Saskatoon CFL Team under discussion

[blacktrojan3921]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskat...toon-1202.html

Could Saskatchewan someday be home to two Canadian Football League teams?

Management at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon have confirmed they've been pursuing a CFL franchise for the city since 2009.

The revelation is found in two recent lawsuits filed against the entertainment venue.

Rich Gabruch, the chair of the Centre's board of directors, confirmed that employees went to Texas to look at stadiums.

"Management, I think, considered a trip to an NFL facility as useful to determine what kind of facility needs we had to put together a full package for that project to determine if it was feasible," Gabruch said.

Gabruch took over the CFL file for the Centre last summer.

The lawsuits were filed this week by two senior managers who were fired for what the board says was an unauthorized trip to Phoenix.

The managers said the trip was similar to other authorized trips and part of the mission pertained to a possible CFL franchise and stadium project.

Would be pretty sweet, but I don't think it will happen for at least a decade. But if they can pull it off, I am hoping that they will be called the Saskatoon Miners in referrence to the uranium mining business Saskatchewan is well known for

[J-MAN]

I could see Saskatoon getting a CFL team! More competition for our good ol Blue Bombers!

[Chaps]

Sounds like it's pretty much a done deal!

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Chaps

Sounds like it's pretty much a done deal!

If you're using Migs' definition of "done deal", then you are correct

[Welkin]

Originally Posted by Bdog

If you're using Migs' definition of "done deal", then you are correct

We have not heard from Migs and all his "insider information" and "done deals" for awhile. I hope he is doing well.

[The Jabroni]

Oh great, two against one!!

HALP!!

[armorand93]

Oh yes, the Saskatoon Miners and the Regina Riders

The latter shall be an field day for dirty minds all across Canada

[Crisis]

Lots of discussion about this topic in Western Expresso. I'd think this thread will fade away pretty quick.

[roccerfeller]

It would be nice, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. As I said in the Western Espresso thread, the Riders seem to be well supported in Toon town, but there are too many variables to consider currently. Stadium, Ownership, market effect on Regina & Roughriders (which has arguably the best fan support in the CFL)...Ottawa and Atlantic Canada would get teams before.

It would be nice to see Preseason games in Toon or something like that thought. I know the issue of a home game would be tricky, given sponsorships, rights, STH base and most obviously lack of a CFL stadium, and not go through but Preseason could work, non?

Temporary seating in the Huskies stadium could work. Expand it up for one Preseason game or something. Something to make the Saskatoon crowd more vested.

[djforsberg]

The only way they would play games in Saskatoon is if they were desperate to attract new fans. Otherwise it would do more harm financially than good. As everyone knows over 2/3rds of Mosaic is sold out even before the the season starts so playing games elsewhere isn't on the cards any time soon. Nor is a team in Saskatoon.

[Echoes]

The Saskatoon Isotopes?

[jigglysquishy]

Nope

Nope

Nope

Do people not remember that it was only ten years ago that the Riders have terrible support?

The only reason the Rider's are a success is because we pull fans province wide. If we split the fans up then both teams will flop.

[drm310]

Mayor says CFL file 'closed'
City will not get involved at this point

By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix
February 2, 2012 9:05 AM

Attracting a Canadian Football League franchise to Saskatoon is not a priority unless the private sector resurrects the concept, Mayor Don Atchison said Tuesday.

"I think, quite frankly, at this point in time the file is closed right now unless the private sector comes forward," Atchison said.

"It's the private sector that would have to bring a team to Saskatoon, not the city, not the taxpayers."

Atchison sought to add context to the debate on a Saskatoon-based CFL franchise that erupted this week after court documents filed by two fired senior Credit Union Centre (CUC) managers said senior staff at the city-owned arena were examining the possibility of a football stadium and team.

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/sports...526/story.html

[SkydivePilot]

Saskatoon won't see a CFL franchise. (Eastern Canada will see one first.) If anything, Saskatoon should pursue an NHL team instead. Merely having this thread on SSP is a waste of space and is superfluous.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

Saskatoon won't see a CFL franchise. (Eastern Canada will see one first.) If anything, Saskatoon should pursue an NHL team instead. Merely having this thread on SSP is a waste of space and is superfluous.

The chances fo Toon getting a CFL franchise are exponentially larger than an NHL team.

[Brutopian]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

Nope

Nope

Nope

Do people not remember that it was only ten years ago that the Riders have terrible support?

The only reason the Rider's are a success is because we pull fans province wide. If we split the fans up then both teams will flop.

