But for Dayton’s current professional sports teams — the Dutch Lions, the Demonz and the Sharks — the Dragons’ success is a sign that they can survive and thrive in Dayton, too.
“The Dragons are kind of the model franchise for all of Dayton sports,” said Alex DiMuccio, director of game operations for the Dayton Demonz, of the Federal Hockey League. “I think we just try to do our own thing. It’s two different sports. It’s two different times of year. We try to build off what’s been here in the past with the Gems and Bombers. Some people like baseball. Some people like hockey. Some people like both. We’re trying to get baseball crowds to the hockey games.”
The Demonz replaced the Dayton Gems when the Central Hockey League folded. They’re off to a good start, especially in the win-loss column. The Demonz won 19 of their first 24 games and are in first place.
The Demonz had 1,476 fans at their last home game. Like the Dragons, they try to make the experience about more than hockey.
“You see minor league baseball, and they have all these crazy nights, like Star Wars nights and different crazy ideas that are kind of hard to bring to hockey games,” DiMuccio said, “but you try to bring a little bit of that to hockey. People want to come to the games and have a few beers, and you try to have some entertainment value and cater to kids, too.”
The Dutch Lions, of the United Soccer League Professional Division, also look at the Dragons as a role model.
Mike Mossel, the team president, learned about the Dragons’ ticket-selling proficiency two years ago. He said the Dragons helped the Lions sell about 4,000 tickets for a game that was to take place at Fifth Third Field in 2011, but the game got moved to Miami Valley South Stadium in Bellbrook because of heavy rains.
Getting their own stadium is an important factor in the Dutch Lions’ future success. They averaged 800-900 fans last season playing in Bellbrook and Springboro.
“It’s one of the key things we’re missing,” Mossell said. “I’m 100 percent sure if we had a stadium, we would average 3,000 to 4,000 people.”
The Dayton Sharks, of the Continental Indoor Football League, begin play Feb. 15 with a home game against the Port Huron Patriots at Hara Arena. The Sharks were known as the Dayton Silverbacks last season, but they have a new ownership group, and Corwyn Thomas, the managing general partner, knows there’s a lot he can learn from the Dragons.
Thomas said they are trying hard to build bonds with the community, like working with Habitat for Humanity and Freestore Food Bank, for example.
“Most people think about the game football from the playing side,” he said. “I’m a business man. I saw the Dragons are doing it well on both sides, the business and the game. I decided, ‘Why don’t I borrow some of the things they do?’ We want to make a family-oriented atmosphere and build community partnerships. We’re real excited. We think we’re doing all the right things.”
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