After years of financial struggles, things are looking up for the Flin Flon Bombers organization.
True, the franchise recently had its bank account temporarily frozen because it was overdrawn.
Yes, total revenues were down nearly $100,000 in 2014-15 compared to the previous season.
And indeed a mounting array of entertainment options is taking its toll on attendance at the Whitney Forum.
But the Bombers organization is doing more than enough things right to adapt and ensure the long-term survival of one of Canada’s most esteemed junior sports franchises.
That much was evident last week as team officials and volunteers gathered to recap the triumphs and letdowns of the season past.
Team president Hank Kosar candidly declared the campaign unsuccessful because the team fell short of its championship aspirations.
Off the ice, Kosar accepted responsibility for the temporarily frozen bank account even though it was clear to everyone else in the room that he had gone above and beyond the obligations of his volunteer position.
Secretary-treasurer David Brooks was the bearer of some good and bad news.
On the minus side, team revenues fell $97,000, according to unaudited financial statements.
On the plus side, however, the club trimmed a little bit more than that from expenses and in the end turned a profit of about $20,000.
The club still has $114,200 worth of debt, including $50,000 on its team bus, but as Brooks pointed out, there is now light at the end of the accounts-owing tunnel.
A decade ago, the Bombers were a quarter of a million dollars in debt and the team’s very survival seemed to be in question.
There is still a ways to go, but the financial turnaround for this franchise has been nothing short of remarkable – and volunteers like Kosar and Brooks, among many others, deserve the credit.
Also encouraging is the fact that there is no shortage of young men eager to play for the Bombers.
This year’s spring camp will be the largest in at least eight years, and coach and GM Mike Reagan has consistently recruited stellar talent.
The Bombers still require strong corporate and community support, and more fiscal hurdles lie ahead.
But for now let’s focus on the good news: things are looking up for the Flin Flon Bombers.
