I know its only 2 games but some suggestions, maybe TFC folks will read and take some of our suggestions to heart (anyone else feel free to add)... 1-There are only 4 or 5 gates in the whole stadium. The lines close to game time are long and slow to get in..so when you come with 2 kids and your in front of gate 4 (which are directly in front of my seats) let people in...Don't turn them away telling them they have to go to gate 3. Little kids = little legs = tired of walking around half the stadium. WHO CARES WHAT GATE YOU COME IN AT 2-Concession $...no need to say more, not like anything will happen there. 3-Confetti..dont tell fans that TFC prohibits stuff thrown on the field and then go and do it yourself. HAHA. Good while away team defends there, but when TFC starts the second half in that end..maybe get a crew to clean it off the pitch. I suspect 2 balls that crossed the line that were not called goal kicks because the linesman on the far side couldnt distinguish ball from line from confetti. 4-Use of the scoreboard. Other than just straight play on it..timely replays, and other stuff they do at leaf, raptor or jays games...show fans, graphics, substitutions, stats....I understand that soccer has no stoppages of time but the ball and timeouts do happen with injuries and such. Use what you got 5-Staff that is familiar with their section. If its new and most of us dont know where to go, shouldnt they? 6-2nd tier stands. I may be wrong on this one, but im confused. The signage that leads to your section seems to be off by a section (little placards on the walls). I sit in 223 row 3 seats 3,4 put the sign points to seats higher (look at the arrow on the sign) than that or a section over (can't remember which)...it seems like the signage should be re-assigned. If someone can prove me wrong on this one...I will stand corrected. 7-Too late for this one..but why didnt they make the player seats in a dugout like they do in Europe stadiums. Those rain domes although dont affect me, would piss me off if i was in the lower section behind them. Plus the players sit on the top of the bench too...thats got to obstruct a view from down low a bit. 8-East parking lot (by the stadium)...Hey guys here's an idea, you know that parking lot right beside the stadium, why dont you get rid of the inflatables and make it a, umm, well you know a PARKING LOT (personal peeve...parking is a nightmare onto itself there. You guys may disagree and like that pregame stuff..in fact I dont mind it, I just wish it could be done somewhere else and still be part of the atmosphere there) anyone else
#1 - taking 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot is what is irking me the most. does it take a lot to get a police officer there to direct traffic. there are only 20,000 people going to the game it shouldnt be this bad. i have been to raptors and leafs games many times and i am usually out of the parking garage in a matter of 15 minutes. other than taking the GO from oakville does anyone have any ideas? #2 - the concessions. i understand the prices, people are buying at that price so they can charge. $8.50 for a beer is a bit much, but meh, what can you do. the main problem i have with the concessions is how slow they are. i was 5th in line yesterday after halftime. i bought my dog and beer and got back to my seat just in time for the second half kickoff. they should have one or two runners behind the cashiers to speed things up so the cashier can take the orders and the runners can get the food. #3 - the souvenirs. just like the concessions, they exceptionally slow. but they dont stock all the items. i had to go to four different outlets at the park to get an adult xl. two of them only had youth sizes when most of the people at the park are adults. i understand that some kids may want them, or guys may want to buy them for their kids at home, but at least stock some adult sizes.
$14 and change for a redbull and mediocre pork sandwich (that had a piece of bone in it btw) nuff said
This team is being run by the same people who raise Leafs ticket prices 10% every year regardless of operating costs. Price gouging is no surprise.
MORE WASHROOMS!!!!! As for the parking.. as people get used to going to BMO field for games I think they will find more ways to leave the grounds. Which will smooth out the chaos a bit.
ya faster beer concessions would be great...i have yet to have a beer at a game so far cuz of the insane lines!!! i really dont feel like missingo out on some of the play to get a beer, it shouldnt be that way!! not happy about that. but by far the worst thing is the parking. there is absolutely no excuse why the clearing of the lots should be that bad for soooo long. there should be police directing traffic everywhere and turn off those damn lights, they only cause more problems. last time i checked it was the DUTY of the cops to SERVE the community...so freakin do it!!!!
the staff is going through growing pains too. Give them a break. I remember my first job was doing concessions at a hockey arena in its first two seasons. Along with myself the entire original staff was brand new, at a new arena, and everything that could've gone wrong, did; soda fountains didn't work, food wasn't cooked on time, ingredients kept running out, cash registers weren't programmed right, beer was always running out, and inexperienced staff to boot. that's just concessions. Ushers and Parking have their own problems. It should get sorted soon enough. I would assume that all the fans are "guinea pigs" right now, because everything has to be perfect for the U-20 World Cup. Once the world cup is over though, all those facilities should be running reasonably well.
Almost got hit in the head with a piece of metal that came off of the underside of the seats under Section 224 while I was waiting for food. Must have come dislodged from all the stomping.
I'm actually worried about that. I had a dream of that to be honest, the whole upper section caving down after we win the MLS.
