In the midst of a recession that's dramatically impacted other franchises, the Omaha Royals are enjoying increased attendance and sales.The Omaha Royals (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) drew almost 25,000 fans to Rosenblatt Stadium for their last three games Friday through Sunday, going over 300,000 fans in 2009 for the 22nd consecutive season. The three-game total of 24,864 fans -– including a throng of 13,101 fans on Saturday night -– has pushed the team’s season attendance to 300,643 in 52 home dates. That’s better than an eight percent increase over the 2008 season, when a total of 278,032 fans were on hand for the Triple-A club’s first 52 home dates.
In those 52 home dates through Sunday, the Royals average attendance was 5,782 fans, which ranked 9th in the 16-team Pacific Coast League. Through 52 dates last season the team’s average crowd was 5,347. The Royals wound up ranked 10th in the league in attendance last year.
The seventh-largest crowd in franchise history -– 23,532 fans -– was on hand for this year’s Independence Day Fireworks on July 3.
Overall ticket sales for Royals games are up over 14 percent compared to last year, while group sales are up more than 16 percent from 2008, when the Royals posted their best group sales total in team history. Also, advertising sales this year have already set a franchise record and are over seven percent from a year ago.
Subscribers to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter see features before they're posted to the site. You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!