Objective number one for Annie Larouche, president of the Montreal Alliance: to ensure the survival of the team, which will begin its third season next May. (Photo: Alliance Montreal)
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN SPORT. When she was offered the position of vice-president of operations for the Montreal Alliance in 2021, Annie Larouche took care to examine the business model of the future professional basketball team.
“I wanted to know who I was getting myself into. I thought about it for 20 minutes and jumped at the chance.” Unofficially, she accepted the presidency of the team, a position that did not yet exist. But it was only last August that she officially became president.
“My tasks don’t really change, but I have more latitude. It’s a great mark of confidence,” she said humbly in an interview with Lesaffaires.
But in fact, this appointment made her the first woman from a Montreal professional sports team to find herself alone at the top of the hierarchy.
“I take it as a victory for women,” she adds, without wanting to play the women’s card against men.”
“It’s teamwork that takes place. Mentalities are changing. When I was younger, it wasn’t accessible. The closest role model I had when I was little was the mother of a friend who worked at the Olympic Stadium ticket office.”
Now firmly ensconced in the driver’s seat, the challenges are enormous for the manager who has nearly 30 years of experience in the Montreal sports ecosystem, including 25 with the Alouettes.
Objective number one: ensure the survival of the team, which will begin its third season next May. Casually, no Montreal basketball team had ever blown out more than two candles.
“The idea is to ensure sustainability. Let us establish a solid foundation so that it continues. We are proud of this third year, but we want three more. The idea is not to survive as long as possible, it is to establish something solid. But we start from 0,” she admits.
Isn’t that a bit like a sports start-up? “Absolutely. Honestly, that’s what came for me. In 1996, I was part of the group that brought back the Alouettes,” she recalled.
And this survival obviously depends on the team’s ability to attract spectators to the Verdun Auditorium, where the team plays its 10 home games. Remember that the Canadian Elite Basketball League season has 20 games and runs from May to August.
In 2022, the team managed to sell almost 650 subscriptions. This figure increased to 1,100 in 2023. The average number of fans present at matches has not changed. It stands at 2950.
“We have therefore succeeded in retaining the loyalty of our supporters. That means that people who came to watch a match liked it enough to buy season tickets,” analyzes Annie Larouche, who relies heavily on the experience of a professional basketball match with its proximity to the action. and the rhythm of the meetings.
And at the time of writing, sales for the 2024 season are expected to be even better, says the team president, while last year’s figures have already been reached.
Partnerships and derivative products are the second and third sources of revenue, respectively.
« [Nos partenaires] are very interested in the Alliance because it is new, because we are addressing a younger, more accessible and more diverse audience,” underlines the manager.
Go out into the street
Even if the team practically pays for itself, the room for maneuver to make itself known remains low. Especially with a total operating budget of three million. For comparisons, 11 regular Canadiens players will earn more money this season.
This is why it is essential for Annie Larouche that the Alliance leaves the walls of its amphitheater and meets an audience to conquer.
“The heart of basketball is everywhere, but it lacks love,” she says. “The interest, the enthusiasm, everything is there. It allows young people to dream. Hockey and football equipment are expensive. It’s not true that it’s accessible to everyone. A basketball court, yes.”
To touch the hearts of all these potential supporters, the team does not have enough resources to build fields throughout the metropolis. But replacing threads (too often broken), yes. This is one of the ideas that the manager had to take to the streets.
“With the boroughs, we proposed replacing all the exterior nets. And make it an event. With players, a DJ, local organizations. The message we want to send is to tell young people that there is a basketball court near their home. Let them come and see him.”
And why not take advantage of a resolution adopted a year ago by the municipal council to highlight the importance of basketball in the metropolis?
“There are signs for the arenas. But are there any directions to tell young people where the basketball court is?, asks Annie Larouche. No.”
“We want to tell young people that there are basketball courts and that they can go there. It just takes a ball.”
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2023-09-28 18:46:54
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