http://www.guelphmercury.com/sports...ely-be-turfed-out-of-rogers-if-jays-get-grass Should the Rogers Centre go permanently with grass, this might also affect the ability of TFC to use it when CCL might require going there. However, could this also make it easier to hold international friendlies during the summer?
In my view, I'd be totally willing to groundshare with the Argos. It's better than Ford blowing a ton of money trying to get another football stadium. One thing, I didn't believe it was impossible to have grass for baseball and football. Look at Oakland or Miami previously. I think it might be cool Though I could see the Jays complaining about the Argos cutting up the turf.
Totally disagree. I like having our home as our home. If Ford wants to build a stadium for the Argos, I really don't mind. It's not like the Argos would get a 85,000 seater, they'd probably build them a 35-40 seater. Let 'em build it at York U like they've been talking about for years.
I honestly don't think this will happen. Yes, they can make the grass grow with artificial high intensity lighting but the impact on other events is something that can't be discounted. I just can't see it actually happening.
I don't want public subsidies going to another stadium when BMO could probably accomodate both. In fact, if the Argos moved in, there'd probably be expanded seating. Anyways, I know soccer fans love the idea of soccer specific. But if the public is paying for it (which we did with BMO), we should not lose sight that there are many bigger problems facing our society than teams groundsharing.
that immediately crossed my mind too, but when you consider just how big of an investment the jays are for rogers, i could see them doing away with the secondary income they receive from other events, in order to improve a primary asset like the jays. not to mention as already pointed out, the grass could immediately turn them into a bonafide soccer location.
I agree - there are far bigger priorities than a football stadium - and I doubt The Twin Ford-mayor has the political capital to make it happen anyway. A solution that allows the best of both worlds for the Blue Jays, Argos, and the occasional winter TFC game at Skydome makes the most sense. If a solution that allows separate fields for football, baseball, soccer and concert/convention space is workable that makes the most sense.
They would have to vitually tear down BMO and build something new to get the Argos in there. The pitch is too small, both concrete foundations at each end of the stadium would need to be ripped and moved back, including all the facilities underneath the stand at the south end. Aside from the pitch, you apparently can't get two CFL teams and all their gear into the existing dressing rooms and showers that were built for 11 a side soccer teams. So I guess the main building facilites would need significant changes too? Didn't this go round and round for a whole season a couple of years ago until the CFL finally came to BMO, looked it over and said "it wont work". If the city are going to spend a huge chunk of public cash to bail out the Argos, I would rather that the city of Toronto got an additional sports facility out of it, instead of further bastardising the not very good one they already have. It seemed that the primary concern of the Argo ownership (previous owners?) last time this came up was to try to get into the much smaller BMO field to create artificial seat demand, so as to increase seat prices and get some fan wallet gouging going ML$E stylie....
MLSE invested to much money on the Grass field, Argos have no chance moving in to BMO...It will not work, If the Argos can make Lamport Stadium work in someway that could work.
Lamport is smaller than BMO, but they've got an entire parking lot to the south they could extend into, pretty sure the stadium would need to eb rebuilt entirely to work for the Argos.
There's room to expand on the eat and west sides as well. Truth is though, to use Lamport for the Argos would require tearing down the existing stands, they're very poor quality.
Yes, they'd have to start from scratch at the Lamport site. It would be particularly ironic for the Argos to be sent packing to a bare bones facility while Saskatchewan revamps Taylor Field, Winnipeg moves into a new park, Montreal has just improved Molson/McGill, BC Place has been improved and the Ti-Cats will be in a radically revamped Ivor Wynne very soon not to mention that Ottawa will be in a very nice new facility if they should ever rejoin the league. Meanwhile, the Argos would end up playing in a stadium built as cheaply or cheaper than BMO Field.
