BMO to get grass...

Discussion in 'Toronto FC' started by TO2988, Apr 13, 2009.

  1. TO2988

    TO2988 New Member

    Jul 30, 2008
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
  2. BHTC Mike

    BHTC Mike Member+

    Apr 12, 2006
    Burlington, ON
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    I fail to see how they make money out of this. The tickets are already paid for - they were part of our season ticket package right? - so they can only jack them marginally for the few that remain. The only way this works is if they bring in two (or more) OTHER teams to play each other which they can sell tickets for seperately. Or they see this as a promotional idea to help TV ratings and are prepared to lose money, or at least not make as much, to increase the visibility of the team on TV.

    Interesting none the less though.
     
  3. mikey99

    mikey99 Member

    May 15, 2007
    I think this may have fallen through already.
     
  4. v00d00daddy

    v00d00daddy Member

    May 22, 2007
    Toronto
    That was one mish mash of a column. Hockey references, Man U citings....meh.

    I hate these little teasers of info. I'd rather they keep the info to themselves until it's official and announce it then.

    Cue all the speculation that will no doubt end in a whole bunch of:

    "lol...._______ FC is not a major European side. They suck. My favourite team, AC ______ is way more "major"...blah blah blah"

    Whatever.

    I will predict one thing though. If the team announced is one of the super elite teams (you all know who i'm talking about so please don't bring up Everton or Fiorentina or something along those lines)....

    THERE IS NO WAY THAT OUR SEASON'S TICKETS ARE GOING TO BE USED FOR THE GAME. If it is a really big team with a huge following, you can bet that the powers that be will find a way to make us pay through the nose to see TFC play.
     
  5. GoodDead

    GoodDead Moderator
    Staff Member

    Aug 8, 2004
    Toronto Canada
    Club:
    Sporting Braga
    Nat'l Team:
    Portugal
    If they were bringing in a team worthy of putting Grass at BMO they would soon rather play at Skydome for that teams cost could only be met by selling 40,000 seats.

    I would love a game at Rog...Skydome and hopefully they would finally allow the SG's to control ticket sales to a section(s) so these bystanders in 113 and sit somewhere else and talk about the Raptors.
     
  6. Blizzard

    Blizzard Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Agreed. Putting grass into BMO makes no economic sense. You have to be able to sell tickets. If the visiting team is big enough to warrant grass, it is big enough to warrant Skydome and I'm betting that they really are talking Skydome but don't want to admit it yet.
     
  7. xderekrx

    xderekrx Member

    Sep 7, 2007
    Buffalo, NY
    Club:
    AS Roma
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Brings up a couple things

    Why not just turn it to grass full time? With all the complaints over the years, why not? It costs money sure but alot of teams have it and you already make a crapload of $$ on tickets and sales.

    Secondly, how would BMO field be turned into grass and then back to turf?
     
  8. Blizzard

    Blizzard Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 25, 2002
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    It's been discussed ad nauseum on many of the forums but just to give you the quickie version of why it hasn't happened ...

    The key issue is that the stadium is owned by the city and one of the reasons that the city put the money into the facility plus making the land available was based on the stadium being available for community use.

    Until TFC / MLSE comes up with an alternative field for year round community usage, there will be no natural grass at BMO.

    It is being worked on by the powers-that-be at both MLSE and the city but it will be years or at least that is what we've been led to believe.

    In terms of grassing and ummm ungrassing any artificial field, it is a matter of covering the artificial turf and then laying down the natural grass on top. It is temporary but has been done often including at the Skydome/Rogers Centre.
     
  9. stugautz

    stugautz New Member

    Aug 16, 2007
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    I think you are right. This year when they decided to include the Nutrilite Canadian Champions League as part of your season ticket package they removed one of the international friendlies. So There will most likely be another South American or Mexican team in the international friendly, and the big name European opponent will not be included. Just a guess.
     
  10. nfitz

    nfitz Member

    Aug 20, 2007
    Toronto
    ??? Why wouldn't it be any different to how any artificial turf stadium is given temporary grass and then returned to Turf. Think back to Canada's early 2007 Gold Cup games.
     
  11. atlanticTFCfan

    atlanticTFCfan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Sydney, Nova Scotia
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Another option would be to use the trays of grass method that was used during the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. when games were held at the Pontiac Silverdome and at Giants Stadium, but I think that might be too costly, plus the method may be outdated by now.
     
