Venue Detail
Kane County Cougars
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
February, 2012
Kane County Cougars
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34 W Cherry Ln Geneva, IL 60134-4104 Phone: 630-232-8811 Fax: 630-232-8815 URL: www.kccougars.com Owner: Al Gordon, Mike Murtaugh, Mike Woleben League: Midwest League, Western
Venue
Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, 34 W Cherry Ln, Geneva, IL 60134 Owner: Kane County Managed by: Owner Built: 1991 Capacity: 5,800 Permanent concession stands: 3 Concessionaire: Team Soft drink: Pepsi Cola Beer: Multiple
Naming rights
Sold to: Fifth Third Bank Term: 5 years Expires: 2016
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $615 to $820 Single tickets range from $8.00 to $12.00
Attendance
2009 average attendance: 8,154 2010 average attendance: 6,243 2011 average attendance: 6,123
Built in 1991, the venue has a picnic area for catered pre-game events as well as a VIP outdoor deck. Average attendance has been above the posted ballpark capacity because of lawn seating.
The Cougars may expand their suburban-Chicago ballpark. Kane County Forest Preserve Executive Director Monica Meyers said a possible expansion was part of the contract negotiation between the Cougars and the Forest Preserve. The Forest Preserve owns Elfstrom Stadium and the Kane County Events Center.
The team’s lease expires in 2010 and the preserve is hoping to extend the lease. The team wants to expand the ballpark to accommodate the large crowds it has been drawing.
Elfstrom Stadium can seat 7,300 in the ballpark, but with lawn chair seating and the picnic area on the party deck, attendance has risen to as much as 14,452. The Cougars averaged 7,623 fans a game in 2005 and have drawn more than 6.6 million people since first arriving in Geneva in 1991.
The funds for any expansion would come from a bond sale from the revenue stream the Forest Preserve has received from the Cougars since they moved to the area in 1991.
From 1991 to 2000, the Forest Preserve received 10 percent of all Cougars revenue. However, the team's current 10-year contract, negotiated in 2000, gives the Preserve 8 percent of profits.
The contract also gave the Preserve a straight $100,000 a year for parking rights. The previous contract's parking revenue varied from year to year, depending on how many people parked.
In total, the Cougars made $81,513,400 from 1991 to 2005. Over that same time period, the Preserve received $8,932,482 from the organization.
The venue has two suites leased on a game-day basis for $500 per game. The suites hold 20 persons each. (BaseballMinor, Facilities, Financial, Professional Sports)