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Date: 12/16/2021
SPRINGFIELD – After dealing with the difficulties of an unprecedented pandemic, the Springfield Thunderbirds continue to push forward in their return to the ice.
President of the Springfield Thunderbirds Nathan Costa spoke to Reminder Publishing about the lengthy process leading to the team’s return. Like with all businesses, Costa said the team’s immediate shutdown in March of 2020 was a shocking development. “It was challenging. We didn’t realize at the time that it would take so long to get back on our feet. Like everybody, we thought it would take a few months to get going again but the pandemic has lingered on for a long time,” said Costa.
Costa said the pandemic hit during a window of prosperous success for the organization, with the 2019-2020 season including 11 sellouts ahead of the final three weeks of the season. “We had so much success early on…we were on cloud nine, and then the pandemic reached the states,” said Costa.
Amidst the pandemic’s fallout, Costa explained that the organization gathered to cement a gameplan for the team’s future. “We kept our group together virtually. We had a really good plan for communicating with season ticket holders and our partners. The biggest thing for me was making sure that people knew we weren’t going away forever,” said Costa.
The Thunderbirds sat out of the abridged 2020-2021 season, with Costa revealing that the team utilized the break to structure a succinct plan for the team’s future. The president said the process shared similarities to when the organization was purchased and rebranded in 2016, but the pandemic also presented a wave of new variables for consideration.
“We knew we were going to be coming into a world that was mostly vaccinated, so we knew we were going to be able to open the doors. The only restriction that we were facing was mask wearing. At that point, if the one thing we needed to do get back on the ice was wear masks in the arena, then everybody was on board with that,” said Costa. The team president shared that the organization re-hired half of the team’s staff and made quick preparations ahead of dropping the puck in October. “It was a shotgun start,” said Costa.
For the new season, Costa explained the Thunderbird’s shift in marketing focus. With group outings being nonexistent due to the circumstances, the organization implemented a greater priority on individual consumers and families. The Thunderbirds are also continuing to integrate their NHL affiliate – the St. Louis Blues – into the fold after the two parties partnered right before the pandemic started. “We’re thrilled with the relationship we have with the St. Louis Blues,” said Costa.
As the team stands strong as the top team in their conference at the start of December, Costa shared his encouragement with the initial results as attendance ranks higher than his pre-season expectations. “We’ve had really good crowds throughout the beginning of the season,” said Costa, who revealed that the team ranks 13th in attendance despite the small-market setting. The team president envisions the team continuing to build upon their success as the season pushes forward.
“If things continue to move in the direction they are, we are going to have a really great year and set us up for the first playoff run in Thunderbird’s history,” said Costa.