Saints aiming for initial sellout
09/24/2005
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
A high-ranking New Orleans Saints official hit the airwaves Friday, urging fans to buy the remaining 17,000 tickets for the team's Oct.2 game with the Buffalo Bills at the Alamodome.
Saints executive vice president Arnold Fielkow's 24-hour media blitz underscored the franchise's urgency to sell out San Antonio's first NFL regular-season game.
"We want to sell out all three games we will play in the Alamodome, but our efforts through next week will be on selling out the Buffalo game," Fielkow said. "That's our top priority because our team certainly wants to play before a full house, and we also want the (television) blackout lifted for the community."
The NFL usually blacks out games within 75 miles of the stadium if all tickets are not sold 72 hours before kickoff.
Fielkow said he is optimistic the Oct.2 game will sell out by Thursday. He also stressed good seats are available.
On Friday, fans bought approximately 1,000 tickets for the Buffalo game, the Saints said.
"We are very appreciative as an organization of the support fans in San Antonio have demonstrated so far," Fielkow said. "The sale of 100,000 tickets (for the three games) in the first 72 hours they went on sale was outstanding, and we are grateful. Now, the next step is to sell out the Buffalo game."
With approximately 6,000 tickets remaining for the Oct.16 game against the Atlanta Falcons and quarterback Michael Vick, the hurricane-displaced Saints are all but certain they will play before at least one capacity crowd at the 65,000-seat Alamodome.
But the Bills and the Detroit Lions, who play the Saints on Dec.24, lack a marquee player such as Vick. As of Tuesday, approximately 40,000 tickets remained for the Detroit game.
Still, the Saints and city officials remain optimistic all three games will sell out.
"The community has been very supportive of our organization," Fielkow said. "At the same time, we will need the support of the entire business community and all of the city's football fans to make these (sellouts) happen."
Some critics say ticket sales for the games with Buffalo and Detroit would be greater had the Saints not limited the sale of three-game packs to fans calling the team's ticket line. But team officials said fans made it clear last week they preferred to buy tickets on an individual-game basis.
"People wanted to see the games of their choice, so we catered to their needs," Saints marketing director Conrad "Connie" Kowal said. "We wanted to let them see the games they wanted."
The Saints also are allowing sponsors to tailor packages to fit their needs.
"The response (from the business community) has been outstanding," Fielkow said.
Fielkow also praised the Saints' sales staff.
"They have performed magnificently, especially in light of the fact that some of them have personal issues back in New Orleans," Fielkow said. "But to sell over 100,000 tickets and a mul ude of sponsorships is a testament to the outstanding nature of our staff and to the outstanding support we have received in San Antonio."
The Alamodome box office will be open today from 10a.m.-5p.m. Tickets can also be bought by calling the Saints at (210) 208-9520 or TicketMaster at (800) 877-0898 or by going on-line at neworleanssaints.com or ticketmaster.com.
LINK
Ladies and Gents, get the word out...IF WE CAN'T SELL OUT THE GAMES, ALL HOPE IS LOST!
Do you want a NFL Franchise in SA? Then your ass better have a ticket...and get all your family and friends to go as well!!! C'mon!
Only the people of San Antonio can show Benson we mean business... , i might buy a couple for my mom and pops to go, since i can't...JUST DO IT!
Those 17000 seat are the premier ones, the ones that were held back for Saints season ticket holders. They'll sell.
any update on the ticket count?
I dunno about that. Tags pretty much told SA to shut up and forget about getting a team. I think that was enough to convince a lot fans in the area to just stay home.
i tend to agree with that.
15000 left..
Come On People let's ROCK this joint![I][U]
Unless some corporation comes in and buys off the remaining tickets by Thursday, the game will be blacked out.
Wanted the chance, got the chance....what is the problem here?
It's the ing Bills, and this isn't our team.
Do any of you really think that if this really was our team that this game wouldn't be a sellout regardless of the opponent?
Sure doesn't help the argument that SA deserves one, though.
I think the Falcon game is a better barometer. How many tickets left for THAT game?
I wanted the Buffalo game cause as a sports enthusiast, I am going to enjoy seeing the first NFL game here in San Antonio, I also plan to attend the last NFL game in San Antonio which will be 12/24/05 There is no way these tickets will sell out, it was a good chance to put on a nice showing but cause this isnt "our team" or its against a ty opponent, they wont turn out. Probably the same fans who blow the Spurs off when the lose a few games. Enjoy the NFL while its here, sure as wont last.
The tickets were just released last Thursday and nobody knew about them until just over the past couple of days.
Anyways, we could sell out all three games which I think we will and we still don't have a chance in of getting a franchise. Jerry Jones won't have it.
A better idea than staying home is to sell out the games and then tell Tagliabue to go himself.
This is disturbing, though:
That has to be the biggest cop out i've heard. I hope you're not supporting the idea of an NFL team in SA at all, then. No this isn't our team. SA doesn't have ANY team. If it were to get a team by some miracle - guess what? It's going to be a struggling team. Not a winning team. So the atmosphere that is going to be in the Alamodome on October 2 is a good simulation of what pro football in SA would be like. Win or lose.It's the ing Bills, and this isn't our team.
Real fans only, please.
My plan.. is to make 10,000 square signs
"Small Town This!"
Then on the other side "Tagli who a boo?"
Wow, all that talk and they can't sell out the first game. 10th largest city this.
7,000 tickets are left. 8,000 tickets were sold this morning. KB homes of San Antonio along with Benson purchased the tickets. Tickets will then be donated to people of new orleans that are in san antonio, tx.
Thanks for the info, King Manu.
Nice move. There is still time for it to sell out. San Antonio has not had the benefit of a full marketing campaign to get season ticket holders as all sports organizations do. It's all been off the fly. So 7,000 tickets left is not bad. That's not that many. Take that liabue!
KB Home, Saints team up to treat Katrina victims and relief workers
W. Scott Bailey
New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson says his NFL team is one of the few things many Louisianans have left to cheer about after Hurricane Katrina leveled parts of the Gulf Coast.
Now Benson has joined forces with the San Antonio division of KB Homes so that some 8,000 Katrina evacuees, volunteers and support workers can attend the Saints' Oct. 2 game in the Alamodome -- the first-ever regular season NFL game in San Antonio's history.
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/s...26/daily17.html
here is the link to the story
It's the ing Bills, and this isn't our team.If that is the mentality of SA then they certainly haven't learned from the past. Apathy does not get you anywhere! San Antonio doesn't have anything the NFL wants and it's not like the NFL is sweating to put a franchise here so it's not like the city can have this "we are better than that" at ude that I saw with the Riders, the (CFL) Texans and previous NFL exhibition games.I dunno about that. Tags pretty much told SA to shut up and forget about getting a team. I think that was enough to convince a lot fans in the area to just stay home.
The city needs to make a statement, it appears now that we have city officials - at least a mayor - who are more interested than the cosmetic photo-op when it comes to impressing the NFL.
I am disappointed that as of this past weekend, the approximate attendance was under 50,000. Under 50,000!
Wanted the chance, got the chance and not taking advantage of it.
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