Daring to dream Bold first step on stadium project taken By FRANK LANDRY, LEGISLATURE REPORTER http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/12/22/793057-sun.html "In a matter of years, Winnipeg may have a new 30,000-seat stadium on the western edge of the city. An ambitious plan was unveiled yesterday to look at the feasibility of constructing a $165-million "destination complex" at the 450-acre Red River Exhibition Park on Portage Avenue west of the Perimeter Highway."
Looks very promising. Hope it gets on the go. Hope they dont take as Long as they did to get MTS on the Go. I firmly belive had they built MTS in the early 90's and not dragged thier feet the jets would still be in Winnipeg.
Obviously those people in Winnipeg haven't been reading their rule book. Don't they know that you can't build a new football stadium in North America without somewhere mentioning the possibility of getting a MLS team? I have half a mind to report them to the committee.
I believe Don Garber already has quotes prepared: "Yes, we've been in discussions with groups interesting in putting a MLS expansion team in (put name of your city here). We feel that a team in (put name of your city here) would be an excellent addition to our league and a sure-fire success. You can expect an announcement in the very near future about our plans."
I live in Phoenix and I was just wondering if you guys up in Winnipeg want your hockey team back. Quite frankly I could do without them and maybe that would give us room down here for a MLS team!
Tell them not to hold their breath. Though, there are still Brooklynites who hold out a faint hope that the Dodgers might return.
Dome for Winnipeg? Move it indoors Bombers need better facility http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Friesen/2005/01/24/908617.html "Winnipeg is embarking on a new era in professional sports. Never before have our three existing teams been healthier -- two have new facilities and the third is looking at building one."
That stadium kind of reminds me of a more modern, better looking variation of Olympic Stadium in Montreal. It's kind of cool looking, I have to say.
No...and in all honesty I don't see soccer figuring into this stadium much. if soccer games were to be staged there, they would be second fiddle to the Bombers, and you know what that means (soccer with gridiron lines on the field). Not an ideal for the MLS. However, it could be good for Canadian NT's and a team in USL 1 or a new Canadian league. As far as new soccer planned stadiums in Canada, I know that Toronto's has soccer in mind. Talks of a new, cozier stadium in Edmonton definitely has soccer in mind. As far as an SSS in Canada, only if it were really small.
Turf's up!: The Lions will finally get their field of dreams, Montreal's old turf Tks to Andrew at Voyageurs for headsup Turf's up!: The Lions will finally get their field of dreams, Montreal's old turf http://www.canada.com/vancouver/the....html?id=7d48a029-1460-458d-8b19-1fe09d57c560 Lowell Ullrich The Province Tuesday, February 08, 2005 The old playing surface at B.C. Place Stadium, which has been blamed for countless Lions injuries, will thankfully be turfed. Cory Mantyka said late-season practices are about to become tolerable. Javy Glatt said film sessions will never look the same. And Wally Buono is about to be given a gift at the most opportune time possible, just in advance of CFL free agency. Finally, the Lions can look forward with certainty to the installation of an artificial surface to replace the aging carpet at B.C. Place Stadium. Two Eastern Canadian sources confirmed terms of a deal have been negotiated, which will eventually result in the surface at Montreal's Olympic Stadium being shipped to the False Creek dome. Stadium officials did not return calls, and an announcement confirming a signed contract is not expected for some time. The Crown-controlled facility had its unionized work force go on strike Sunday, blocking any immediate attempt to move the synthetic surface owned by Montreal-based FieldTurf. However, upon resolution of the labour dispute and a signed deal, the carpet will arrive long before the Lions' first preseason game in mid-June. Although the football team has objected to providing partial funding for a purchase, saying the turf is a stadium matter, a new surface has been high on their wish list for several years. Players around the league for years have complained about the lack of flexibility in the current surface. It forced the Lions routinely to think twice about leaving their soggy grass field practice surface in Surrey during wet weather. "Now when we get into October and November and Wally doesn't want to practise on the boat launch any more it will be easier," said Mantyka, whose 12th CFL season ended with arm surgery after he was hurt in the dome. "It's tough on your body [at B.C. Place]. You'd do something for 15 minutes and all of a sudden a knee or back is aching." Glatt's ACL surgery last year was a direct result of an injury suffered due to the unforgiving nature of the turf. "This is definitely good news," said the linebacker. "We were the only team in the league that when you watch film of our games it looks like the '80s." The surface to be installed, which will be stored on movable trays, could have benefits beyond the Lions' needs. The stadium will be in a better position to host international soccer matches, as FieldTurf has the blessing of the game's governing body, FIFA. "For those types of games it certainly can't hurt," said Vancouver Whitecaps director of operations Bob Lenarduzzi. Teams won't be playing on a new surface. The rug being acquired by B.C. Place was installed last April at the Big O under a loan agreement by FieldTurf prior to the final season of baseball's Montreal Expos. Nonetheless, word of new turf just before the start of free agency Feb. 16 gives the Lions a large recruiting lift. "When we talked to [ex-free agent running back] Mike Pringle, one of the reasons he wouldn't come here was that playing at B.C. Place took too much of a toll on his body," said Buono. "But the advantages in free agency are second to our own [players'] wear and tear. This is a big thing for us."
