MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- If a new partnership between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the City of Moose Jaw turns out as well as hoped, local recreation facilities could be seeing a host of major improvements in the near future.
The two organizations held a press conference on Thursday at the Pla-Mor Palace dual-rink facility to announce the Recreational Facility Renewal Program, which will see the Warriors selling advertising at recreational facilities throughout the city and all proceeds going into a fund to enhance those facilities.
Should things go as planned, that could mean tens of thousands of dollars being funnelled into the Pla-Mor Palace and Kinsmen Sportsplex as well as local ball diamonds and other athletic facilities.
“It’s exciting, it gives us an opportunity to give back to the community,” said Warriors director of business operations Olivia Howe. “Being a community-owned team, we rely a lot on their support, so to be able to use our staff to sell these items within these facilities and give back proceeds that way, it’s ideal for us and an easier way to give back.”
The program expands on an existing deal that saw the Warriors sell advertising and a 50-50 split going back to the team and the community through a general fund. Now, that advertising will cover all aspects of all facilities, with a projected 80 percent or more going into the recreational improvement fund.
“We’ve been doing this a little bit before, working with the Moose Jaw Warriors and selling advertising, but we really haven’t taken it to the community level and reinvested it in the facilities,” said City of Moose Jaw recreation services manager Scott Osmachenko, adding that one of their biggest question marks prior to the program being formed was finding revenue streams to bring about facility upgrades.
“It’s a win-win, basically. The community, the advertiser product and then all the proceeds go back into the buildings. Minor sports need the facilities, we want to try and keep everyone active and this is a way to make that happen.”
One unique aspect of the program is that pretty much everything in every facility is up for grabs by advertisers. From dressing room doors to dugouts at ballparks and everything in between, the Warriors will do what they can to accommodate advertiser wishes.
Once the funds are pooled in the reserve account, it’ll be up to the community to decide where they go.
“The biggest thing is the community gives us that ‘this is what we think we should be doing’, not just a meeting that we have in a department,” Osmachenko said. “We want input from the community businesses that have supported this with their own funds and then they’re going to see where the money is going to.”
Those improvements could run the gamut of just about everything, too.
“Whether it’s paving the Bert Hunt floor or adding dressing rooms to an arena or dugout enhancements at the ball parks, people will know that those funds are going into that fund instead of a general city fund,” Howe said.
Given the exceptionally high use of some recreational facilities in the city, the boost to advertisers could be substantial, said Osmachenko.
“You could talk to the Warriors and advertise with them, you advertise at the Events Centre with their programming and then you put your logo here in the arenas or the ball diamonds and that really expands the opportunities to get your name out there,” he said. “And the number of tournaments and games we have in these facilities, there are over 200,000 people who walk through these doors every year, so we feel it’s a great opportunity.”
For more information or to support the Recreational Facility Renewal Program, contact Kate Scidmore, Warriors manager of sales, at [email protected].
