The new argument for a stadium in Halifax might actually work
Drew Edwards 3downnation.com April 1, 2019

I’ve been something of a pessimist when it comes to the CFL’s expansion plans in Halifax, largely because I didn’t believe the group behind the project would be able to find the money to build a stadium.

Their initial plan hinged on being able to convince the municipal and provincial governments to give them something in the neighbourhood of $200 million to build a CFL-worthy facility: rich guys asking governments to support pro sports franchises – essentially to hand over wads of public money so they can get richer – is never a good look.

And sure enough, the noise coming from both Halifax regional council and the province was that public funding for a pro football stadium was essentially a non-starter. Sure, they voted to look at whatever Schooners Sports and Entertainment (SSE) came up with but the likelihood of a big financial ask getting approval seemed increasingly unlikely.

To their credit, SSE seems to have figured this out. SSE head Anthony LeBlanc told the assembled media after Saturday’s announcement that the group realized the old plan was political suicide.

“What we basically presented to city staff last fall and relayed to council … at that point we were at $170 to $190 million … this is a totally different model,” LeBlanc said. “That was a professional building based off what was recently built in Hamilton and Winnipeg. And we’ve said, ‘we get it. That’s just not going to happen here.’”

Instead, SSE has come up with a plan that involves the city and the province funding what amounts to a 12,000-seat community-use stadium with SSE paying out of their own pockets to add another 14,000 seats make it into a viable CFL facility.

It’s an unorthodox plan to be sure, but one that just might work.

Instead of asking politicians to fund a pro football stadium, they are being asked to support a stadium that will be used by a number of community sports organizations, including football, soccer and rugby. Getting Sport Nova Scotia on board was smart and CEO Jamie Ferguson spoke eloquently about the need for facilities and the role sports can play in the development of young hearts and minds.

So instead of asking politicians to pay for a football stadium for a pro team owned by rich guys and watched primarily by adults, the ask is now for a community stadium so kids (and adults) can play sports 300 days a year. That’s a far, far easier argument to make and it gives the politicians some much-needed cover: this isn’t about the CFL, it’s about the community.

It also shifts the discussion away from the supposed economic benefits of building a full-sized stadium – which have been largely debunked, in my opinion – and allows it to become more about the potential benefits to the larger community. Capital investments in things like sports fields or hockey rinks or art galleries or theatres aren’t just made with money in mind, they are made because they play a role in the social fabric of our communities.

Of course, just because it’s a better argument doesn’t mean it will work. Whether Halifax needs a 12,000-seat community stadium is a legitimate question, though the biggest facility in the city right now would appear to be the 6,500-seat Wanderers Grounds, the recently-renovated home of the new Canadian Premier League franchise: that’s pretty small for a city of 400,000-plus.

And the devil is always in the details. SSE has yet to submit a formal plan on how this all will actually work and there’s certainly no guarantee that any level of government – nevermind three – will sign on for this: the stadium will still require a significant amount of public investment and risk.

But while that hasn’t changed, the argument being put forward by SSE is infinitely better – so much so that they’ve actually given themselves and chance at succeeding.

^ A reasonable take. A full on pro stadium paid for by government seems like a non starter in Halifax, and I can't argue with that.

But if you use Moncton as the model for a community stadium aimed primarily at local/regional events but still also capable of holding national/international level events as necessary with expansion seating, then the argument for building that becomes much stronger.

Even if the CFL fails in Halifax, a 12,000 seat stadium in Halifax would be used for years to come by university sports teams, pro exhibition games, concerts, local amateur sports, etc. and it would not be some kind of giant financial albatross like having a 30,000 seat stadium with no major tenant that almost no one could fill.

That's why I am much more confident that this project will move forward.

The Argos announce that they're playing their preseason game at Varsity Stadium on a Thursday afternoon.

Where do I even begin here... first they give up one of their home games to the Touchdown Atlantic thing, now they make it all but impossible for regular fans to attend the preseason game and they'll fill the place with a few thousand kids instead.

I don't know how you can expect to build a fanbase when you make 20% of your home games inaccessible to them. At what point do you just make the Argos a road team only and be done with it.

If they have to sacrifice a pre season game to expose the game to a new audience, I'm all for it. I doubt the loyal fanbase would mind too much and if so they would likely find a way to see that game.

It's not about exposing the game to a new audience, it's about maximizing profit. And when you can make more by selling 5,000 discounted tickets to schoolchildren than you can by selling full priced tickets in your own stadium, then you are in terrible shape as a franchise.

