New stadium for Hamilton?

Please keep in mind that any new stadium development in Canada is another potential place (considering playing surface conversion) for our NTs or future potential USL franchises to play.

Tiger-Cats to get new stadium?
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
September 28, 2007 at 10:54 PM EDT

DAVID NAYLOR — It turns out Ottawa isn't the only city where a new CFL stadium looks as if it may be in order.

Now, it's Hamilton's turn.

Just days after engineers in Ottawa recommended one portion of Frank Clair Stadium be demolished because it is unsafe, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats say their 77-year-old stadium may be on its last legs, too.

And the team is calling on city officials to develop a plan to ensure the team has a place to play if Ivor Wynne Stadium is deemed unsafe.

Many expect that will happen in the next two to three years.

"At some point in the next three years there's going to have to be a major decision made over whether to renovate Ivor Wynne Stadium or look at a new project," said Tiger-Cats' president Scott Mitchell.

"The Tiger-Cats would be happy with either scenario. We're just a tenant that needs a place to play.

"We'd be happy to stay or to talk about the bigger picture of where sport development fits in Hamilton and the Niagara region."

Mitchell says he has quietly discussed the stadium issue with prominent businessmen and local politicians over the past few months, hoping to get a proactive start on what he believes is an inevitable decision and a potential opportunity.

The team was advised several years ago that portions of the stadium may not be usable beyond 2009.

"This is not a hypothetical," Mitchell said. "One of two things will happen. They have to renovate Ivor Wynne or build a new one. This is not 'we'd like to'. This has to happen in the next two years."

Ivor Wynne Stadium, once known as Civic Stadium, was built for the 1930 British Empire Games.

While it lacks many modern stadium amenities, Ticats owner Bob Young spruced it up considerably when he bought the team four years ago, making it a decent place to watch football, at least for now.

But Mitchell estimates keeping it that way will be a $30-to-$40-million investment, money that could be invested in a new facility with broader uses.

"A CFL team is not in a position to dictate it wants a new stadium," Mitchell said. "With the economics of the CFL, that's not realistic. So you've got to look at economic development and how it affects the big picture. But if it's just about the stadium then just rebuild Ivor Wynne Stadium."

 

Mayor makes new home for Ticats a top priority

Mayor makes new home for Ticats a top priority
September 27, 2007
By JOHN KERNAGHAN The Hamilton Spectator

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/255572

The Tiger-Cats need a new or revamped home and city hall has a two-year window to resolve the issue, the football club’s president said yesterday
“Where do we play?” Scott Mitchell asked after outlining a decision he said can’t be put off any longer.

His call to action prompted Mayor Fred Eisenberger to promise a new home for the Tiger-Cats will be a top priority once the current budget process is completed.

Mitchell defined the issue in a speech at The Mayor’s Luncheon, noting Ivor Wynne Stadium is declining rapidly and would cost $30 million t0 $40 million to rebuild.

Mitchell said the city can go that route and have a limited-use facility in a residential area or consider a new stadium capable of housing more events. It would cost $150 million to $200 million, he estimated.

Eisenberger said he’d direct city staff to start examining options, including an inner-city location, as soon as the city’s budget is ironed out.

Ivor Wynne started as Civic Stadium in 1930 when it was built for the British Empire Games. It was added to over time but is nearing the end of it’s time.

Mitchell stressed the risk with aging stadiums, pointed out one side of Ottawa’s Landsdowne Park stadium, once home of the Ottawa Rough Riders, was condemned as unsafe recently.

 

Good general article on the financial side to running a stadium - Moaca

Mitchell answers questions
Steve Milton Sep 01 2011 theSpec.com

At first blush, it all seems counterintuitive.

How can building new stands on the north side of Ivor Wynne Stadium not cost more than renovating the current ones?

And how can the significantly reduced seating capacity — from the original 25,000 seats to a reported 22,500 — not negatively impact the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ bottom line?

