THE BUSINESS OF HOCKEY
ANCASTER VILLAGERS
Team Value
$2.27B
Team value, as calculated by
in December 2023
Owner:
Championships:
Price Paid:
Year Purchased:
Revenue:
Operating Income:
Banners:
Jersey Retirements:
Player Trophies:
GM of the Year Awards:
Attendance to Capacity:
Cerberus Marketing and Communications
4
$99 M
2008
$295.3 M
$103.3 M
9
5
7
1
106.88%
At a Glance
2021
Write up to come
2020
A rabid fan base fueled by a dozen playoff appearances in a row, the Ancaster Villagers continue to be a model brand within the NHFL universe, but the franchise was not immune to the effects of the pandemic in 2020.
2019
Continued success but modest growth is the theme for the Villagers franchise in 2019.
A league best 11-consecutive playoff appearances, and in a strong position to once again secure a spot in the coming playoffs, is an astonishing feat and is a testament to the Villagers front office abilities to identify and cultivate an envious talent pipeline which has been critical to the sustained success of the team. The underlying fear is always a fanbase and community that becomes complacent as the expectations bar is simply met - rather than exceeded - consistently, regardless of the height at which the bar is set.
Attendance figures among the best in the league: the Villagers enjoyed maximum capacity crowds for two-thirds of all matchups in 2019, and up until the last week of the year were on a 5-week streak of capacity crowds. Overall, the team is on a 63-week sellout streak. The total franchise value of $1.66 billion placed second in the entire NHFL, gaining $30 million over last years' valuation. So where are the signs of consumer fatigue? Team revenues were almost flat, continuing a now 3-season trend of below-average growth. After enjoying more than 11% growth in operating income in 2018, that figure also flat lined in 2019.
Anaster Villagers on-ice success in the NHFL is second-to-none, and is the obvious driver behind a franchise valuation that has been at the top of the league since Forbes began this annual exercise. A larger local and international presence is essential, especially as other NHFL franchises make headway in this department.
2018
The Ancaster Villagers are the NHFL’s most valuable franchise for the second consecutive season. A Legends Division title (their 3rd division title as a franchise), and a dominant run to their 3rd Fifty Mission Cup in the spring, has seen attendance at The Realm rise to levels the franchise had never seen before. Currently riding an 11-week streak of attendance maxing out at 110% of capacity, the Villagers have also held down the top spot in the 2018-19 standings for most of the year - indicating that this may not be the pinnacle of their success as a franchise.
Pacing all franchise in operating income - with an NHFL record $105 million in 2018 - no other franchise can compete with the sustained success that the Villagers have enjoyed since the league's inception. All this, despite the franchise never hosting a draft or special league event - things that help spike interest from the local, and international, fan base.
The lone red flag in the 2018 valuation for the Ancaster Villagers is the modest 3.16% increase in valuation over 2017. As the trail blazer at the top of the valuation chart, there will always be challenges in achieving a valuation bump that resembles the franchises that trail the league leader, but even last years' 2nd and 3rd place clubs in total franchise value - HC Haymos and Dick Cheese - saw nearly identical increases in the 7.25% range over 2017. While the success of their 3rd Fifty Mission Cup helped maintain the Villagers at the top of the valuation heap, there are diminishing returns with respect to on-ice success in relation to the rest of the league.
2017
Cerberus HC is the NHFL’s most valuable franchise in the inaugural season of these valuations. The team’s passionate fan base has sold out the Realm at sky high prices for the past decade and a brand new state of the art facility has added to premium seating and sponsorship revenue. In addition to a successful hockey franchise, Cerberus HC hosts a diverse collection of events at The Realm. A decade of accumulating more total banners than any other franchise in NHFL history, not to mention a GM-of-the-Year award and a steady stream of individual player accolades, Cerberus HC has been able to convert their on-ice success into one of the most powerful brands in the league. A relative drought in the Fifty Mission Cup department means that Cerberus has had to lean on their rich history a little more than they'd prefer, but it is a history that is more than capable of sustaining a title-less stretch. Cerberus rebranded their logo and merchandise heading into the 2017-18 season, the effects of which will be something to monitor when the 2018 valuations are released.