Image Credit: West Kelowna Warriors

Editor,

With the financial challenges the club has faced over the years as well as the recent media attention, I felt it was important to update our community with the financial state of the organization.

In the public interest we wanted to dispel any rumours regarding the financial health of the club. Over the last season the staff and our volunteers worked incredibly hard supporting our efforts to grow the fan base, reach more sponsors, and have a greater participation in the community. It goes without saying we had some early challenges last season, but the work of our incredible group is paying off. Last season we operated this club with a skeleton staff who have gone above and beyond what anyone could ask for. We also asked a lot of our volunteers who stepped up without hesitation. We are proud of all the work everyone has done. I cannot thank everyone enough.

It was not that long ago the team was near bankrupt and close to moving or folding. Taking a chance and believing in the community, I took over the club to try and turn it around. There were certainly many challenges, but in spite of those, we were still able to have some success. In my first year of ownership the club lost just under $60,000 for the year ending July 31, 2019. While this may seem like a disappointment, we are actually pleased when looking back to the heavy loses the club faced over the last 10 years prior. We certainly do not want to lose money as our goal is to break-even every year, and we are heading in the right direction.

There is always an element of cynicism towards public organizations as many believe the efforts to support the club is “all about money”. To counter this I have made our P&L statement public to restore confidence in the community. As a disclaimer there are still some adjustments in categories as everything is currently being reviewed, but the net revenue will not change.

Making up a $60,000 loss equates to about 3750 adult tickets. This would require close to a 16% increase in attendance, or 133 additional fans per game on average throughout the season. We still have much to do and we will continue to work to earn your support.

Our organization is known as the Warriors, and while we all relate that to the players on the ice, what has become obvious to me is we also have Warriors off the ice. Our entire organization are Warriors. The dozens and dozens of dedicated people who put an extraordinary amount of time and energy into this club, all for the purpose of seeing the team succeed. Not for me, not for themselves, but for you and your community.

I am of the belief we can do it, and we will continue to work to make it happen. You can help, by nudging your neighbor, coworker, husband or wife, your doctor, your friends, anyone you come in contact with, to come to just one game this season. The difference it would be in the daily routine of people is small, but collectively has a huge impact on our efforts to create a healthy and stable organization for the community. Come check out a game! Its affordable, the atmosphere is captivating, the food is great and fans are amazing. BCHL hockey is skilled, fast and the most entertaining Junior hockey you will watch.

Our P&L and can found here.


#JustOneGame


Regards,

Kim Dobranski – Owner/President
West Kelowna Warriors Jr ‘A’ Hockey Club
www.westkelownawarriors.ca

News from © iNFOnews, 2019