New FCE GM wants to sell more tickets: Owner says Clarke seats will be installed by April 15

New FC Edmonton GM Rod Proudfoot, left, with owner Tom Fath.

As FC Edmonton’s new general manager, Rod Proudfoot’s No. 1 job is to increase ticket sales. To do it, he’ll finally need the long-promised new seats installed at Clarke Stadium.

Proudfoot, introduced on Friday, could get see that wish come true awfully soon. FCE owner Tom Fath said the new stands should be at Clarke ahead of the team’s April 28 home opener.

“We now have had the drawings (of the stands) revised and stamped by an Alberta engineer,” said Fath, who has been working with American firm, Seating Solutions, to get the stands to meet Alberta code. They’ve been working on revising the drawings for nine months.

But, with the stamp in place, what needs to be done is to get the stands shipped to Edmonton and the permits signed.

“We do want to have them in before the first of April,” said Fath. “We definitely want them in before the 15th of April.”

Last season, the team had to play at a 1,200-seat Clarke Stadium, which hampered its ability to attract new fans. The hardcore fans filled the place. Before the 2012 season, FCE unveiled plans to add seats to Clarke — which would quadruple its capacity. But the seats didn’t meet Alberta code and, as the team lost games on the field, the team lost a PR battle off of it.

A new ticket campaign will be launched February 4, and Proudfoot is bullish that Edmontonians will fill the renovated Clarke Stadium.

“I expect we’ll double or triple our attendance this year,” said Proudfoot, who said the “game experience” has to improve in order to bring casual sports fans to the FC Edmonton fold.

“The community has to believe in what we want to do, to believe in Tom Fath’s vision,” said Proudfoot.

Proudfoot was working on a contract basis, helping the FCE front office. He was actually on the search team to help find a replacement for outgoing GM Tom Leip. And, Fath came to the realization that Proudfoot, the former marketing director of the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders and who has 30 years of experience in the sports business, was his best candidate.

Proudfoot will work on launching some new marketing campaigns aimed at stimulating ticket sales. Fath said he expects the team to sell between 1,000 and 3,000 season tickets for the 2013 season.

“I think the soccer team, though it has a ways to go, has a great chance to succeed in a great market,” said Proudfoot.