Those were among the nagging questions after it was revealed last week that plans for the Pan Am Stadium on the current site of Ivor Wynne now call for the entire north stands to be torn down and rebuilt, instead of being refurbished atop the current infrastructure.

“This is absolutely and positively the most cost-efficient and responsible decision,” Ticat president Scott Mitchell answered Wednesday. “This isn’t a good thing, it’s a great thing.”

By agreeing to the reduced seat inventory, the Ticats made a major concession to Infrastructure Ontario to keep construction costs at the original estimate.

And, Mitchell says, potential builders will welcome the idea of constructing the north stands from the ground up, rather than trying to work around existing flaws, many of which are major.

“That’s 100 per cent accurate,” Mitchell said. “This creates cost certainty in the construction phase. You never know what you’re going to find out when you renovate. It might have involved all kinds of (capital) expense that wasn’t anticipated. And this prohibits the city from potentially having to spend tens of millions of dollars in maintenance of the north stands in the next few years.”

Additionally, having renovated north stands with uncomfortable bench seating and the same washroom and concession facilities as in the past would have meant that the Cats, and the city, were going to operate, in effect, two different facilities.

“What was clearly emerging was a have-versus-have-not scenario on the two sides of the stadium,” he said. “And that’s not conducive to effective cost management or a good in-stadium experience.”

The Tiger-Cats need to derive $10 million per year, or roughly $1 million per game, from ticket sales. Mitchell, bound by a confidentiality clause, would not comment on the exact capacity of the new stadium. But assuming the 22,500 figure is accurate, at an average $50 per ticket, the Cats will cover the $10 million as long as they sell out most games.

And a smaller stadium actually helps dramatically with that. Increasing the demand for tickets because there is a limited supply should translate into more season ticket holders than the current number, estimated to be slightly under 15,000. The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox have always operated that way because of their old, small stadiums, but in 1990 the Baltimore Orioles became the first professional sports team to deliberately build a new stadium smaller than their old one. That forces fans to buy season’s tickets for fear that they won’t be able to get the tickets for games they really want. Then, weather and the competitive state of the team don’t affect sales as profoundly. The Montreal Alouettes had the same situation with the 20,000-seat Molson Stadium, and sold out every game for years.

The Ticats average between 23,000 and 24,000 spectators per game but about 20 per cent of them enjoy complimentary tickets, significantly lower than the figure from three years ago but still nearly double the industry standard. Tightening up on contra (tickets instead of cash, paid for services) and special group sales will allow the Cats to realize full income from a far greater percentage of the seats.

“So the biggest casualty in the capacity reduction will be those contra deals and big corporate buys,” Mitchell said.

The break-even point for most CFL teams is believed to be about $15 million in total annual income. With recent huge increases in TV viewership, broadcast revenues are expected to double or triple in the next couple of years, taking a big bite out of the $5 million income required beyond ticket sales. While the number of high-rent corporate boxes and club seats slated for the new stadium have not been revealed, there are going to be at least twice as many as there are now, adding more income potential to the Cats’ balance sheet.

“And clearly, we’ll have major increased revenue from concessions and merchandising because of an enhanced stadium experience,” Mitchell says. “It will also be a better experience for our corporate partners.”

The Ticats plan to cap individual season ticket sales at between 17,000 and 18,000. Season’s tickets prices for 2011 range from $14 per game in the end zone to $160 for the box seats at midfield. Those prices are expected to rise by two per cent next year.

But the team announced Wednesday that season’s tickets for 2012, the last season at Ivor Wynne, would cost the same as tickets for 2014, the first season in the new stadium.

“We wanted to nip in the bud all the talk that ‘I won’t be able to go to the new stadium because I can’t afford it,’” Mitchell explained.

Mitchell also said that the $1.3 million rent the Cats will pay the city in the new stadium will be the highest in the CFL and that the more income the club makes, the more the city will make on their rake-off of the profit, over and above the rental agreement.