It's not even like when they did this during the Skydome days, when they could use the excuse that there was a date conflict with the Jays or whatever. Toronto FC is on the road that weekend.

This should probably be a wakeup call to anyone who thinks that having the same ownership as the local NHL team is some kind of recipe for CFL success.

It may not be a recipe for success but the time and ability to keep paying the bills until the road to success is found is important too.

It's not about maximizing profit at all. There's absolutely no question that the Argos will take a loss by holding this game, but I highly doubt MLSE cares. The CFL has an aging fanbase and the teams need to start promoting themselves to a younger demographic. If you can get children and teenagers interested in the game, you're going to get an entire family's worth of tickets, and you're more likely to have fans that will grow up and continue to be fans for decades.

The Argos have announced several initiatives to do just that, and this is just the latest one. I guarantee in the long run this will mean more to the franchise's future than a pre-season game attended by a few thousand 50-year olds.

The Rick Howe Show - 12pm Monday, April 1, 2019

A plan to establish a CFL franchise in Atlantic Canada took a big step forward Saturday when Schooners Sports and Entertainment announced it had struck a tentative deal with a key property owner in the Halifax area. We talk about it with Atlantic Schooners founding partner Anthony Leblanc.

You answered your own question here, maximizing profits comes from not only revenue streams but also managing costs. The cost of opening and operating BMO field along with the turf rehab needed after the game is probably far more than having their 4K season ticket holders come in because we all know there would be no walk up crowd for a meaningless game. An adequately strong franchise would love to have preseason game that would bring in 15-20K fans for a test run on game day operations and sell some grub and suds on a nice June evening, unfortunately this isn't the case for the Argos right now.

I was at the last preseason game they had at Varsity and it was great. Packed house and 5 minutes walk from my front door. I'm sure it's just way cheaper to play there.

That's my point though, it's that the Argos have slid to the level where playing games in Varsity Stadium, in Moncton, pretty well anywhere but their alleged home stadium has become the rational short-term financial thing to do.

I have always heard cheerleading over the idea of CFL teams being owned by the same people who own NHL teams because it would supposedly usher in an era of deep pocketed, stable, "big time" ownership. But what is the good of that when the team is still subject to this kind of miserly penny pinching that ultimately hurts their image in the long run?

I'm not sure this is penny pinching vs trying to expand the game to an underexposed youth market. Most pre-season games get less than average crowds, so why have a lackluster 7-8K at BMO vs. exposing some kids to pre-season game at Varsity which will be a packed with 5K, which hopefully some kids think is fun and ask their parents to take them to another game

Canadian QB Michael O’Connor has scouts believing he should get an NFL shot
3Down Staff April 5, 2019

Canadian quarterback Michael O’Connor has scouts believing he should get an NFL shot.

“I think he’s definitely talented enough. We’ll see what he does with his opportunity,” Seattle Seahawks scout Jordan Roberts said after the University of British Columbia pro day.

“I think he’s talented enough it just depends on what happens with the draft and where teams line up and all that and how teams value him.”

Seeing O’Connor live at his current stage has teams buzzing about prototypical quarterback size and special arm talent. There are going to be scouts and coaches who look at O’Connor just because of his frame and the background he has in four-down football from Baylor School in Tennessee, IMG Academy in Florida and earning a scholarship to Penn State University.

“He’s a very bright kid, he’s very smart and that’s very exciting. All the coaches and scouts talk very highly of him, his intelligence and his preparation is something that was always brought up with coaches that I’ve talked to here,” Roberts said.

“He’s definitely talented, he’s got a really quick release and he’s got the frame that you’re looking for and he’s a really exciting prospect.”

The UBC pro day was the second workout of the week in front of pro scouts for O’Connor, who threw at the NFL International Player Pathway Pro Day held at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training facility on April 1 in front of scouts from more than 10 NFL teams.

At the end of March, O’Connor put his skills on display for every team in the CFL at the league’s annual national combine. Edmonton Eskimos head coach Jason Maas saw O’Connor throw live for the first time at the event in Toronto and after travelling to watch his pro day live believes the standout pivot “absolutely” has a chance to be a great Canadian QB.