I hear ya. I'm assuming that they'll have the engineers and builders checking the place out on a regular basis. We really are giving that place a pounding. B
And when I brought that up as a possibility during the construction everyone said I was being ridiculous. Now somethings happened already. I told you. Those stands are cheap with a few tiny support beams. 20,000 jumping fans will wear that out. Apparently quickly. Hope they fix that real soon.
Rather than complain, I will lend some advice: a) parking problems: don't park in front of the stadium. Park at Ontario Place. I was in my car within 10 minutes of leaving the stadium and breezing my out of the Ontario Parking lot without ANY delay. Price for parking is basically the same, there are 2 bridges to cross Lakeshore and no lineups coming into the lot or leaving it. GO Train is also a viable option. b) Beer Prices: there are a few Carlsberg trollies spread around the stadium (one right at Gate 3) that serves a 14 oz Carlsberg or Carlsberg light for $6.25. Not cheap by any means but basically the same amount of beer you get for $8.25 when you buy it by the can at the Concession stands and the service is QUICK. I can't offer any words of wisdom when it comes to: a) food prices - yes, they are high....eat before you come down is the only help I can offer b) not nearly enough mens washrooms - you can be sure they will find a way to fix that up by next year c) Long, Slow Lineups - this should improve as the season progresses. they appear to need more employees at both the food stands and the team store (probably need more team stores or 1 big one, like Center Sports at the ACC) d) metal thingys falling down from stands - my dad noticed the same thing while buying a slice of pizza during the home opener 2 weeks ago. My father-in-law was part of the construction crew building the place and he told me many times that it was built on the cheap. I sure hope building maintenance people and engineers are double and triple checking structural supports after every game. We are beating the living sh-t out of that place with all our stomping
The thing that annoys me the most is the game clock. Don't stop it at 45:00 and 90:00. Keep the damn thing running! I like to gauge when I think the referee might blow the whistle to end each half. It's hard to do when the clock isn't moving.
Either have that or have a second clock come on and count down the added extra time the ref has added at the end of each half (they do this on TV for Serie A games)
Too Many People Walking Up And Down The Stairs The Entire Game, Very Hard To Watch The Game. They Should Have Intervals When People Are Allowed To Go Up And Down The Stairs, Like The Acc Or Skydome.
I had a run in with security on Friday night Canada v. Argentina game. I went to grab a beer by the big screen and I wasn't allowed back to my section 107 on the side with my beer because it was past the 75th minute or something. I spoke my mind and they kept saying these are the rules. Meanwhile people were walking on that side with beers. They really need to change this rule!
I'm on row 5 sect 225, right by the exit. 10 minutes before beginning and the end of the game it's impossible to see the other side of the field with all the wankers arriving late and leaving early. I'm going to try to move my seats next year as this is a real annoyance.
That's a little tough to do since there are few times where the play stops as in baseball, hockey or football (American). you may have to put up with it. As for the concession / washrooms- I had no trouble on either Friday or Saturday... les than a five minute wait for both. As for the metal. it is possible that that those may have been leftovers from the construction process.. Does anyone know what the pieces looked like? Where they bolts/ rivets or small pieces of cut steel.
Yes - and you earned you structural engineering degree from....? What you said was the stadium didn't look like it could hold 20,000 jumping fans. The soccer ball being kiddie league..... Please. While it is alarming I'd prefer to see what details come out before I go claiming poor construction or cheap materials are to blame.
Absolutely only complaint, but its BIG, is Leaving the parking lots. Those are the WORST traffic jams I've evern been in, and I've commuted to downtown for probably about 17 years! TFC are you listening. You need some cops directing departure traffic.
they need to figure out why the washrooms keep flooding on the west side concourse. can the pipes not handle the load?? i went in one washroom and there was nothing stuck in the urinals but a huge flood..... regarding lineups at gates -- I haven't noticed any lineups at gate 1. I entered at 12:10pm and 2:30pm for the two games and there was almost no lineup.
I'm not normally one to say anything....but I will on this occassion. If you are looking for somebody with a degree...I do have one...I got an undergrad degree with thesis on stadium construction and design (well, the actual title was looking at disabled access to purpose built sport stadiums, but I do know a little about contruction processes too though this...!). BMO Field will *have* to had passed safety standards, that is for sure. I'm sure these standards are rigurous - however, I'm not sure they would stand up to European standards, especially looking at how the stadium has been constructed. I sit/stand in Section 113, and I've already noticed small holes in the sheet metal in various places. Although this shouldn't be anything specific to worry about, these holes should not have appeared after only a few uses of the stadium at full capacity. Many of the guys around me have already mentioned that they can imagine the place collapsing...and with all the stomping and vibration, I must admit I am a tiny bit worried. I've never seen a stand construction like the Supporters section...with VERY few concrete stansions below the seats. It's almost as if they built a shell the the stadium without the main weight carrying supports! The place was very obviously built with low cost as the priority. I'm not going to overly worry about the place falling down, but I do worry that the tests they have put that stand through do not match up to 5,000 crazed soccer fans stamping the feet in unison. Certianly the holes in the stand, and pieces falling off the underneath of the stands already, do not bode well with me. I wonder if there is a groundsman to the staduim, or if they would even realise that there could be a couple of safety concerns????