This notion that the Riders have to depend on "province-wide" support for viability is, I believe, a myth.

First, the facts: According to Global News on Feb 1st, 45% of the Roughriders' season ticket base comes from outside Regina. 10% of the season ticket base comes from Saskatoon.

My guess is that most of the season ticket holders from outside Regina hail from southern Saskatchewan. If that is the case, then that busts a lot of myths that the season ticket support for the Riders is "province-wide." Busting that myth would certainly reinforce for me that Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan could attain a season ticket fan base on its own to sustain a CFL team in Saskatoon.

In my opinion, if Saskatoon got a CFL franchise, the impact of 2,500 - 3,000 Rider season ticket holders from Saskatoon possibly switching to support the Saskatoon franchise would have a marginal effect on the Riders.

[D-dog]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

This notion that the Riders have to depend on "province-wide" support for viability is, I believe, a myth.

First, the facts: According to Global News on Feb 1st, 45% of the Roughriders' season ticket base comes from outside Regina. 10% of the season ticket base comes from Saskatoon.

My guess is that most of the season ticket holders from outside Regina hail from southern Saskatchewan. If that is the case, then that busts a lot of myths that the season ticket support for the Riders is "province-wide." Busting that myth would certainly reinforce for me that Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan could attain a season ticket fan base on its own to sustain a CFL team in Saskatoon.

In my opinion, if Saskatoon got a CFL franchise, the impact of 2,500 - 3,000 Rider season ticket holders from Saskatoon possibly switching to support the Saskatoon franchise would have a marginal effect on the Riders.

I think the bigger problem would be splitting up sponsorship between the two teams. Never mind having to buid two 30k plus stadiums for a Province of slightly over 1 million people. There should be no discussion of another team for Saskatchewan for at least 20 years.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

This notion that the Riders have to depend on "province-wide" support for viability is, I believe, a myth.

First, the facts: According to Global News on Feb 1st, 45% of the Roughriders' season ticket base comes from outside Regina. 10% of the season ticket base comes from Saskatoon.

My guess is that most of the season ticket holders from outside Regina hail from southern Saskatchewan. If that is the case, then that busts a lot of myths that the season ticket support for the Riders is "province-wide." Busting that myth would certainly reinforce for me that Saskatoon and northern Saskatchewan could attain a season ticket fan base on its own to sustain a CFL team in Saskatoon.

In my opinion, if Saskatoon got a CFL franchise, the impact of 2,500 - 3,000 Rider season ticket holders from Saskatoon possibly switching to support the Saskatoon franchise would have a marginal effect on the Riders.

You didn't really bust any myths. You just said 45% of season ticket holders are from outside Regina. That sounds pretty province wide to me.

The only thing that busted the myth was your assumption that most of those are from Southern SK. And that is simply an assumption and you provided nothing to back that up. So not really a busted myth if its based solely on you assuming that its not true

[Irvin]

I would like to weigh on this debate by saying that putting a CFL franchise in Saskatoon in the near future doesn't have much merit. The Huskies only recently are getting good crowds, and most cities much bigger than Saskatoon can't fill their stadiums. I know football fans in Sask are die hard Rider fans. I left Saskatchewan 31 years ago and remain a loyal Rider fan. I much prefer the idea that Saskatoon eventually get a nice stadium (my preference would be - where the Holiday Park Golf course now sits) and have a couple of the Rider games there each year. Even though I'm much more of a football than Hockey fan - Saskatoon should set it sights on a NHL franchise when it hits around 400,000.

[Brutopian]

Originally Posted by cheswick

You didn't really bust any myths. You just said 45% of season ticket holders are from outside Regina. That sounds pretty province wide to me.

The only thing that busted the myth was your assumption that most of those are from Southern SK. And that is simply an assumption and you provided nothing to back that up. So not really a busted myth if its based solely on you assuming that its not true

The fact is that 1% of Saskatoon's metro population is willing to purchase Rider season tickets and spend four hours on the highway to go see a Rider game nine times a year. Saskatoon is approx 250 km from Regina. If so few people (i.e., season ticket holders) are coming to Rider games from Saskatchewan's largest city (a place that has 30% of Saskatchewan's population) which happens to be 250 km away, it isn't that difficult to deduce that the highest support for the team must come from settlements located within a closer radius to Regina. I don't know what that radius is. I'm guessing the bulk of the non-Regina season ticket holders live within a 150km radius of Regina. I am going to contact the Riders and ask them to divulge exactly where its non-Regina season ticket base resides. Do you think they'll tell me? After all, they are a community-owned team, right? Perhaps they could share this info with the community.