Toledo Named No. 2 Minor League Sports Market
November 8, 2024 - ECHL (ECHL)
Toledo Walleye News Release
Toledo, OH - On the heels of a sold out Walleye Opening Weekend and a successful Mud Hens season, Toledo has again been recognized as a top city for minor league sports. The Glass City was just named the no. 2 Minor League Sports Market by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal (SBJ) magazine.
Toledo moved up two spots from SBJ's last minor league market rankings in 2022 and was just four points behind this year's no. 1 pick, Portland, Maine. T-Town's high ranking is thanks to the outstanding performance of both the Mud Hens and the Walleye.
Together, the two teams averaged 745,000 fans annually over SBJ's measurement period in a market of 600,000 people. The Hens finished in the top 20 of Minor League Baseball's 120 clubs for average attendance the past two seasons, averaging 6,313 fans per game. The Walleye set franchise records last season for total regular season attendance (284,894) and sellouts (34). Both teams also finished in the top 10 of their respective leagues for merchandise sales.
"This is an amazing achievement and great news for our region," said Mike Miller, Chairman of the Board for both the Mud Hens and Walleye. "We could not be prouder of our two teams and staff that work hard to provide high-quality product for our community. We are also grateful to our many community and corporate partners who have helped elevate us to where we are today."
Toledo Mud Hens and Walleye President and CEO, Joe Napoli added, "What a wonderful honor to be considered one of the top Minor League markets in the country. This is another example of why the Toledo region is such a great place to work, live and play. We offer top notch sports entertainment from beautiful facilities and have some of the best fans in the country. This recognition is something everyone in our community should celebrate and be proud of."
This is the seventh time Toledo has ranked in the top 10 of SBJ's study. It achieved the no. 1 spot in 2013. The city was also ranked no. 1 for Best Minor League Sports Cities by Livability in 2022. Much of the Mud Hens' and Walleye's success over the past two decades can be attributed to their shared mission to provide the ultimate FANatical experience to fans and the community.
"Our team is committed to making every game a fun and memorable experience," said Neil Neukam, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Walleye. "Everything we do - from the music we play to the in-game entertainment to our menus - is designed with our fans in mind, which helped us achieve record attendance and sellouts last season and to sell out of Ticket Plan Memberships this season."
Mud Hens Executive Vice President and General Manager, Erik Ibsen added, "The Mud Hens are proud to be one of the leaders in minor league sports and entertainment. As we approach our 23rd year downtown, we look forward to building on our past success and unveiling new attractions and fun experiences for our fans."
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