Mike Golub’s challenge is to find ways round a smaller capacity than there is demand without raising prices
Portland Timbers President of Business Operations Mike Golub stated in an interview today that the club has not given up on finding creative ways to expand capacity at their Providence Park home.
Speaking on the Radio Cascadia show, he maintained that he sought a series of smaller solutions on a regular basis rather than large sweeping measures – at least in the short term.
“Well, you know, there’s a number of things. Obviously we have a constrained supply of tickets. Every year we find ways to add some seats here and there and we are looking at a more longer term plan on, are there ways to really expand the capacity, in a material way, of the stadium?
“Nothing imminent, but we are looking at possible ways to maybe add some capacity in the coming years. And every year, this year no exception, we find some pockets of seats we can add here and there.”
Smaller incremental rises have been part of the club’s approach for a while. In October 2011, they announced that they would push capacity over the 20,000 mark. The Timbers had originally set a cap of 12,000 season tickets for the 2011 inaugural season but raised that number to 12,500 due to demand.
Full houses have left the club looking for other ways to maximize revenue
Golub is not new to the challenges of maximizing income stream beyond limited capacity. Golub arrived in soccer, joining the Timbers organization in 2010 as the club prepared for their arrival in Major League Soccer and is a two-time recipient of the MLS Executive of the Year Award (2011, 2013).
He is a veteran of the two other sports where small capacity forces a franchise to seek other sources of income. having worked for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers prior to joining the Portland Trail Blazers in October 2006.
The full interview with him is available on Episode 28 of Radio Cascadia, which you can listen to here.
Also See:
2010 Interview – Mike Golub: No $9 Beers in Portland But You Can Buy Three $3 Beers!
