On a per capita basis, Saskatchewan has more sports teams and clubs that charge for attendance than any other province or territory.

According to data tracked by Statistics Canada in its business register — the agency's database of all businesses in Canada — Saskatchewan had 20 sports teams in June and 23 teams last December that performed in front of a paying audience.

In June, Ontario had the most sports teams people paid to watch with 62, followed by Quebec at 43, British Columbia at 38, and Alberta at 28.

Most of these teams are playing the No. 1 sport in Canada. - Statistics Canada analyst Alex Cote

However, Saskatchewan had the highest rate per 100,000 people at 1.82. Prince Edward Island was next at 1.4, followed by B.C. at 0.82.

Saskatchewan's concentration was even higher last December, with 2.09 teams per 100,000 people. The national rate was 0.59.

Statistics Canada analyst Alex Cote said in order for a sports team to fit the agency's criteria as a business, it had to have at least one employee or record at least $30,000 in revenue in a given year.

Cote said "it's not a 100 per cent system," but professional, semi-professional and certain amateur teams — such as junior hockey teams — would all be included.

However, he said if a Midget AAA hockey team charged for attendance, it likely wouldn't fit the criteria because it is part of a larger minor hockey association and not an individual business.

As to why Saskatchewan would rank so high in concentration of sports teams that perform in front of paying customers, Cote didn't know what was behind the phenomenon.

"There hasn't been enough analysis that I could provide to you that's been done to know exactly the reasons behind this," he said.

Cote wouldn't provide the names of the teams that fit the criteria in each province and territory, but he said the composition of the teams was "pretty similar" across the country.

"Most of these teams are playing the No. 1 sport in Canada," he said. "So it's basically what you would expect province by province."

Joe Belan is spearheading a drive to add a professional soccer team to the relatively crowded field of Saskatchewan sports teams, especially in Saskatoon.

He was the lead organizer of a series of exhibition soccer matches in Saskatoon over the summer called the SK Summer Soccer Series, with the hope of convincing the Canadian Premier League to grant the city a franchise as early as 2021.

What’s really mind-blowing is how multi-generational & multi-cultural this crowd is w/ tons of young families - all immersed in game experience.<br>IOW, it’s every sports team’s dream crowd.<br>Doesn’t hurt that product on field is awesome.<br>Suspect there’s some staying power here. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yxe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yxe</a> <a href="https://t.co/pascmjqFro">pic.twitter.com/pascmjqFro</a> —@tammyrobert

Two of the three matches drew over 3,000 fans, while the third drew over 2,500 fans — numbers he said met their expectations.

Belan said his group has done a considerable amount of study looking at the various sporting properties throughout Saskatchewan.

"And the reality is that each of them offer a very distinct and differentiated product or experience," he said. "So if you look at the [CFL's] Riders or you look at the [National Lacrosse League's] Rush, those are different experiences than perhaps going to a soccer game or going to a basketball game."

Even though a professional soccer team would be playing over the same months as the inaugural champions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the Saskatchewan Rattlers, Belan said summer holidays and activities would likely be the soccer team's biggest competition.

"We did some market study and what we found, if we just compared the Rattlers and their demographics versus our audience, we did not see a lot of overlap, if any at all," he said.

"So what that suggests is that there are two distinct markets that are interested in soccer versus basketball."

Belan said the long-term goal of a new soccer team would be to tap into a demographic that he said underpins the strength of the Roughriders, and to a lesser extent, the Rush at their home games.

"You see a lot of casual sports fans or general public who come out and want to enjoy the sports," he said. "They want to be with friends, they want to go out and enjoy some time out and relax."