Pelicans set average attendance record

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Myrtle Beach Pelicans turned a season of broken series and homestand attendance records into another milestone by setting a new mark for average attendance per game along with a slew of other single-season records, the team announced today.

An average of 3,610 fans packed BB&T Coastal Field through 68 home games in the 2009 season, a new total that breaks the old mark of 3,600 per contest set in 2000. Additionally, the Pelicans welcomed a total of 238,287 fans to the ballpark throughout the season, the second largest single-season attendance mark in franchise history. Last season, during Myrtle Beach’s team-record 89-win season, 242,397 fans attended Pelicans games at BB&T Coastal Field. That mark may very well have fallen had the Pelicans not had two home dates washed out due to rain. The team finished the 2009 season with 68 home games, two fewer than last season’s fully-completed 70-game home schedule.

Throughout the entirety of the 2009 season, the Pelicans broke record after record. Twice the team broke its six-game homestand mark. First, from June 15 through 21, 24,024 fans flocked to the ballpark to see the Pelicans take on the Lynchburg Hillcats and Frederick Keys in their last two series of the season’s first half.  The club smashed that record a month, welcoming 28,123 fans over six games against the Winston-Salem Dash and Wilmington Blue Rocks from July 18 through 23. Sandwiched between those two homestands, the Pelicans broke the seven-game mark when 30,805 fans witnessed a pair of series against the Salem Red Sox and Potomac Nationals from July 2 through 9.

From June 15 to July 23, every Pelicans homestand was in the top six homestands of all time. The month of July turned in the single highest attendance for any month in team history. Eight of the top 20 single-game attendance marks were posted this year including a top spot-tying 6,599 fans who attended the Pelicans’ season opener on May 9.

“This season perhaps more than any other has exemplified why fans throughout the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand area choose the Pelicans for entertainment and value,” Pelicans Chairman and Managing Partner Chuck Greenberg said. “At a time when other industries are suffering in this tough economic climate, people everywhere are looking for reasonable options for outings with family and friends. Our fans have responded to the affordability and value of Pelicans baseball in a remarkable way.”

Pelicans General Manager North Johnson echoed those sentiments. “All season long, it seems like we’ve been breaking these records, and that is a true demonstration of the hard work and dedication of our staff.  Day after day, they strengthen the bond with our fans and the Myrtle Beach community.”

Despite on-field struggles keyed in part by the team undergoing more transactions than any other in franchise history, fans continued to trek to the ballpark in droves. The Pelicans set team records for the most walkup crowds over 1,000 and 2,000 fans. Those records propelled Myrtle Beach to an all-time record in day-of-game ticket sales.

The Pelicans’ staff is already at work to put together the club’s promotional schedule as Myrtle Beach looks to reclaim its position atop the Carolina League.  Fans can follow the Pelicans all offseason long at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.