At a News conference held in the Richmond Coliseum on Tuesday Richmond Renegades President/GM, Allan B. Harvie, Jr. advised the media and fans that, barring an infusion of capital from an investor or the sale of the team, he will request permission from the SPHL to suspend hockey operations for next season following the playoffs.“This has been an extremely trying year for everybody financially,” stated Harvie. “We have our loyal fans and sponsors who continue to support hockey but unfortunately there are not enough of them to begin to pay the cost of operating a team. The economy has driven a spike into the heart of the leisure time market and fans have very hard choices to make with their money. Despite having an exciting team currently in second place, fans simply cannot afford to come to games on a regular basis. It used to be fans would come at least once a week and now they’re lucky if they can afford to come once a month.”
Harvie stated that the Renegades request to suspend operations for next season should not be taken as any kind of an indication that there is any problem with the SPHL. He claims just the opposite is the case.
“The SPHL overall is very healthy and it appears that there will be two or more teams coming in next season,” he continued. “The league has done more than you can imagine to assist Richmond over the past few weeks. They really want us to continue to be a part of the SPHL family but the SPHL Board also understands this is a business. We don’t want to be a drag on the growth of the league.”
“The Richmond economy is what has forced us to step back and take a break. There have been an abnormally high number of companies and government agencies in Richmond who have run into financial problems. Every day we read about one more Richmond company in trouble. That has caused a ripple effect throughout the entire business community. As I have stated before, when our fans have to choose between buying health insurance, gas or hockey tickets, the choice is obvious.”
Harvie also thanked the fans and sponsors for their support of hockey since he first brought the original Renegades to Richmond in 1990.
“It’s been a true labor of love for me, Tracy (Hynes) and Brian (Nevetral) every minute of every day. However, over the past few weeks I have continued to speak with many of our sponsors and they have told me they cannot continue to support us at the same financial level, if at all. We placed playoff tickets on sale and the pre-sale was not at all encouraging. We put season tickets on sale for next season and their sale was almost negligible, even when considering the carry over from unused playoff tickets. Those signs are good indicators of what’s happening in the marketplace.” Fans who had paid for or placed deposits on season tickets for the 2009-2010 season will receive refunds “beginning immediately” stated Harvie. Playoff tickets will not be affected as “we should go deep this season” stated Harvie.
At several occasions during the press conference Harvie noted that he has spoken with an investor who has expressed a sincere interest in either investing in the team or a possible purchase.
“This gentleman is very financially set and has an excellent sports and marketing background. He would be a great fit for the Renegades and the fans,” noted Harvie. “We have spoken and will continue to discuss his possible involvement with the Renegades and should that happen it would mean that the team would not need to suspend at the end of the season; something that would excite everybody. I will keep you posted on the progress of these meetings and conversations.”
Harvie said that he had met with his players and Coach earlier in the morning at SkateNation in Short Pump. “These are professional players and I felt they were entitled to know what our plans our. I want them to be focused 100% on winning a championship because we have a very real opportunity to do that this season with these “cardiac kids”. They are so exciting to watch.”
Harvie went on, “Since I first brought hockey to Richmond I have always been up front with my fans and sponsors and I’m not going to change now. That’s why I think it’s important to let everybody know where we stand. It’s indeed a very, very sad day not just for hockey but for professional sports in Richmond. I would ask all sports fans to come out in huge numbers on March 13th, 15th and 21st to say thanks to Coach Goudie and these young men for the fantastic entertainment they have provided over the past years.
From RRenegades.com
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