SBJ/SBD's countdown to the No. 1 minor league market continues today with No. 3 -- Ft. Wayne, Ind. Overall, the area’s attendance-to-population ratio of 1.8-to-1 is the second highest of any multiple-team market in our study. Only Portland, Maine, has a higher ratio (2-to-1).
HAIL THESE KOMETS: When the Ft. Wayne Komets debuted in the 10,000-seat Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in '52, it was expected that the club would be viewed as the secondary tenant to the then-Zollner (later Ft. Wayne) Pistons of the National Basketball League -- a predecessor of the NBA. Both teams drew well, but after five seasons, the Pistons (who had been in the market since '39) moved to Detroit, and Ft. Wayne has embraced its status as a leading minor league market ever since. Over the past nearly six decades, the Komets have routinely been one of the top draws in minor league hockey despite the local team having no affiliation with an NHL club until '10. Since joining the ECHL in '12, the team has ranked first in total attendance (playoffs and regular season). The Komets began in Ft. Wayne as a member of the IHL and then played in the CHL and UHL before joining the ECHL. Last month, the club signed a two-year deal to remain an affiliate of the Avalanche. That the club has spent its entire existence in the same venue is a point of pride for the market. However, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is weeks away from being one of the most modernized minor league arenas. Ft. Wayne County owns the venue and this summer spent $2M to upgrade the building’s ice plant, expand and update the home and away locker rooms and replace all lightning with an Ephesus LED system. Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Exec VP & GM Randy Brown noted the current upgrades follow $6M in improvements to fan areas that were completed during the previous two summers. All improvements were publicly funded.
STAYING STRONG: Komets President Michael Franke, whose family has owned the franchise since '90, said the team’s finances are strong. Franke said the club has an annual season-ticket base of just over 3,000, a total that includes a few fans who have held their rights since the team was born. Additionally, Franke said the team’s merchandise sales were up 13% during the past season compared to '13-14, marking the team’s highest level in 13 years. Franke: "Thankfully, we have become such a part of the fabric of this community that even during the downturn (of the late '00s) we did not see much correction in our sponsorship revenue." Meanwhile, the Single-A Midwest League TinCaps drew a record 411,000 fans for the '14 season, the club's third straight year with an attendance increase. The Mad Ants, currently the only team in the D-League neither owned nor operated by an NBA team, have averaged more than 78,000 fans per season since they began play in '07. Rumors have popped up recently that the Mad Ants could be sold to the Pacers.