And, he says, the seating capacity on opening day doesn’t have to remain that way. He wouldn’t comment directly, but the configuration of the new stadium has to include room for enough temporary seating to reach the 40,000 minimum required to play host to a Grey Cup Game.

“Infrastructure Ontario will deliver a great stadium, but obviously there’d be nothing stopping us, as far as far as post-Pan Am Games go, from adding more seating ourselves.”

 

Stadium debate takes a new turn
Matthew Van Dongen thespec.com Jan 12 2012

Ivor Wynne stadium appears to be on the move — by about 90 degrees.

Starting in late 2012, the venerable Tiger-Cats stadium will be demolished and rebuilt as a 22,500-seat venue capable of hosting both CFL football and international soccer in advance of the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Rumours have swirled for months the east-west oriented stadium would be reconstructed along north-south lines.

It’s definitely an option, said Lloyd Ferguson, who cochairs the city stadium precinct subcommittee.

“It’s my understanding this has been proposed,” said Ferguson, who wouldn’t reveal how he knows about the stadium swivel. “I’d be surprised if all of the bidders didn’t change (the orientation).”

Pan Am head Ian Troop admitted the layout change has been discussed.

“The Ticats raised it with us early on,” Troop said Thursday in Toronto, where he participated in a groundbreaking for the $514-million Pan Am athletes village.

He said the three competing bid teams have looked at the idea, but added a “confirmed solution” won’t be announced until July.

The layout change could make more room for concessions and fan-friendly facilities. It would also help keep direct sun out of the eyes of players and fans — a bonus for football and Pan Am soccer players alike.

Troop said planners took into account the expert advice of global soccer gurus such as those with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). He couldn’t say whether stadium orientation factored into that discussion, but the federation’s stadium construction guidelines say a north-south orientation is often preferred.

But the layout switch would mean more to Hamiltonians than snazzier concessions and less squinting, said Councillor Bernie Morelli.

The new stadium will stay within its existing block, bounded by Beechwood Avenue, Melrose Avenue, Cannon Street East and Balsam Avenue.

“But if this happens, you’re talking about new parking, new entrances, new traffic patterns potentially,” said Morelli, who is impatient to begin neighbourhood planning around the revamped stadium.

“Who knows, maybe we’d have to think about temporarily closing part of one of those streets for games, or permanently. It’s a little frustrating, because without confirmation (of the layout), we can’t even begin to look at those issues.”

Infrastructure Ontario, the provincial agency overseeing construction of Pan Am legacy facilities, has so far refused to publicly discuss even the specifications for the new stadium beyond the capacity, 22,500 seats, citing the need to protect the competitive bidding process.

City staff assigned to monitor the stadium design process had to sign confidentiality agreements, and Ferguson, Morelli and other committee members have been asked to follow suit.

Ferguson said he’ll sign if it means having access to design details that will help councillors plan responsibly for the community. The finalized bids are due in March, but anyone not in the loop will have to wait for details until July.

 

Ivor Wynne Stadium project secret until September
Kevin Werner News Staff May, 28, 2012

Hamilton residents won’t know the cost nor the design of the new Ivor Wynne Stadium until at least late September.

The request for proposals for the stadium, velodrome, and the new athletics stadium at York University for the 2015 Pan Am Games closed last week, and provincial and Toronto 2015 officials are reviewing the projects’ designs, and costs applications over the next two months. A preferred company, and design, will be selected in August, said officials. But the winning bid, and cost of the project, won’t be revealed until Sept. 26 when the company, cost and design of the new stadium will be released to the public. City staff added that only the winning bid will be available to the public, and the other two bids will be kept secret.

“It’s very difficult being left in the dark,” said Councillor Bernie Morelli, who represents the area where Ivor Wynne Stadium is located.

Added Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson, chair of the Pan Am Stadium sub-committee: “We don’t have enough information,” said Ferguson. “I’m very uncomfortably with the secrecy.”

