BC Place: Stadium Refurbishment | Completed

[osirisboy]

Originally Posted by Crows

I'l be watching.

Lol yea because that's really what you see when they are playing

[jlousa]

No it's been announced as the first world cup final on turf. There is a push to move to turf. We'll see some players complain but I think we'll see more and more turf games as time progresses. I know I prefer modern turf over almost any grass field.

[Prometheus]

I'm not so certain that they won't change their minds and lay down some temporary grass for the tournament. The turf in BC Place is inferior to grass and doesn't look very good. Right from the begining, the turf wasn't of a very nice colour (it's more brownish green than bright grass green) and it has been made even worse by the reddish stains left by the painted field advertising used by the BC Lions (and all the other trauma it receives from the other events held at BC Place, despite the protective covering used in such cases).

This is the World Cup and it will be watched by tens of millions from around the wold. I think the organizers will think twice about not pulling out all the stops to make sure things feel and look their best. If it is feasible to lay down some temporary grass, I am willing to bet that they will do so.

[officedweller]

Read the excerpt above...
And the article says that it's a concern for the men, but not the women.
I guess men stomp harder?

[Prometheus]

I think we all did read it.

As I said, I am not totally convinced that they won't change their minds, if it is feasible to do so, primarily for the aesthetics.

It is likely that the Whitecaps will host a friendly against a prestigious EPL team before then, which will tell us whether grass is feasible and significantly more attractive. If it is, I wouldn't be suprised if World Cup orgainizers reverse themselves for 2015.

[officedweller]

http://www.news1130.com/2013/04/24/n...zing-bc-place/

NDP would consider privatizing BC PlaceNDP would create an expert panel to look at the possibility
Jason Howe and The Canadian Press
April 24, 2013 9:28 am

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The leader of the NDP says they would consider selling BC Place if elected next month.

Adrian Dix made the announcement while overlooking BC Place.

He says they would set up a panel to review the BC Pavilion Corporation, which operates BC Place and the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Dix says the review would include the possible sale of the stadium. “If the private sector can do a better job running BC Place while freeing taxpayers of millions of dollars in losses and reducing public debt, we’ve got a win-win.”

“BC Place and the Trade and Convention Centre are symbols of the misplaced priorities of the BC Liberals,” says Dix. “Massive cost overruns on construction and renovations, along with a bungled naming rights deal, have saddled taxpayers with a mountain of debt.”

The panel would be asked to report back in three months after being put together. It would be made up of people from the private sector and community leaders.

Dix says PavCo has accumulated $1.2-billion in debt, most of that during renovations to the BC Place roof. He predicts it will have operational losses of nearly $60 million over the next three years.

He says an NDP government would rather spend that cash on hospitals or social programs.

Liberal leader Christy Clark is dismissing the NDP proposal as nothing more than a gimmick.

She says no viable buyer has ever been identified. “If the government had considered it a surplus asset and there had been a buyer that was willing to pay for it, it might have been something the government might have considered over the last 12 years.”

Clark is also attacking Dix for dismissing a plan to double the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline to Burnaby before a formal proposal is even put forward, saying that kind of attitude scares away jobs.

[jlousa]

As much as I don't like government getting into businesses they don't belong in, the fact is this cost us a ton of money and we won't be able to recoop those costs by selling it, and we will lose long term control of the stadium. Think it's a bad move at this point. It almost reeks of tit for tat for the fast ferry offloading.

[queetz@home]

Originally Posted by jlousa

As much as I don't like government getting into businesses they don't belong in, the fact is this cost us a ton of money and we won't be able to recoop those costs by selling it, and we will lose long term control of the stadium. Think it's a bad move at this point. It almost reeks of tit for tat for the fast ferry offloading.

Well I do agree that the roof was totally an example of misplaced priorities by the BC Liberals, and the fact that they did it anyway but cried poverty on things such as transit funding, or the usual social programs, it simply doesn't resonate well with people. So its no surprise that they will likely loose the election even though for me, they are still a lesser of two evils.

