With a year before the puck drops on its first game, the Worcester Railers HC is already among the top half of ECHL hockey teams in corporate sponsorship sales, the club’s owner announced.
If the Railers began their season this year, the team would rank 14th of the 28 ECHL teams in corporate sponsorship sales, Owner Cliff Rucker announced Friday at a Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce event.
The goal is for the team to be among the top three ECHL teams in corporate sales by the time the Railers start playing games in October 2017, said Rucker.
The team declined to give exact numbers on its corporate sales, but ECHL requires it – as an expansion team – to have at least $350,000 in sponsorships before the season can begin. The team has 36 sponsors listed on its website, including The Hanover Insurance Group, Bay State Savings Bank, Polar Beverages and Rectrix Aviation.
Rucker founded the team earlier this year after the ECHL board of governors approved the expansion franchise on Feb. 5.
In addition to its sponsorship sales, the Railers have sold 780 season tickets for its inaugural season, placing the club 16th among the ECHL franchises, said Rucker. The goal is to have 1,500 members by the next board of governors meeting in January and be in the top five for season tickets by the time the 2017 season starts.