City staff, though, are privy to some budget, design, and cost information from the proponents, but they are required to keep the information from the public because they signed a confidentiality agreement insisted by the province. Representatives from Infrastructure Ontario were asked to appear before the committee May 28, but Ferguson said they declined the invitation.

Gerry Davis, general manager of public works, said city staff is obligated to operate under the secretive restrictions. But he assured Ferguson that they are protecting Hamilton’s interests.

“I understand your frustrations,” said Davis. “We are not sitting back. We are poking holes. There are still unanswered questions. Questions like, can we afford it?”

Hamilton council established a $45 million budget ceiling for the stadium. If the project’s design’s costs are higher than the city’s contribution, politicians will have to re-consider the city’s contribution to the stadium.

Tony Tollis, the city’s treasurer, said the new stadium needs to meet three priorities: the use of the stadium; the proposed design, and the city and province’s final budget.

The prequalified three firms that have submitted bids are consortiums composed of national and internal companies. They are Bird Turner Stadium Company, Ontario Sports Solutions and United Sports.

Construction on the new stadium isn’t scheduled to begin until Dec. 2, 2012, with a substantial completion of the project expected by July 1, 2014.

Meanwhile, Coralee Secore, manager of the city’s Pan Am Initiatives, said it’s possible McMaster University’s Ron Joyce Stadium could be used as a practice facility for soccer during the Pan Am Games. Ian Troop, chief executive officer for Toronto 2015, identified Burlington’s New City Park as a possible practice location. Hamilton will be hosting 48 games during the two-week spectacle at Ivor Wynne, which translates into about three games per day.

Secore also added that Hamilton isn’t expected get any events when the Parapan Games begin following the Pan Am Games.

 

While I'm posting stadium design rumours (new Regina Stadium=Arena Lviv) another one floating out there is that the new Hamilton Stadium (22,500/152 million) will resemble University of North Texas' Apogee Stadium (30,850/78 million)

Apogee Stadium

 

From what I understand and this could be all BS (I don't know) one of the bidders submitted a proposal that looks like Apogee stadium without the crown shaped stand on the right. This photo better illustrates it



The bidders were given representative drawings as guidelines and that looked something like this


None of the Hamilton bidding designs are too inspiring (I hope I am wrong). If we start talking about Saskatchewan that's a different story. Now, if I could only get a mod to change the name of the Saskatchewan thread (asking for the sixth time)

 

Soccer fans like end seats, football fans don't, these are primarily football stadiums. Conversely, Regina fans are upset that their football stadium may more resemble a soccer stadium.

Hamilton looks like it will have a large scoreboard at one end with stands below and stands at the other end. It won't have both ends wide open.

As for Ottawa, it looks to be mostly open ends and I don't know what the soccer fans feel about Winnipeg (but it's pretty impressive)

 

That's true until Saskatchewan pips it. And I'm not even a Saskatchewanian (if that's what they are called)

I think there is some confusion with some of these stadium expansion numbers. They are expandable to 40 not 50 thousand, so in the case of Winnipeg that is 6500 more seats most of which to go in the white end areas

 

Hamilton had a similar situation to Ottawa. They were just going to rebuild one side and refurbish the other at IW until they found out one side wouldn't be able to accommodate seat back chairs. If they had benches on one side and nice new chairs on the other that would create a have and have not kind of stadium. They then decided to demolish the whole thing and rebuild at a smaller capacity for the same amount of money.

Ottawa is going to have the new side with the funky veil and amenities while the other side will get new seats and a new roof. Not sure how have and have not it will be. I guess the old Southsider/Northsider rivalry has kind of switched.

 

With about a week to go the rumour mill around the new Hamilton stadium is getting a little clearer. Nothing to be either excited or upset about, expect something along the traditional lines like Mosaic in Regina and Canad Inns in Winnipeg except better. Really not much more to it.

