Ten questions with Connecticut Defenders GM Charlie Dowd

1.) One of the new initiatives taken by the Defenders new this season was to operate the food concessions in-house and most notably lowering the pricing on hot dogs (cheese, chili and kraut topping are free) and small sodas. And I got tell you the chili is pretty good. So good you could probably sell it as a stand alone item. The challeges of hiring and training the staff to run the stands and the logistics of ordering supplies are significant. Are you pleased so far with the conversion from the point of view of fan feedback, sales so far this this year verus last year and your overall efforts season to date?

I am delighted with the response that the food has received. I believe the quality is significantly better and the pricing is much more value oriented. Sales are higher despite the lower prices which indicates to me that fans like the effort to ensure lower pricing. Our per capita spending is up as well which is a good barometer of success. Sales in the suites are way up though I am disappointed thus far with the numbers in Lou’s Lounge. The room is terrific and the food has received great reviews, it is simply a function of not getting enough people up there yet.

2.) On March 29, 2007 the Defenders announced tickets sales for the upcoming season had reached 100,000 representing an 18% in ticket sales over last season year to date. Great job! I've been to the majority of games and I'm sure we've had the same thought. Where are those fans?


Lots of fans disguised as empty seats. That being said, our actual attendance is up and our revenues are up. I anticipate the latter part of the season being busy, that being said, I cannot be more angry at nights like last night. Perfect weather and a popular team in town. The fact is that our group sales efforts need to be better. Many of those tickets are flex tickets which give fans the leeway to use their seats on the days that they choose.

3.) Obviously season ticket packages, full or partial plans, are a quick fix for boosting attendance as well as providing the franchise with cash flow. Judging from the announced attendance figures and actual fans in the stands, it would appear that the franchise has 400 to 500 full season ticket holders. It suggests that perhaps the business community in Norwich and the surrounding area are not very supportive of the team. Does the team have plans to re-focus on the business community to increase ticket sales perhaps outsourcing this effort to a professional marketing team to canvass the area for season ticket commitments?

I don’t like to outsource anything. While I like the notion of enhancing our season ticket base and will make those efforts, the key to our success going forward will be group sales. One sale of 500 tickets equates to over 8 full season tickets!!! Certainly that pre-season money is helpful but the bodies is what we are ultimately after.

4.) Another incentive to buying full season tickets may be lowering the price, which currently ranks in the upper quartile in the Eastern League. The teams currently offers a $100.00 reduction for the following season for those full season ticket holders who attend 50 or more games on the scheduled game date. Why not lower the full season tickets by $100.00? It might generate enough participation to offset the price reduction.


I may be wrong but lowering our ticket price would likely only lower our ticket revenues. This is an issue that I will discuss with Tony Scott at great lengths this summer. Bear in mind that many of our senior execs are new to the market and are still learning.

5.) You've got to be excited about the upcoming Eastern League All-Star game on July 11, 2007. Could you please discuss how ticket sales are going, what special events will be held and possible cable TV coverage?


The AS Game is going well with about 3,500 tickets sold/held thus far (We have to hold seats for league guests, etc.) Many of the ancillary events are coming together nicely such as the home run contest and fan autographs. Television will be produced by Comcast with the game being picked up by SNY (NY Mets).

6.) The May 17 article in the New London Day detailed the money problems surrounding the team. What kind of assurance can you offer over and above those quotes in the article that will put a fan's mind to rest? Specifically is owner Lou DiBella still committed to making this work and keeping the team in Norwich?


Perhaps you and I saw different articles in the Day. The article was about the rent, not about money problems. We owe the Stadium Authority rent back to ’06 and into this year. We intend to pay it but we also intend to do things to the ballpark that should have been done over the past 13 years such as the suite level renovation, air conditioning, etc. We are having some landlord/tenant issues that both sides recognize and are working through. Lou and his partners are in this thing for about $10 million. They are committed to the area though at some point they need to see returns like any businessperson would.

7.) During the off season the team is either moving the fences in or the infield out toward the outfield. Has it been decided on what will happen, who pays for that, what the new dimensions will be and what are the dimensions currently to the power alleys in straight away left and right?


Those decisions will likely be determined in part by cost. I am hoping to present the Giants with some ideas with the notion that if they would like a reconfiguration of the dimensions, they will have to contribute. It’s a valid request on their part and a reasonable position on ours.

8.) In looking at this year's promo schedule there are Community Days for Montville, the Shoreline and Glastonbury on tap. What has the team done in terms of market penetration to areas like Middletown, East Hampton, Deep River, Colchester, Stonington, and Westerly?

We have been and will be in those communities though it seems as the community days in the past have not been too successful. We are looking at a variety of means of bringing the periphery markets into the ballpark.

9.) Do you think that the affiliation with a NL West coast team is a draw back and would the front office by more inclined given the win/loss record here since 2003 to find a better fit?


We likely will not be the Mets/Yankees/Red Sox in the immediate future. I am not convinced that the other 27 teams matter. Look at New Britain where they are the Twins. Little or no nexus to Central CT but they have produced some good players. I like the Giants, I am not happy with the current performance but I don’t think that they are either. The big club has been responsive to us to some extent, I am hopeful that they will improve the product on field soon. That being said, we have to understand that this is a development situation first and winning is sometimes secondary. Fortunately, the Giants believe that winning enhances development.

10.) If you could be Eastern League commisioner for a day what changes would you enact?


The EL is a well run league however, my first act might be to ensure that the Defenders are home on Thursdays-Sundays and eliminate the early week games from their home schedule!