By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
The Warman Wolverines have launched their ‘Drive to 1,000’ campaign, which is meant to ensure the Junior ‘A’ hockey team is on solid financial footing before they make the move to their new home.
Back in February, it was reported that the Notre Dame Hounds, which has been part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) since 1987, was looking to move from Wilcox to Warman.
The SJHL board of governors voted to give the relocation conditional approval earlier that month, while City of Warman councillors tentatively approved the move at their March 10 meeting subject to further negotiations around upgrades to the Communiplex.
Cole Kachur, one of the co-owners of the new franchise, said the community has been “very excited” about the team and they’ve heard a lot of positive feedback in regards to community support.
“We hope that this support translates into more ticket sales and corporate sponsorships over the next number of weeks,” Kachur said.
“We look forward to being good community partners and to give the people of Warman and surrounding area something to call their own and to be very proud of.”
He said the reason that the Wolverines have set a target of selling 1,000 season tickets is because both the ownership group and the SJHL want to ensure the team is on solid financial footing before receiving the final approval to relocate the Hounds to Warman.
“The reality is, if the community doesn’t rally to get behind the team, we won’t be able to secure the relocation,” Kachur added.
As of April 5, Kachur said they had sold around 220 season tickets. The team will be ramping up marketing over the next couple of weeks and residents will see more of the Wolverines team out in the community, trying to garner interest and support.
He said they have introduced some exciting initiatives to spark interest, including a “Founding Fan” program where the first 1,000 season ticket holders will receive perks and access to some unique events.
All season ticket purchases can be made at https://tickets.warmanwolverines.com. For more info on season ticket sales, visit: shorturl.at/MPule.