Sunday, October 17, 2010

Northern Classic sold out in 54 incredible minutes

Press Release

Tickets for the Northern Classic hockey game in Fort McMurray, Alberta went on sale at the Suncor Community Leisure Centre at 8 am on October 15, 2010. The organizing committee challenged the BIG SPIRIT of the community and Fort McMurray rallied behind the event creating a sell out in only 54 minutes.

The highlight of the morning was the community block ticket purchase by SEKO Contruction and Permasteel Group that guaranteed the access of 500 minor hockey participants, and 500 students from the Fort McMurrary Catholic Board of Education and the Fort McMurray Public Board of Eduction. The Fort McMurray Airport Authority purchased 500 tickets that were provided to media partners to be used in the next 42 days as public give-aways in advance of the event. Given the sold out event, the 500 media tickets will be highly sought after in the weeks ahead.

"Did I think we would sell out in 54 minutes? No way!" said Tim Reid, Co-Chair, Events. "This amazing result illustrates what this region is all about. This community comes together in a way that is the envy of the entire country."

The Northern Classic is a recreational, cultural, and spirit building celebration that is intended to challenge the fallacy of the negative image often used to portray Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region. The classic setting of Canadiana, surrounded by the picturesque boreal forest, on a true northern landscape offers the perfect canvas on which to write history. The Northern Classic will be the first junior hockey game hosted outdoors featuring the Fort McMurray Oil Barons and the Drayton Valley Thunder. The game has additionally challenged the Alberta Junior Hockey League single game attendance record of 4,400 seats. The Northern Classic will be playing in a temporary stadium built with a capacity of 5,000 seats and hosted at MacDonald Island Park, a venue that includes the Suncor Community Leisure Centre, the largest indoor recreational facility in Alberta. "This event is pond hockey Fort McMurrary style," said Sheldon Germain, Chair, Northern Classic Organizing Committee. "This amazing venue, located in the economic epicentre of our nation, will be enjoyed by local, provincial and national media and 5,000 fans."

The game is promoted by a 22-person community committee that has already attracted over $500,000 in sponsorship support. A temporary stadium will be erected, Mike Plume, David Francey, and The Trews will round out the entertainment. The legacy of net proceeds from the Northern Classic will go to enhancing the quality of life of young people of Wood Buffalo and the board sytem will stay in the region and used by our citizens for generations to come.

With public tickets sold out, there is great incentive to come on board as a sponsor of the Northern Classic. For information on remaining partnership opportunities, contact Roy Williams, Friends of the Games Director at 780-791-7117.


(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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