But yeah...it looks like its payback time for how the BC Liberals ditched the fast ferries on such a low price, seemingly on purposes, just to spite the BC NDP. And at the end of the day, only us taxpayers will loose at the end....sad.

[spm2013]

Just a way to get their press op on the news. Nothing will happen since there are no buyers, unless they give it for $1 to the Lions and Whitecaps.

[Stingray2004]

Rogers bought Toronto's superior Skydome for $25 million. It even has the Toronto Blue Jays as a tenant.

http://www.tsn.ca/story/print/?id=106352

Looks like non-scientific online polls are massively against this move. Ditto for
the convention centre.

BC CTV News:

Do you think selling BC Place is a good idea?

Yes 239 (24 %)

No 745 (76 %)

Total number of votes: 984

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/

Global BC News:

DO YOU AGREE WITH DIX'S PLAN TO SELL BC PLACE TO HELP REPAY PAVCO DEBT?

Yes 12.96% (147 votes)

No 87.04% (987 votes)

http://globalnews.ca/news/507405/dix...y-pavcos-debt/

[TwoFace]

The only way someone would buy BC Place would be, if it had this subject to clause attached to any offer made ...
"Subject to the buyer(s) being able to secure an NFL team within 3 years of acceptance of this offer"

[theKB]

Originally Posted by TwoFace

The only way someone would buy BC Place would be, if it had this subject to clause attached to any offer made ...
"Subject to the buyer(s) being able to secure an NFL team within 3 years of acceptance of this offer"

and it would be a snowy day in hell before we got an NFL team let alone an NFL team before Toronto.

No Canadian city has the population to support an NFL team aside from maybe Toronto.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by theKB

and it would be a snowy day in hell before we got an NFL team let alone an NFL team before Toronto.

No Canadian city has the population to support an NFL team aside from maybe Toronto.

My thought exactly, and even TO had problems selling out the Bill's games last year ... conclusion ... no sale.

[spm2013]

Selling BC Place doesn't have any traction compared to the media circus around the Fast Ferries. It's just a distraction for the NDP especially since most people don't see the benefits of selling it.

[logan5]

Wouldn't selling the stadium be like trying to trade Luongo?

No Canadian city has the population to support an NFL team aside from maybe Toronto.

Of all the team sports, the NFL would be the easiest for a small market to support. There are a handful of NFL cities that are smaller than Vancouver, so I think we could easily support a team. The stadium on the other hand is a little small for NFL standards.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by logan5

Wouldn't selling the stadium be like trying to trade Luongo?



Of all the team sports, the NFL would be the easiest for a small market to support. There are a handful of NFL cities that are smaller than Vancouver, so I think we could easily support a team. The stadium on the other hand is a little small for NFL standards.

I guess it's time to blow it up, and build a new stadium! LOL

[BIMBAM]

Originally Posted by logan5

Wouldn't selling the stadium be like trying to trade Luongo?



Of all the team sports, the NFL would be the easiest for a small market to support. There are a handful of NFL cities that are smaller than Vancouver, so I think we could easily support a team. The stadium on the other hand is a little small for NFL standards.

But those cities aren't competing with a CFL team. Why would we want to sacrifice the BC Lions and flip off the rest of the country just to play in the American league?

[spm2013]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

But those cities aren't competing with a CFL team. Why would we want to sacrifice the BC Lions and flip off the rest of the country just to play in the American league?

Like anyone would care.

[TwoFace]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

But those cities aren't competing with a CFL team. Why would we want to sacrifice the BC Lions and flip off the rest of the country just to play in the American league?

IF the Stadium was sold to a private entity, the NFL is about the only thing that could make financial sense to a potential buyer.
Just as an example the 2012 Grey Cup had a viewership of 5.8 Million and the Super Ball 166 Million.