 

22,500 is the size to be delivered by Infrastructure Ontario. People keep mentioning and lamenting this but there is nothing stopping the Cats or the city of Hamilton (whoever has the money) to increase the capacity at a later date.

And there's lots of room at the ends (good for soccer, bad for football)

Now how's aboot that Regina stadium, looks a lot like Man City, coincidence? since the same guy designed both.

 

Pan Am stadium plan rollout soon
More comfort, cup holders, shorter lineups and a high tech environment
stadium concept

Expect Hamilton's new Pan Am stadium to provide greatly upgraded seating, vastly improved restrooms and food concessions, as well as some protection for fans from rain and sun and a signature look in design or theme.

But look, too, for advanced technology in terms of the scoreboard, ramped-up Wi-Fi, and perhaps interactive elements for fans. Those elements are all part of the forecast based on recent stadium development in North America.

We'll soon know for sure what the boiling stadium controversy of 2009 to 2011 has produced. Infrastructure Ontario is sticking to a vague “late this month” timing for naming the winning build/design/finance team.

But sources at City Hall and close to the Tiger-Cats say a grand public rollout of the stadium design is in the works for Oct. 12 at Ivor Wynne Stadium during half time of the Ticats game against the B.C. Lions.

Whenever, it's fair to ask if the Great Stadium Debate II will break out. Another riveting public dispute, though short-lived, could erupt if enough people don't like the design, the cost or the functionality of the estimated $150-million Pan Am facility. Remember, all but $9 million are public dollars, meaning just about everyone will pay for it one way or another, through the city's Future Fund and provincial and federal taxes.

And stadiums stand alone among public buildings for their lack of flexibility and limited use. A recent survey of major sports venues in North America found only one made economic sense. Los Angeles' Staples Center, run by entertainment giant AEG, recorded the most use. It was booked 250 days a year.

Ward 3 councillor Bernie Morelli, whose political patch includes the new Ivor Wynne, says the facility must engage the public in one form or another 365 days a year to make sense.

“Otherwise we're missing the boat,” he says. “We blew off two fields (old Ivor Wynne and Brian Timmis due to the new north-south field alignment) to get one (Pan Am). We lost one soccer field because of the stadium development. My cry is this — we need flexibility in this facility.”

Toronto 2015 CEO Ian Troop, who still has a few scars from the debate on stadium location, said the stadium development provides Hamilton with a “cost-effective” opportunity to provide a long legacy to the community.

“This is the new home of the Tiger-Cats, but it's also an opportunity to build a home for soccer in the future. And I know the city is spending a lot of time thinking through how it can serve the community there, to make it a positive departure point in terms of legacy.”

Maximizing use was one of the dilemmas facing the three competing design teams who joined with builders and financial partners to make the short list trying to win the stadium contract.

They competed for it along with Milton's velodrome, and the track and field facility at York University, in a bundled bid process.

That's over $200 million worth of work, which is why it has drawn some of the leading sports-facility designers in the world.

Folks in Minneapolis-St. Paul got to see some of their work recently when the five firms competing to design a $1-billion stadium for the Minnesota Vikings rolled out examples of previous work in a public forum.

Two of them were Populous and HKS Architects, who are part of design teams vying for the new Hamilton stadium.

Populous conceived London's Olympic stadium among its many high-profile facilities, while HKS designed Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

Populous is paired with Kasian Architecture in one bid group, HKS with ZAS Architects in another. The third design group includes Cannon Design, which also has Olympic experience including the award-winning 2010 Olympics' Richmond Oval. Faulkner Browns Architects of England, a leading velodrome designer, and Arup Associates were the other firms.

Bob Johnston, of Cannon, was an adviser to Hamilton's Commonwealth bids and the Pan Am stadium component in the early bid process; and Cannon advises the Canadian Football League on stadium matters.

The winning concept will be awarded by Infrastructure Ontario, the provincial agency overseeing 2015 Pan Am Games' venue construction.

