Fans cheer on the Brewers at Miller Park. The team is hoping it won’t lose too many of them during their rebuilding. Credit: Journal Sentinel files

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It's easy to sell tickets for the next season after your team has won the World Series. The Kansas City Royals would be happy to vouch for that.

On the flip side, it can be challenging to sell tickets after your team experiences a disastrous season that prompts a massive rebuilding plan. That's the situation the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in this winter.

Despite that difficult position, the Brewers have been relatively pleased that season-ticket sales for 2016 have dropped only marginally at this point, a nod to their loyal fan base.

"Obviously, after a very disappointing 2015 season, we budgeted for a decline in season tickets and a lower renewal rate," said Brewers chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger. "It has been better than what we originally forecast. Right now, we're about 7% behind last year's pace, which isn't bad.

"With other teams in similar situations, you're looking at double-digit declines. So, we're satisfied that it's only a marginal decline. We've got a lot of selling season left."

The Brewers have sold only full season-ticket plans and partial plans, so that is their only measurement against previous years. Group sales will heat up soon and individual ticket sales begin in February.

Putting it mildly, the 2015 season was discouraging for Brewers fans. A 5-17 record in April led to the dismissal of manager Ron Roenicke, who was replaced by Craig Counsell. A sell-off of veteran players began in July, and general manager Doug Melvin stepped aside later in favor of 30-year-old David Stearns, previously an assistant in Houston.

The Brewers' 68-94 record was likely the beginning of at least a few lean years to come before a newly rejuvenated farm system produces winning players at the major-league level. And teams never know for sure how fans will respond to long rebuilding plans.

Attendance at Miller Park dropped to just over 2.5 million last season as ticket sales dried up after the miserable start. That's a commendable figure for the smallest market in the majors, but it represented a drop of some 500,000 from the record attendance of 3.07 million in 2011, when the Brewers won their only National League Central crown.

How much lower home attendance will go in 2016 remains to be seen. The Brewers are more reliant on ticket income than teams in larger media markets, but Schlesinger said early signs are not nearly as grim as might be expected under the circumstances.

"Given the season we had, the fact we're only seeing a 7% decline at this point is heartening," he said. "We'll be behind last year in total tickets sold on opening day, but I think we have a chance to make up some ground."

The Brewers do not announce their season-ticket base from year to year, but it was believed to have been between 13,000 and 15,000 in 2015. Despite that modest base, the team averaged 31,389 fans per home game, ranking 13th among the 30 major-league clubs.

"We cherish our fans. They are really stepping up," said Schlesinger. "I'm still bullish on attendance despite not having anything positive to say about the 2015 season except that it's over.

"A lot of fans understand what we're trying to do. They're excited about seeing some of the kids from our farm system. They know in 2016 we will start to see some of those young players. We will work hard and convince people to still have faith and support us."

The Brewers took the unusual step of holding a town hall meeting with ticket holders at Miller Park in October to see what they had on their minds. They also have done polling this winter.

"We have done surveying with a number of our season seat holders and asked what is the likelihood of returning," said Schlesinger. "What is their reason for not returning? What do they expect from the performance on the field? What are they looking for at Miller Park in terms of improvements?

"None of the data is shocking. The hardest group to renew is the people who became recent season seat holders. They don't have the long-term investment in the Brewers of someone who has been a season seat holder for 20 years.

"With those folks, our message is to maybe consider a smaller ticket plan. We have some work to do to prove to fans the Brewers are still a great entertainment destination and there's no reason why 2016 can't be a better performance on the field."

The team expects a normal turnout Jan. 31 for their "Brewers On Deck" fan festival, which usually draws in excess of 10,000 fans. Though no one knows how long this rebuilding process will take, Schlesinger said fans should know that Stearns is working around the clock to move the team forward.

"There's no question that David is very impressive," said Schlesinger. "He's really very thoughtful and a high quality individual. He has a great respect for our fans and the task that's been handed to him.

"(Former) Commissioner (Bud) Selig has always said you're only as good as your general manager. I think that's true in this game. As brilliant as we like to think we are on the business side, our fortunes are going to fall with the team on the field.

"If you have the right people overseeing that part of the operation, you have great energy and optimism. I am optimistic that the rebuild process is in great hands. I think we have a good plan. I'm very fired up."