  12. nfitz

    nfitz Member

    Aug 20, 2007
    Toronto
    Either way, the surface at BMO Field seems superior to those temporary grass surfaces. Heck, it even seems superior to some other games I watched on TV on grass in Canada last year. The LA Galaxy/Whitecaps game in Edmonton and the Montreal Impact Champions League matches last year seemed to be a poorer surface than BMO Field.
     
  13. atlanticTFCfan

    atlanticTFCfan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Sydney, Nova Scotia
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    I'd have to agree here. The surface in Edmonton was a lot poorer last year than I thought it would be, and they usually do a great job in maintaining it.

    It's not to say that they should switch to a FieldTurf surface (as the Revs/Patriots did some time ago), but the maintenance of the pitch should have been better. Perhaps this year, it will.
     
  14. TFCMANU

    TFCMANU Member

    Apr 19, 2007
    Parkdale/Newmarket
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Portugal
    Grass @ BMO in 2/3 years BMO is being used for community use, however what I heard is that there is a minor soccer association and city of Toronto going to buy Brockton Stadium (Brock av and Bloor av) presently owned by the Alliance of Portugese Clubs there having financial problems and will be bought for 1 Million, purchased by the minor soccer association & City of Toronto there will be field turf and a bubble added for winter use sand giving BMO the go ahead to install grass.

    Brockton Stadium - http://www.fussballtempel.net/concacaf/CAN.html

    Brockton Stadium - http://maps.google.com/?ll=43.656757,-79.437289&spn=0.003307,0.007296&t=k

    Allaiance of Portuguese clubs - http://www.portuguesealliance.com/
     
  15. Drexel10

    Drexel10 New Member

    Mar 7, 2008
    I played there a few years ago and thought that this was a perfect little stadium to watch a local game, except the fact that the pitch sucked. This is a perfect example of where field turf is better than grass.
     
  16. atlanticTFCfan

    atlanticTFCfan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Sydney, Nova Scotia
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Must have been a little bit better than Lamport.
     
  17. TOareaFan

    TOareaFan Member+

    Jun 19, 2008
    Greater Toronto Area
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Which is the way it should be....we get one sorta mid-level international team (ie. bigger than us but not really big) for the same price we pay to see FC Dallas (no dispresepect intended just the first team that came to mind) and then we get another bigger (maybe really big) team where all you get as a STH is first right of refusal on your tickets.

    Nothing wrong with teams like Independiente and Pachuca but that is all that TFC can afford if all they get to do is jack up the price on 4k tickets.
     
  18. TOareaFan

    TOareaFan Member+

    Jun 19, 2008
    Greater Toronto Area
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Good FieldTurf is better than bad grass!
     
  19. smenge

    smenge New Member

    Apr 5, 2008
    toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Tell this to DeRo who is currently nursing sore hamstrings this week, missing practices, and probably the next match: he hates the turf, and so do others.
     
  20. TOareaFan

    TOareaFan Member+

    Jun 19, 2008
    Greater Toronto Area
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    But their "point of comparison" is good grass fields.....would I rather play on the grass at Anfield or the turf at BMO....not a hard call....would I rather play on the turf at BMO or the grass that was used in Edmonton last year for that LAG friendly?....I think BMO turf wins there.
     
  21. Polygong

    Polygong Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 8, 2007
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    I've played on both of those pitches, and I would much rather play at Lamport.

    When grass is good, it's really good, when grass is bad, it's really bad.

    FieldTurf is always mediocre.
     
  22. smenge

    smenge New Member

    Apr 5, 2008
    toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Is the turf also a problem for tackling, it looks like mls players are tentative making serious tackles for the ball when on the turf.
     
  23. Polygong

    Polygong Moderator
    Staff Member

    Apr 8, 2007
    Toronto
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Those little black pellet thingies feel a bit awkward when making an agressive move like tackling, and they can rough up your leg a bit if you go down, but once you're used to it you adapt.

    That's my experience anyway. For a casual player like me it may not be such a big deal, for a pro playing in full competitive games, that extra bit of reliability may be more important.
     
  24. atlanticTFCfan

    atlanticTFCfan Moderator
    Staff Member

    Mar 14, 2007
    Sydney, Nova Scotia
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Those "little black pellet thingies" are bits of cryogenically-frozen rubber. I know this from having been on the field at BMO during the tour of the stadium when I first went there two years ago.

    Might be rough on your leg when tackling, but it'll be worse if you accidentally swallow one :)eek:) !
     

Share This Page