Coming off their fourth straight losing season, the Detroit Lions said in a renewal email to season ticketholders Thursday they will maintain flat ticket prices, and in some cases lower prices, in 2022.
The Lions ranked last in the NFL in home attendance last season and hosted fewer fans at Ford Field than they have in any non-pandemic season since 2009.
They finished 3-13-1, the second-worst record in the NFL.
“As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, I want to acknowledge where we are as an organization,” Lions president Rod Wood wrote in the email. “We understand that our results last season weren’t good enough and I speak for everyone at the Lions when I tell you that we are committed to being better on and off the field.”
SHAWN WINDSOR: Super Bowl ratings pose unsettling question: Could we survive a Lions title run?
LIGHT AT THE OC SPOT: How ‘uncommonly bright’ Ben Johnson became rising coaching star
MOVING ON: Matthew Stafford got his ring, now Lions must focus on the future
The Lions averaged 51,522 tickets sold per game at Ford Field last season, and twice hosted announced crowds of under 50,000.
In 2009, coming off the NFL’s first ever 0-16 season, the Lions averaged 49,395 tickets sold per game.
Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp told the Free Press in October she understood the team’s sagging attendance numbers, which she blamed both on the COVID-19 pandemic and the Lions’ struggles on field.
In 2020, the Lions did not have a public sale of tickets due to the pandemic.
“I think it’s coming off COVID, I think people — we’re an indoor stadium,” she said. “I think that’s tough. Yes, I think if we start winning, people will be more willing to take the risk or whatever, but it’s not terrible. We still have plenty of fans in there, make lots of noise. Obviously, we’d love to fill it, standing-room only.”
The Lions have a modest slate of home opponents next season that includes games against just three playoff teams: The Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.
They also host the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars.
In Thursday’s email, Wood reiterated the organization’s support for head coach Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes and announced new incentives designed to retain season ticket holders, including the ability to attend one Organized Team Activity practice this spring.
“The last year has confirmed for the entire organization that we have the right people in place to achieve our goal of creating sustained success in Detroit,” Wood wrote. “The work that Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have done to create a plan for the future of this team, is evident every day in our building. The work we did this year to establish a culture of collaboration, grit and resilience will serve as a foundation for where we are headed.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.