“He just needs a chance, an opportunity. You never know when you’re going to get that in the pro game, so he’s gotta be ready for it, but he’s doing all the things to prepare for that. Obviously a great college career, you could see the work ethic he’s put in every day, it’s showing in his drills. He looks calm and collected and he looks like a leader when he’s out there, so that’s kind of the little things that you’re looking for – consistency. I’ve seen him throw twice now live and it looks the same, so that’s what you’re looking for,” Maas said.

“First you start with his size and smarts, watching him on film you see it in person how personable he is with his players, the command he has on the field leadership-wise, you can see that. Watching the arm strength and the accuracy that he has, great feet, good size – I think he’s going to translate very well to the pro level. His film doesn’t lie, you watch the film – smart. accurate and tough and consistent – I think he can do all those things.”

The B.C. Lions had a large contingent of coaches and evaluators in attendance to watch O’Connor in Vancouver. As CFL scouts dig into O’Connor, there is a growing belief he could earn a roster spot and even be a backup quarterback in the league from the jump.

“He’s very different, he’s very special. He’s a guy that has great upside and has great ability. His lineage going to IMG, going to Penn State, then coming here and winning a national championship and then his production level. Some of the tools he has: he’s a big kid, he’s fluid, he has a great football IQ,” Geroy Simon, Lions director of Canadian scouting, said.

“He definitely is different than most kids that come out of USports.”

New group interested in buying Montreal Alouettes
3Down Staff 3downnation April 8, 2019

A new potential buyer has emerged for the beleaguered Montreal Alouettes franchise, news that was first reported by living legend Herb Zurkowsky.

There’s not much public information on Starke, though this story from Dan Ralph at the Canadian Press says he is the 35-year-old CEO of Hampstead Private Capital, which appears to be registered in Bermuda and has “acted as a consultant, adviser and/or director to more than 15 publicly listed companies.”

According to Ralph, Starke has hired former CFL receiver Brad Smith – who is probably more famous as a Bachelor contestant – as a consultant. In addition to his playing career (16 catches in 19 games over two seasons with Toronto and Edmonton), Smith is the son of former Alouettes president Larry Smith.

“This is not purely a business decision, it’s a passion decision,” Smith told Ralph. “The guy wants the team and wants to do it for the right reasons.”

Meanwhile, the current state of the Alouettes remains as clear as mud. Zurkowsky tweeted on Friday that the Wettenhall family is out, a report that was contradicted by TSN’s Farhan Lalji. And former CFL player Eric Lapointe, who was part of a group trying to purchase the club, is out.

With the season right around the corner, you’d think the CFL would want to get this resolved soon…

https://i.imgur.com/cvJcxSI.png

Montreal businessman Clifford Starke to issue ‘intent to purchase’ Alouettes
Dan Ralph The Canadian Press April 8, 2019

Montreal businessman Clifford Starke will formally announce Thursday his “intent to purchase” the Montreal Alouettes.

Brad Smith, a former CFL receiver with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos, is a consultant with Starke’s potential ownership group and says the chairman of Hampstead Private Capital is “more than interested” in the Alouettes.

“This is not purely a business decision, it’s a passion decision,” he said. “The guy wants the team and wants to do it for the right reasons.”

Starke, 35, has acted as a consultant, adviser and/or director to more than 15 publicly listed companies.

Smith, also 35, and Starke grew up together in Montreal in the 2000s attending Alouettes games during a time when the team was a CFL powerhouse. From 2000-2010, the franchise appeared in eight Grey Cup games, winning three.

But the addition of Smith wasn’t made just for friendship reasons. Football has long been a cornerstone of his family as his father, Larry — currently a Conservative senator — played nine seasons with Montreal and later twice served as club president.

After overseeing the relocation of the franchise from Baltimore following the 1996 season as CFL commissioner, Larry Smith became Alouettes president in 1997 and held that post until 2001. Smith went on to become president and publisher of the Montreal Gazette from 2002 to 2004 before returning to the Alouettes. He remained until 2010, the last time the franchise captured the Grey Cup.

“It’s one of those things where he (Starke) has been very successful in a very short amount of time,” Brad Smith said. “And he’s chosen to want to take that success and put it into something that’s not necessarily a right-off-the-bat successful endeavour.

“You can tell this is for him something where he wants to do right not only by Montreal but for himself as a fan.”

The Alouettes have hit hard times of late. The club hasn’t been to the CFL playoffs the past four seasons and amassed a dismal 21-51 record over that span.

Last week, the CFL said American businessman Robert Wetenhall continues to own the Alouettes amid much speculation the league has assumed control of the franchise and will be tasked with finding a new owner. It appears Starke’s group is front and centre with former Als player Eric Lapointe announcing Friday his potential ownership group was no longer in the running to purchase the Montreal club.

