We’re All in This Together — How the Alberni Valley Bulldogs are Conquering COVID-19 Challenges

Hockey in Port Alberni

As a vital member of the BCHL, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs work hard to provide the city of Port Alberni with exciting Junior A hockey that delivers quality entertainment for the entire family. For years, the Bulldogs’ home stadium has gained a reputation for being one of the most challenging arenas for visiting teams to play in the BCHL. This is solely due to the overwhelming amount of support and electric energy displayed by Bulldogs fans for their favourite team. This committed and dedicated community is proud to own the title of the best fans in the entire BCHL.

Adapting to COVID-19

The abrupt arrival of the COVID-19 in North America forced the league to end the 2019–2020 season prematurely leaving their dedicated fans, players, and coaches disappointed and worried about the long term impact this will have on their teams. Unlike the NHL, a multi-billion dollar sports league, the financial impact on junior hockey leagues could be devastating. For these teams that already rely so heavily on community involvement for funding, revenue can quickly take a hit from lost ticket, concession and merchandise sales.

Looking globally at how other teams are responding to the pandemic, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs did not hesitate to start moving key components of their beloved hockey games online. In May 2020, the hockey team partnered with The Lotto Factory and launched their first online Progressive 50/50 fundraiser.

50/50 Success

The Bulldogs are now proudly running their 50/50 draw every week and promoting participants to continuously purchase tickets for a chance to win half of a growing progressive jackpot. Since its debut in May, the team have raised an admirable $15,000 with jackpots soaring to $5,500! It’s safe to say impressive is an understatement. Want to get in on the action? You can find tickets here.

This overwhelming amount of support fans have demonstrated through 50/50 ticket sales has substantially eased the financial dread for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs that accompanied the COVID-19 shutdown.

The BCHL is known for being a national leader in the development of young star athletes having sent more players on to college hockey teams than any other league in Canada. They value their players and it is fantastic to see that their community values them as well.

What is The Lotto Factory?

The Lotto Factory is emerging as a standout startup company on a mission to revolutionize the online fundraising world. They are a software as a service company (SaaS) that provides non-profit organizations, charities and sports teams with an innovative online fundraising platform for them to run events such as 50/50 raffles and other interactive games. They pride themselves on making it as simple and worry free as possible for organizations to launch and run a successful revenue increasing fundraiser. Interested in learning more?