A new player wants in on the collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the NHL and the NHLPA.
The Edmonton-based Fan Action Network Foundation says it should have a seat at the table.
"We feel we are the third element in the business equation of professional sport," said David Kolbuc, the group's president and CEO.
Less than six months old, the not-for-profit group, which would not disclose membership numbers but claims it has members across North America, stresses that fans have a right to be at the bargaining table.
"We are the ones who fund the industry in its entirety through the direct purchase of tickets or through the purchases of goods and services from the businesses who advertise in the professional sports industry - and we have no collective voice," said Kolbuc. "The fans are the ones who are disenfranchised and they're disenchanted.”
Though the organization is new and membership costs $50 a year, Kolbuc said the network is growing substantially on a daily basis.
Federally incorporated, it's dedicated to representing the views and the interests of the average sports fan. It hopes to give fans "their rightful place as an equal partner with the ownership group and the players' association in the operation of the professional sports industry with the best interest of the average fan in mind."
Fan Action Network also wants to help restore the economic health of the professional sports industry, said Kolbuc.
"Fans might say they want to raise salaries or raise marketing costs," Kolbuc said of the group's stance on the NHL lockout. "But that's not what I'm hearing. They want an affordable, sustainable and healthy economic environment for all the stakeholders."
