The CHEO Foundation will once again be the beneficiary of Atlético Ottawa’s home opener.
The Canadian Premier League soccer club will mark the start of the season on April 5 with its “pay what you can” home opener at TD Place. It’s an initiative that allows spectators to buy tickets for a fraction of the regular price, while encouraging them to add a donation to a local organization, according to chief marketing officer Jon Sinden.
It’s the second time the soccer club has partnered with CHEO for the home opener since the initiative first launched in 2021.
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“They were just so amazing to work with,” said Sinden. “The stories that show heroes and the families that come out of their hospital are just so impactful and so moving, it just felt right to go back to them.”
Tickets for the game start as low as $5, with the hope that fans will make up the difference with a donation to CHEO. There will also be a 50/50 sale with Atlético partner OSEG Foundation, with that money also directed to CHEO.
In addition to raising funds, Sinden said the model has been impactful for the team as well. Of all CPL teams, he said Atlético Ottawa tends to have some of the highest attendance rates for its home openers.
“Family’s sitting there trying to decide what to do with their hard-earned money, $10 a person for a pro soccer game is not outrageous. That’s one of our goals, to lower the barrier to make soccer accessible to everyone.”
Sinden added that it’s been an exciting off-season for the team, which he said will make the product on the field even better for fans.
“It was massive this year, as big as an off-season can get for a professional sports team,” he said. “New coach, bunch of new players, new CEO. There’s a lot of new and new becomes a lot of hope and a lot of potential. We have some bright young talent that’s going to take this league by storm. They’re not going to know what hit them.”
