RETRO YORK
York Revolution weekend homestand important for box office, standings
After eight games on the road, the York Revolution returns to Santander Stadium for a key three-game homestand...
York Revolution weekend homestand important for box office, standings After eight games on the road, the York Revolution returns to Santander Stadium for a key three-game homestand... Check out this story on ydr.com: https://www.ydr.com/story/sports/baseball/revolution/2015/08/20/york-revolution-weekend-homestand-important-box-office-standings/72294926/
Gary Haber, YorkDailyRecord Published 8:46 p.m. ET Aug. 20, 2015
Fans cheer after a two-run single in the 7th inning by the York Revolution against the Lancaster Barnstormers at Santander Stadium on Aug. 10.(Photo: FILE)
After eight games on the road, the York Revolution returns to Santander Stadium for a key three-game homestand starting Friday.
The brief series against the Somerset Patriots is a big one both on and off the field.
With a strong performance, the Revs can gain ground on their War of the Roses rivals, the first-place Lancaster Barnstormers, The Revs need to win the second-half title to return to the playoffs this year,
This weekend's homestand is also important for the Revs' bottom line.
These are the team's final home games in August. Drawing fans to September games is a "big challenge" because children are back in school, the York Fair is open and games on Friday and Saturday go head-to-head with high school football and Penn State football, Revs President Eric Menzer said.
The Revs have drawn a total of 194,692 fans through the first 51 home openings of the season — an average of 3,817 fans a game. That includes eight crowds of more than 5,000 fans, including back-to-back crowds against Lancaster of 5,032 and 5,862 on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11.
A strong weekend at the box office could help put the Revs on track to top last year's regular season average of 3,937 fans a game.
This September looms even larger than last because the team has 14 home games during the month, twice as many as last September.
To help drive fans through the gate this weekend, the team packed the schedule with promotions and giveaways, starting with a baseball-cap giveaway Friday night. The Stauffer's Family Fun Fest is slated for before Saturday's game, with a mini-basketball giveaway and appearance by basketball trick-shot artist Jack Ryan plus post-game fireworks. Sunday's game features appearances by chain-saw juggler Mad Chad and a motorcycle tightrope rider.
Menzer is hoping to see a lot of fans come through the turnstiles this weekend, He declined on Wednesday to provide numbers on advance ticket sales for this weekend. Minor-league baseball teams tend to rely heavily on promotions to drive attendance, said Michael Mudrick, an assistant professor in the sport management department at York College. That's because the players tend to change more often than on a Major League roster, Mudrick said.
As for the Revs, much of the team's ticket sales come on the day of the game, and are dependent on the weather, Menzer said.
The National Weather Service forecasts a chance of rain showers on Friday night. But partly sunny skies, no rain and temperatures in the low 80s are forecast for Saturday and Sunday. "We have a big weekend coming up and I think we'll close the gap," Menzer said Wednesday.
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