It doesn't take a math whiz to see the advertising $$$ potential from one league to the next.
As much as I enjoy watching the Lions play Calgary over and over, I would prefer seeing the Lions (?) play the Cowboys or the Giants.

The Lions owner also owns the Argonauts, so he would be the guy that dictates the fate of the CFL, my interpretation is that he likes being a BIG fish in a small pond as opposed of being a SMALL fish in a large pond, so things should remain as is.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by TwoFace

IF the Stadium was sold to a private entity, the NFL is about the only thing that could make financial sense to a potential buyer.

Just as an example the 2012 Grey Cup had a viewership of 5.8 Million and the Super Ball 166 Million. It doesn't take a math whiz to see the advertising $$$ potential from one league to the next.

I love when people start talking about the NFL vs. the CFL.

In Canada, the Super Bowl was actually watched by 6.4 million English Canadians.

That's an impressive number but hardly surprising given the unparalleled media hype, international star power and Hollywood-like promotion and production that the world-famous Super Bowl enjoys. Moreover, the Super Bowl was broadcast nationally on CTV, which is received for free on every single television set across Canada.

How does the little old CFL, which is largely ignored or even actively marginalized by some influential Canadian media (i.e., Rogers), do in comparison? Despite its being broadcast exclusively on TSN, a specialty cable channel which must be subscribed to, the Grey Cup was watched by 5.5 million English Canadians. That's an extremely close second to what must be the biggest, most hyped, most famous annual event on earth.

And how does the CFL compare to the NFL, MLB and NBA on a weekly basis during the regular season?

The CFL is king. Here is a typical sample of the weekly television ratings for the CFL versus the NFL, MLB and NBA in 2012:

OCTOBER 19 - OCTOBER 25

CFL

HAM-CGY, Oct 20, TSN: 929, 000
EDM-BC, Oct 19, TSN: 729, 000
WPG-TOR, Oct 19, TSN: 688, 000
MTL-SSK, Oct 20, TSN: 720, 000

NFL

NYJ-NE, Oct 21, Citytv: 487, 000
PIT-CIN, Oct 21, TSN: 448, 000
DET-CHI,Oct 22, TSN: 560, 000

MLB (Playoffs)

SF-STL (g4), Oct 18, SN: 398, 000
SF-STL (g5), Oct 19, SN: 487, 000
STL-SF (g6), Oct 21, SN: 497, 000
STL-SF (g7), Oct 22, SN: 645, 000

All numbers are BBM Canada 2+

Source


OCTOBER 26 - OCTOBER 31

CFL

TOR-SSK, Oct 27, TSN: 1.026 million
BC-CGY, Oct 26, TSN: 701, 000
WPG-HAM, Oct 28, TSN: 672, 000
EDM-MTL, Oct 28, TSN: 546, 000

NFL

NO-DEN, Oct 28, TSN: 339, 000
SF-ARZ, Oct 29, TSN: 396, 000

NBA (Season Opener)

IND-TOR, Oct 31, TSN: 346, 000

MLB (World Series)

DET-SF (g1), Oct 24, SN: 801, 000
DET-SF (g2), Oct 25, SN: 729, 000
SF-DET (g3), Oct 27, SN: 779, 000
SF-DET (g4), Oct 28, SN: 792, 000

All numbers are BBM Canada 2+

Source


NOVEMBER 1 - NOVEMBER 6

CFL

HAM-TOR, Nov 1, TSN: 769, 000
CGY-EDM, Nov 2, TSN: 725, 000
MTL-WPG, Nov 2, TSN: 642, 000
SSK-BC, Nov 3, TSN: 828, 000

NFL

KC-SD, Nov 1, SN: 213, 000
DAL-ATL, Nov 4, TSN: 577, 000
PHI-NO, Nov 5, TSN: 580, 000

NBA

TOR-BRK, Nov 3 SN: 185, 000
TOR-OKC, Nov 6, TSN: 91, 000

All numbers BBM Canada 2+

Source