PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 23, 2016

VICTORIA, B.C. — The Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to announce that the club and its fans earned significant recognition, finishing 2016 with the ninth-highest attendance average among all collegiate-summer teams in North America.

Ballpark Biz has released the 2016 edition of their annual summer-collegiate attendance rankings in which the HarbourCats ranked ninth with an average of 2,239 fans per game. The number-nine ranking is the highest in franchise history and the first appearance in the top-10. Victoria previously ranked 14^th in 2015 (1,910 per game) and 28^th in 2014 (1,576 per game).

Ballpark Biz Rankings– https://ballparkbiz.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/bbiz-2016-rankings-summer-collegiate-final.pdf

This achievement brings perspective to the elite levels the fans of Victoria have reached. Ballpark Biz expanded the yearly list in 2016 from the top-50 to now include the top-100 teams in collegiate-summer baseball with more than 400 teams in operation in over 40 leagues across the continent.

The HarbourCats were the top-ranked representative of the West Coast League, which placed nine teams on the list.

Victoria was also second out of seven Canadian-based teams appearing in the top-100, behind only the Okotoks Dawgs of the Western Major Baseball League who ranked fourth with 3,329 fans per game. The Kelowna Falcons, the first Canadian-based team in the WCL, were ranked number 46 with an average of 1,240 per game.

The HarbourCats have seen total and average attendance increase in each of their first four seasons in the West Coast League, leading the league the past three years. Victoria established new league records for average attendance as well as total regular season attendance in 2016 with 60,466 fans attending 27 WCL regular season home games.

Victoria also set a new single-game attendance record for the WCL when 5,133 fans filled Royal Athletic Park to witness the HarbourCats clinch the North Division first half pennant and secure the franchise’s first playoff berth with an 11-1 win over Kelowna.

“It’s our fans and sponsors who make this all go as well as it does — and we’ve been happy to see the attendance and corporate partnerships rise every year,” said HarbourCats managing partner Jim Swanson.

“Season tickets are being snapped up, and our schedule will be out in late October. We’re heading into our fifth season as a franchise and still have many goals to aim for, and we’re all anxious for next summer so we can hit the field again.”

HARBOURCATS END 2016 RANKED 26^th IN COLLEGIATE SUMMER BASEBALL

The HarbourCats were among the best in collegiate-summer baseball in 2016, winning a WCL-record 40 games including a league-best 19-consecutive from June 7 to July 1. They were ranked fifth in the Collegiate Summer Baseball national rankings for the first three weeks of July and finished the regular season ranked tenth nationally before a playoff sweep caused their final ranking to slip to 26.

Collegiate Summer Baseball Final Rankings– http://www.collegiatesummerbaseball.com/top-35-college-baseball-teams/

BLUE JAYS-MARINERS ADVENTURE WITH THE HARBOURCATS

The HarbourCats have partnered with Flight Centre and Wilson’s Transportation to stage an exciting vacation opportunity for HarbourCats fans:

Travel on a Wilson’s Transportation bus to Seattle for the Mariners vs. Blue Jays series, September 19-21 at Safeco Field, where the HarbourCats have reserved a large block of seating at each game, while also enjoying a two-night stay at Tulalip Resort and Casino, one of the premier resort and entertainment stops in the Northwest.

This package includes:

• Round-trip bus transportation from Royal Athletic Park.  Transfers to games and resort are included
• Two-night stay at Tulalip Resort and Casino with daily buffet breakfast and gaming voucher.
• Three game tickets with block seating on the first level, third base line.
• Ferry cost
• All tax

Pricing from $689 for double occupancy, including all taxes and fees.

Pricing from $669 for triple occupancy and $649 for quad occupancy, including all taxes and fees. Single rates available upon request.

Spaces are filling quickly! Book today by contacting Flight Centre Saanich: 1-877-293-2175 or carey.shelby@flightcentre.ca

OFFICE HOURS

The HarbourCats office (1814 Vancouver Street, 778-265-0327) will be closed from August 20 until September 6, and will reopen under off-season hours beginning September 7.

Off-season hours are as follows:

MONDAY-FRIDAY – 12:00pm-6:00pm

SATURDAY-SUNDAY – Closed (Except by appointment)