Last month, former Montreal Canadiens defenceman Serge Savard was said to be involved in a potential Alouettes ownership group but quickly denied any such involvement. The eight-time Stanley Cup champion added he was part of a group that once was interested in buying the Alouettes during Larry Smith’s tenure as president, but nothing came of it.

The CFL did not immediately respond for comment to an interview request on Monday.

“We want this to be taken seriously, we want to be vetted as a buyer,” said Brad Smith, who owns two restaurants in Toronto and in 2015 became a host of Chopped Canada on Food Network. “We understand we’re not the Serge Savards and Eric Lapointes yet there’s too much mystery going on right now with what’s happening.

“And the fans, most importantly, deserve to know what’s going on with their team. It’s the intent of Mr. Starke and his business partners to really understand where this process is. We just want to let people know Mr. Starke and his business partners are very serious about taking the steps in order to see if this is feasible because if there’s anybody who can do this feasibly it’s them.”

“Here’s one of the league’s flagship franchises in trouble and there are people who want to help so why don’t you let us help them?”

Wetenhall has owned the Alouettes for more than 20 years. He resurrected the franchise in 1997 after it was revoked from Michael Gelfand and declared bankruptcy. Wetenhall also assumed the organization’s debts despite not legally being obligated to do so.

Early in Wetenhall’s tenure, the Alouettes were a model franchise. From 1999 to 2012, they finished atop the East Division nine times and making the eight Grey Cup appearances.

Wetenhall was a former part-owner of the Boston Patriots (AFL) and New England Patriots (NFL). In 2011, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from McGill University for his work with the Alouettes and expansion of Percival Molson Stadium.

Wetenhall was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Good news for a local Montreal boy with deep pockets to step up for the Allouettes, best to have someone with a long term plan and appetite to treat it as a toy and not a money maker and don't be discouraged with a few hard years until it turns around.

One may ask now what Wetenhall’s legacy with the team actually is? He didn't put in place the golden years and all he can really claim is expanding Molson Stadium which turned into a disaster.

Disaster? Hyperbole much?

Clifford Starke confirms intention to purchase the Alouettes
3Down Staff - April 11, 2019

Montreal businessman Clifford Starke has officially stated his intention to acquire the Alouettes.

The chairman of Hampstead Private Captital issued a press release on Thursday:

“In a period of uncertainty in respects to the future of the Alouettes, I would formally like to announce my intention to pursue the necessary steps in order to purchase the team, whatever those steps may be, while respecting the process of the Canadian Football League. It is my desire and goal to bring the Grey Cup back to where it belongs – Montreal.”

Growing up in Montreal, I was privileged to have had a first-hand experience of the modern era glory days of the Alouettes. I was childhood friends with Brad Smith, the son of former President of the Alouettes, Larry Smith. I sat and watched throughout my formative years the power of the Alouettes organization, not only within the stadium, but also throughout the community and Quebec as a whole. I sat beside the Alouettes Icon Larry Smith and had aspirations of being Michael Soles and Ben Cahoon. I stood for hours to watch the 2002 Grey Cup parade with over a million other Québécois filled with Alouette pride.”

“As a fan, I want nothing but the best for the team and the greatest fan base in the CFL. In business, my partners and I have been successful in various ventures and we possess the track record, as well as expertise to stabilize the franchise, commence rebuilding a championship caliber organization and restore the legacy of the Alouettes.”

Former CFL receiver Brad Smith is serving as a consultant for Starke’s ownership group. Smith is the son of Larry Smith who was picked first overall in the 1972 CFL draft by the Alouettes and played nine seasons in Montreal.

Smith became the eighth commissioner of the CFL in 1992 and resigned in 1997. He became the Alouettes president in 2001 and had a second stint from 2004-2010.

Robert Wetenhall has owned the team since 1997 when he brought the team back from the brink of insolvency. He was responsible for the team’s successful relocation to Percival Molson Stadium and eventually expansion while overseeing the team’s run of dominance from 1999 to 2012 when the Als finished first in the East Division nine times in 14 seasons, winning three Grey Cups. Wetenhall was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

The team has fallen on hard times in recent years, missing the playoffs for four straight seasons, the longest streak in franchise history. The Alouettes have struggled at the gate as well as fans have tired of the perpetual on-field ineptitude.