Tray system for SkyDome Rogers that Renaming of 'Dome expected By PERRY LEFKO -- Toronto Sun http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/.../02/917971.html Toronto Blue Jays owners Rogers Communications will rename the stadium. The new owner of the SkyDome is about to give its field of dreams a new name and a whole new look. Rogers Communications will announce today the home of the Blue Jays will be re-christened, most likely as Rogers Field. It is similar to the moniker used by the now-defunct Toronto Phantoms of the Arena Football League, a team partly owned by Rogers, when they played at the Air Canada Centre. While there had been speculation Rogers might sell off the naming rights to the stadium to recoup some of the $25 million or so it spent to buy SkyDome from Sportsco, a source said it made more sense to use the company name because it will apply to other events at the venue. Removing the name SkyDome will signify a new era for the building, which has lost its modern lustre and appeal. The once-popular JumboTron will be replaced by a state-of-the-art, wraparound scoreboard. And the synthetic turf will be moved out in favour of the popular FieldTurf ersatz grass surface at a cost of just under $2 million. The turf, which is manufactured by a Montreal-based company, can be moved around on individual pallets and refigured for other events, such as football. It will be different than the surface installed last year by the Argos.
This is the key issue Now that Toronto and Vancouver have tray systems how will each handle the line marking issue? In Toronto the Jays are the main tenant and for two years they are going to be putting on football markings and taking them off for baseball. How? Paint? Additional pallets? The Jays are not going to want any football lines showing so however they are going to do it is probably going to be foolproof. Hopefully better than the efforts I've seen in Ottawa. This could have a great bearing on soccer in Canada. Taylor Field in Regina will be getting a new surface as well
Asper will present proposal tomorrow Tough sell ahead Asper will present proposal tomorrow By PAUL FRIESEN http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Winnipeg/2007/01/13/3342290-sun.html David Asper has quite a sell job on his hands, and it begins tomorrow. The executive vice-president of CanWest Global Communications will meet tomorrow with the full board of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to present his vision for the future of the club, the Sun has learned. It's a vision that includes Asper taking over part, or all, of the CFL franchise, which has been community-owned for 76 years. A former Bomber board chairman himself, Asper's proposal is expected to include an offer to contribute toward the construction of a new, partially covered stadium at the Polo Park site. This will be the 11-person board's first look at the proposal, which Asper initially floated last May. The stadium plan will be enticing. Asper will propose a 28,000- to 30,000-seat facility, complete with private luxury suites, indoor washrooms and concessions and covered seating areas, but a field open to the elements. The estimated cost of the stadium: $100-$120 million, some of which would likely be public funds. The Bombers desperately need the new facility to increase revenue. But Asper faces a tough sell in convincing board members to privatize the team. "At this point, the board is still committed to public ownership," chairman Ken Hildahl told the Sun in a recent interview. "But we've got to keep an open mind." At this point, Asper's proposal is the only one on the table. But the Bombers are preparing to put out a formal call for others, including proposals for commercial development on the existing stadium site, which the team controls. Hildahl has previously said the ownership of the team may not even be on the table when all is said and done. He also made it clear where he stands, personally, on the issue. "I'm a die-hard Winnipeg Football Club fan who loves the tradition of public ownership," he said. "I also want to make sure whatever we decide on, there's football for my kids and grandkids. "My preference, no question, is public ownership. But there may be a different model here that benefits the team." Reached yesterday, Hildahl says Asper's proposal will be taken "under advisement." Previously, he's said he'd like a decision on the issue within six to 10 months. He also promised, in an interview last week, not to make a back-room deal without input from the team's fan base. "There's been a lot of volunteer effort put in over the years," Hildahl said. "We'll hold a fairly extensive consultation with the public and football fans. Just to get their input." The final decision, though, will come from the board, made up of community leaders and business people, including former player Joe Poplawski and Red River Exhibition boss Paul Robson, a former player and GM. Asper has long been a supporter of the franchise, through his family-owned media conglomerate. He was Bomber chairman during the club's restructuring six years ago, when it got on the road to financial recovery. His stint as a board member, though, wasn't without controversy. CONFRONTATION During the 2005 season, Asper got into a heated confrontation with then-head coach Jim Daley after a loss to Saskatchewan that effectively ended the team's playoff hopes. The incident led to Asper's resignation from the board. This past season, he served as co-chairman of the Grey Cup committee, throwing a media party at his Wellington Crescent mansion to kick off the week. There's little question Asper has deep enough pockets to run a team in the CFL. What kind of owner would he make? Bomber board members will begin mulling that over tomorrow.
more importantly what this means for soccer fans in canada is that we will have another world class facility and be one step closer to hosting a world cup. especially if brasil isn't selected (as they have bid). mls team would be great too! hope it happens. good luck winnipeg!
i don't think it would be big enough for a world cup game unless the can temporarily expand it. i think the world cup minimum is 35-40k
Since the design has changed from the one on the first page of this thread, here are pics from the new plan. Much nicer than the original "toilet seat" design.