Steve LaCroix, vice president of sales and marketing, met with reporters today and talked about the team’s push to sell 20,000 remaining tickets for Sunday’s playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. LaCroix said it’s “doable” but acknowledged that it will be a “big challenge.”

Here are some quotes LaCroix and also Vikings owner Zygi Wilf on Sunday’s game at the Metrodome:

“We really ask the fans to come out,” Wilf said. “I know this is the first home playoff game we’ve had in some time and it came quite suddenly. We’re asking the fans to really come out and support us. They’re as important as anyone, especially in the Metrodome. We need their help. I think we’ll be able to do it again. We ask everyone to come out and enjoy this is because it’s tough to get to where we’re at. We’re very happy for the fans to have the opportunity to come to the Metrodome and support our team in the playoffs.”  

Said LaCroix: “Obviously a big challenge ahead for us on the business side but we’re very positive the level of activity at the ticket office and really the reaction amongst our fan base now that we have secured our playoff spot. There has been a lot of activity today. We think we can get there. It’s going to be a big challenge ahead and as coach has alluded to and a lot of players alluded to, it’s so important to keep that full crowd at the Metrodome and really use our facility to an advantage from a home-field standpoint.” 

(Precedent for selling 20,000 tickets?) “It’s doable. It’s a lot of work obviously and we’re up to the challenge. Again, we’re positive about it. I’m not quite sure where the other three cities, San Diego, Miami and Arizona, where they stand on ticket sales. But I do believe they have some of the same challenges. But I can’t speak exact numbers in those markets.”

(NFL rules the same for blackout?) Our blackout number to reach elimination of any kind of blackout of any kind of local broadcast is right around the 62,000 range and the deadline for that is 72 hours out which would be Thursday. And then we could potentially extend that to 48 hours being Friday afternoon.” 

(Do you get an extension if ticket sales are going well?) “I think if it’s the right thing at that time. It seems like it’s right around the corner, which it is to a certain extent, but also just being a couple of days away. The ticket sales world of just qualifying for the playoffs yesterday can be light years for a fan from a ticket selling standpoint. I think we’ll deal with that as the week moves along and see what the right thing to do is with the league.”

(If you’re getting close would you go to Fox or someone?) “It’s a little different. But I think at this point we’re just so focused on overcoming the significant number of seats available. Part of our messaging is to let fans know there are seats available. There’s a little bit of perception amongst the community and certainly amongst the media that there are no seats available and that that’s already kind of gone and past and the flip to that is there is more seats than normal this time of a Vikings game week so it’s a great opportunity for season ticket holders to still get in or for fans that don’t necesssarily come to home games to come be part of what we think is going to be a really fun, exciting day of football.” 

(Was there apprehension from the season ticket holders when you sent out the letters?) “I think so. Obviously, the holidays get in the way as far as the fans and their personal schedules and I do think there was a good chunk of our fan base that wanted to wait and see if we got in and now that we have secured home field for that first round it’s a lot of our fan base waking up this morning and realizing, ‘Hey, I haven’t secured my seats yet.’ So it’s been a very active day at the ticket office.”

(What was the approximate rate of people who purchased playoff tickets among the season-ticket holders?) “Of our season ticket base, it was about 55 percent. So obviously that’s not ideal but it’s a good base that we’re going to build upon and really try to sell these remaining 20,000 seats. There’s still opportunity for our season-ticket owners to come back and renew and if we can’t get their exact seats we’ll try to get them as close as possible. We really tried to be modest with that entry level ticket point being at $30. I think [that’s] a great entertainment value for an NFL playoff game.”

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