So, what does $150 million get you these days in a stadium that seats 22,000 people for soccer and football?

Based on recent stadium construction and the needs of tenants like the Tiger-Cats, a pro soccer team and training academy as well as community uses, here's some basics:

• Minimum 19-inch-wide seats and up to 21 inches for regular seating with armrests and cup holders.

Club seating, an upgrade from regular seats, which include access to lounges with catered food and drink, to be 22 to 24 inches wide with padding. Suite seating would be a further upgrade depending on the client.

• Larger and perhaps double the number of restrooms with quick access from seating.
• More efficient concessions with easy access from seating.
• Sightlines and proximity to the field that come close to duplicating Ivor Wynne. With a minimum 70-yard width to accommodate Pan Am soccer versus 65 yards for football, Ticat fans will likely be further from the action at the new stadium, unless the design includes seating sections that can retract.
• Most modern stadiums feature fixed or suspended roof sections that spare many fans rain and protect them from the sun, while still letting light through.
• Large and modern dressing rooms for two pro football and two pro soccer teams, as well as smaller rooms for minor sports.
• Flexibility to add temporary seating for special events like the Grey Cup.
• Wi-Fi capability so 22,000 fans can use wireless devices to search game statistics as well as conduct personal business.
• As many as 32 camera positions for special TV events, as well as an in-house TV studio.
• Prime positions for suites likely means press, radio and TV boxes will be moved to the corners, away from the traditional 55-yard-line positions.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, waste diversion and recycling and efficient use of energy and water.
• A signature flourish in design or theme that says Hamilton, a demanding element in a city that is evolving.
• Community use in the form of space for health and wellness programs and space that complements future recreation development in the area surrounding the stadium.

Recent stadium development to look at when speculating on the new Ivor Wynne (the name will be determined by whoever the Ticats can sell naming rights to) include Winnipeg's new home for the Blue Bombers and two new college facilities in Texas.

The CFL's director of events and promotions, points to the stadium at University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, as a prototype for the league.

Curt Emerson, who has been compiling a blueprint for what the league needs in new stadia, called it “a model stadium, which would work well in our league with the technology they have put into it.”

The 30,000-seat Apogee Stadium, designed by HKS, is broadcast friendly and set up to help the school maximize game-day revenues.

It is also the centrepiece of an athletic campus that was awarded the platinum certification by Leadership in Energy and Design (LEED). It employs small wind turbines to offset its power use. Monitoring of the wind-power piece is part of the academic curriculum.

Infrastructure Ontario set out a LEED silver level of certification as the goal for the Hamilton stadium.

Apogee features 21 luxury suites, 750 club seats, banquet space and a team-spirit apparel store.

Winnipeg's $190-million, 33,000-seat facility on the University of Manitoba campus, meantime, boasts eight acres of roof to protect fans and a full-time restaurant.

Investor's Group Field has 28 restrooms (two 120 feet-by-30 feet), video scoreboards, 250 high definition TV throughout the stadium, and has a sunken bowl design with the field 25-feet below entrances.

The $163-million remake of Texas Christian University's 40,000-seat stadium in Fort Worth was conceived by HKS, and features southwest art deco touches in keeping with the campus, and weaves the history of the university and Fort Worth throughout the facility.

And to add perspective, consider the $60-million, 18,000-seat high school, yes high school, stadium in Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

It opened last month to serve the Allen Eagles, but it also has a training centre for wrestling and an indoor golf area.

 

Pan Am Stadium unveiling comes next month
CHML 9/26/2012

The drawings of Hamilton's Pan Am Stadium will be unveiled on October 12th.

City and government officials, including those from Infrastructure Ontario, will be in town to show residents what the facility will look like.

The groundbreaking is expected to occur once the Hamilton Tiger-Cats season is over in November.

The Pan Am Stadium is expected to be completed by July 1st 2014.