MONTREAL – Voting on the retention of a club figurehead like the Sounders faithful do seems out of the question, but the Montreal Impact do state that they want to increase supporters’ involvement in the decision-making process.
Impact president Joey Saputo announced on Wednesday that, starting next season, the purchasing of a season ticket will now grant “club member” status, with a view on reaching the 10,000-members mark in 2014.
The usual season-ticket holder advantages and privileges will remain but, Saputo said, members will now have “a voice, a power of recommendation.” The organization will therefore set up annual meetings starting this fall, after the 2013 season, for members to make their voices heard on the club’s orientations for the following season.
“For example, should we play games in the evening or in the afternoon,” Saputo continued. “Should we play during the week or on weekends? Should we start playing home games later on during the season? Should the team play international games? Which Stade Saputo services should we improve? All of these questions deserve to be asked.”
Another change ahead of 2014 will be the installation of an under-soil heating system at Stade Saputo. The postponement of the mid-April game against the Columbus Crew drove under-soil heating near the top of the priority list in Montreal – “I don’t feel like shoveling snow in April again,” Saputo quipped.
“But it’s not just to prevent problems with snow,” Impact VP Richard Legendre said. “We also want to make sure that the temperature of the grass remains as even as possible no matter the time of year. This way, grass is more solid and resistant.”
According to Joey Saputo, the system should be installed this fall.
