the most passionate ones I have ever seen.
I have lived in Ottawa my entire life. I have always felt frustrated that Ottawa boasts such beautiful scenery, such amazing attractions, and world class citizens, and yet is not seen as a destination city for tourism and travel in the same light as our neighboring cities. An arena that can not only allow for growth in our professional womens hockey team, but can also be a landing spot for touring entertainment not quite at the CTC levels in a beautifully renovated lansdown would help us compete with those markets. Cutting down the capacity is short sighted and irresponsible from a long term business stand point.
When I was a young girl growing up in the 90s, hockey was a passion of mine like many other young girls I knew. Opportunities were simply not there for us. My dad would build me my own hockey rink in our backyard every year, and we would go to the outdoor rink at Fisher Park jr. high school to work on my shot and try to find kids my age willing to play. Eventually I was able to play recreationally at Tom Brown arena. At that time, access to watching women play hockey was non existent. I didn’t even know there were womens leagues until much later on. It wasn’t something that my parents were aware of either. The womens game is rapidly growing, as seen in the record breaking attendances over the course of this short inaugural season. Ottawa boasted the highest average attendance, and in many cases was sold out completely. Montreal and Toronto both have smaller rinks, and fans were frustrated at the lack of ticket availabilities, and many fans heartbroken that they could not attend games and support their teams. We are now looking at doing the same thing to our community. Season ticket sales are up this year with over 90% renewal rate over last year. There is no sign of attendance slowing down. Ottawa is now home to female athletes that have won Olympic gold medals and championships, and the young girls in our community are able to attend the games and watch them play. Reducing seats by THOUSANDS will be stripping away those opportunities when games sell out and resale tickets become like what Montreal and Toronto saw.
When Ottawa is given the chance to thrive, we do it in waves. We are a hungry and passionate city who want to rally together for our teams and be part of something special. History is being made right now, and you are in a position to help it exceed and put Ottawa at the top of it all, or you can extinguish the fire that is spreading. I saw you at the inaugural home opener, as you were given the opportunity to do the opening ceremony puck drop. Other teams had retired female sports legends, and we got you. I’d like to think that opportunity gives you pause to reflect on the significance of now only that moment, but the ones yet to be had.
Sincerely,
Tris Sparling
plus passionnées que j'ai jamais vues.
J'ai vécu à Ottawa toute ma vie. J'ai toujours été frustré qu'Ottawa puisse se vanter d'avoir des paysages aussi magnifiques, des attractions aussi étonnantes et des citoyens de classe mondiale, et pourtant, elle n'est pas considérée comme une ville de destination pour le tourisme et les voyages au même titre que nos villes voisines. Un aréna qui peut non seulement permettre la croissance de notre équipe professionnelle de hockey féminin, mais qui peut également être un point d'atterrissage pour des spectacles en tournée pas tout à fait au niveau de la CTC dans un terrain magnifiquement rénové nous aiderait à rivaliser avec ces marchés. Réduire la capacité est une démarche à courte vue et irresponsable d’un point de vue commercial à long terme.
Quand j'étais une jeune fille dans les années 90, le hockey était une de mes passions, comme beaucoup d'autres jeunes filles que je connaissais. Les opportunités n’étaient tout simplement pas là pour nous. Mon père me construisait ma propre patinoire de hockey dans notre cour chaque année, et nous allions à la patinoire extérieure de Fisher Park jr. lycée pour travailler sur mon tir et essayer de trouver des enfants de mon âge prêts à jouer. Finalement, j'ai pu jouer de manière récréative à l'arène Tom Brown. À cette époque, il n’était pas possible de regarder des femmes jouer au hockey. Je n’ai su que bien plus tard qu’il existait des ligues féminines. Ce n’était pas non plus quelque chose dont mes parents étaient au courant. Le football féminin connaît une croissance rapide, comme en témoignent les records d'affluence au cours de cette courte saison inaugurale. Ottawa a enregistré la fréquentation moyenne la plus élevée et, dans de nombreux cas, a affiché complet. Montréal et Toronto ont tous deux des patinoires plus petites, et les partisans étaient frustrés du manque de billets disponibles, et de nombreux partisans ont le cœur brisé de ne pas pouvoir assister aux matchs et soutenir leurs équipes. Nous envisageons maintenant de faire la même chose pour notre communauté. Les ventes d'abonnements sont en hausse cette année avec un taux de renouvellement de plus de 90 % par rapport à l'année dernière. Il n’y a aucun signe de ralentissement de la fréquentation. Ottawa abrite désormais des athlètes féminines qui ont remporté des médailles d'or et des championnats olympiques, et les jeunes filles de notre communauté peuvent assister aux jeux et les regarder jouer. Réduire les sièges par MILLIERS supprimera ces opportunités lorsque les matchs se vendront à guichets fermés et que la revente des billets ressemblera à ce que Montréal et Toronto ont vu.
Lorsqu’Ottawa a la chance de prospérer, nous le faisons par vagues. Nous sommes une ville affamée et passionnée qui souhaite se rassembler pour nos équipes et faire partie de quelque chose de spécial. L'histoire est en train de s'écrire en ce moment même, et vous êtes en mesure de l'aider à la dépasser et de placer Ottawa au sommet de tout cela, ou vous pouvez éteindre l'incendie qui se propage. Je vous ai vu lors du premier match d'ouverture à domicile, alors que vous aviez l'occasion de participer à la mise au jeu de la cérémonie d'ouverture. D’autres équipes comptaient des légendes sportives féminines à la retraite, et nous vous avons eu. J'aimerais penser que cette opportunité vous donne une pause pour réfléchir à la signification de ce moment seulement, mais de ceux qui restent à vivre.
Sincèrement,
Tris Sparling
601
Supporter Voices
Petition created on June 19, 2024