Tornadoes Top 100,000 in Inaugural Season Attendance
Published on August 18, 2005 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Worcester Tornadoes News Release
Worcester, MA (August 18, 2005) - The Worcester Tornadoes drew a record crowd of 3,465 fans to Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field for Wednesday night's victory over the Grays, pushing their inaugural season attendance past the landmark 100,000 plateau. The Tornadoes season attendance now stands at 100,834 for 40 game dates, with eight more regular season games scheduled.
"This is a wonderful, special moment for the organization, the City of Worcester, and all of Central Massachusetts," said Alan Stone, the Tornadoes CEO and president. "Our fans and sponsors have shown so much enthusiasm and loyalty from the very beginning. This really is a testament to them."
General manager Mike Lieberman echoed Stone's sentiments. "It seems like only yesterday that we stood in City Hall and announced the arrival of the team, without any players or even a ballpark, just four months before Opening Day. To have come so far, so fast is truly a special accomplishment."
The Tornadoes are averaging 2,521 fans per game, ranked third in the Can-Am League. But the two teams ranking above Worcester - Brockton and Quebec - both have much larger ballparks than Worcester's Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, which seats about 3,000. The Tornadoes' average attendance represents 84% of the ballpark's capacity, easily the highest figure in the Can-Am League. In fact, Worcester ranks eighth among 56 independent minor league baseball teams in terms of average attendance as a percentage of ballpark capacity.
The Tornadoes take on the Grays tonight to close out a nine-game, eleven-day homestand, after which they leave for a three-game set in Elmira. The squad will return to Worcester next Monday to kick off the final homestand of the regular season, a seven-game affair that will welcome the Quebec Capitales and the New Haven County Cutters.
Following the final regular season homestand, the Tornadoes will close out the campaign on the road before embarking on their first postseason in franchise history. Worcester will play host to Games One and Two of the divisional series on Wednesday and Thursday, September 7 and 8. Tickets for all remaining home games, including the playoffs, are available at the Tornadoes office at 303 Main Street, over the phone by calling (508) 792-2288, or online by logging on to worcestertornadoes.com.
Canadian American League Stories from August 18, 2005
- Cutters outlast Spirit in wild extra inning drama - New Haven County Cutters
- Can-Am League game recap - Can-Am
- Tornadoes Top 100,000 in Inaugural Season Attendance - Worcester Tornadoes
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