Courtesy Regina Leaders Post:

Saskatchewan Roughriders tickets and merchandise are hot items during this chilly month.

Sparked by Saskatchewan’s 23-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Nov. 25 in the 95th Grey Cup game, Roughriders fans have been frenetically buying season tickets for the 2008 CFL season. They’re also buying hats and shirts, virtually anything green that commemorates the third Grey Cup victory in the 97-year history of the community-owned franchise.

“We’re definitely over 7,000 new and renewed already,” Roughriders president/CEO Jim Hopson said Monday when asked how many season tickets have been sold since the team’s campaign began two months ago.

“Last year was our best year ever, when we hit 8,700 by the end of the year. We’re tracking past that, but we moved our campaign ahead of last year to make sure we were doing a better job.”

Hopson said “35 per cent” of the purchases are being made by new buyers. The Roughriders, who play in 28,800-seat Mosaic Stadium, sold the equivalent of 17,000 season tickets in 2007 and are on pace to easily surpass that total for 2008.

“I honestly believe that even if we hadn’t won the Grey Cup, I think we would have still seen a very good year,” Hopson said. “People were very happy with the team, with the play of the team, the excitement we offered and the performance of Kent (Austin, the head coach) and Eric (Tillman, the general manager). They’re proud of us.”

The Roughriders usually start their season-ticket pitch in mid-November, but because of the team’s on-field success they moved the blitz ahead by one month. Buyers can get their tickets for 28 per cent below regular prices if they purchase their tickets before Saturday.

Souvenir sales traditionally increase before Christmas, so the Roughriders move most of their inventory from The Store into their locker room at Mosaic Stadium. That move has also been moved ahead to next week to accommodate the surging demands.

“The retail side of things is unbelievable — it’s huge,” said Hopson. “Virtually every game is a game day. Our suppliers are stretched to their maximum, but we’re getting a lot of good supplies now. Some of the higher quality stuff, the jackets, are coming in with the hats and t-shirts. We’re gearing up to move into the locker room next week, so we’ll have more space and more display area, plus it’s a unique atmosphere as well.

“In past years we might be doing $15,000 or $20,000 a day as we lead up to Christmas. Now we’re doing two or three times that on a day. Our fans are incredibly patient. We’re not the only place in town selling Grey Cup merchandise, but our fans are showing a lot of loyalty in buying from the team and we certainly appreciate that.”