Almost 2,000 deposits received for Brantford Bulldogs inaugural season membership

Still from a video by the Hamilton Bulldogs. (Courtesy: Twitter/@BulldogsOHL)

Fan excitement is growing for the Bulldogs arrival in Brantford.

The hockey organization says they’re “rapidly approaching 2,000” deposits for the team’s inaugural season in the Telephone City.

On Tuesday, council voted unanimously to temporarily bring the Bulldogs to city.

As part of the agreement, the team will temporarily move from Hamilton to Brantford for a period of at least three years. That deal includes three potential one-year extensions.

The relocation will allow for major renovations at the Bulldog’s home - First Ontario Centre in Hamilton.

The team will be rebranded as the Brantford Bulldogs and play out of the Brantford Civic Centre. That arena also needs $7.5 million in renovations to “meet fan, players and OHL standards.” The Bulldogs organization will cover $4.5 million for upgrades, which will include a new scoreboard, new dasher board glass, new lighting, as well as upgraded washrooms and concessions. The City of Brantford will pay the remaining $3 million for a new HVAC system upgrade.

After the move was made public, the Bulldogs began accepting $100 deposits for a season membership.

As of Friday the number of deposits received was nearing 2,000, according to the organization.

The team says seat selection will be made in the order deposits are placed, with priority given to fans who commit to a three-year membership.

The exact number of seats reserved has not yet been determined.

“We are committed to offering single game tickets at the Brantford Civic Centre for Bulldogs games, the exact number is to be determined and based on final numbers from our season ticket drive,” Reed Duthie told CTV News in an email.

The arena’s capacity is around 3,000.

Prices for season membership have not been released. The organization says it will be announced when seat selection begins

Franchise owner Michael Andlauer told CTV News earlier this week that it will be around market value of other OHL franchises.

-- With reporting by CTV Kitchener's Krista Sharpe