CFL in the Maritimes

newflyer · #1 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 3:33 AM**

Another CFL season is around the corner .... so I figure its time to ask the big question...

When will te CFL opperate a franchise in the Maritimes. I believe there is enough popultion and interest. The CFL has proven itself a strong economic plus for cities with a team.

I think its time that the Maritimes joined Canada's only major professional league.

Its time the CFL was coast to coast!!!

mylesmalley · #2 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 4:51 AM**

I'm not sure about the CFL, to be honest. Though I'm not a football fan, I'd love to see a franchise move east. I'm just not convinced it would be justified. I don't know a lot about the situation there, but Ottawa has twice tried and failed to keep a CFL team. Their stadium seats 30k, with a market well over a million strong.

Because it's the region's biggest city, Halifax would probably seem the obvious choice to the league for an expansion. They don't have the facilities thoug. Huskies stadium seats 8,000, according to wikipedia, which is less than half as small as the smallest existing CFL stadium.

Even the biggest field in the region, the under-construction stadium at the Université de Moncton is expected to seat 18,000...so I question wether that would even be big enough.

Combined, the Maritimes only have about 50% more people than Ottawa, but I really doubt people will drive from Cape Breton or Edmonston on a regular basis to see a CFL game.

Helladog · #3 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 6:21 AM**

Saint John looked at the idea a few years back, but it had no momentum at that time. If seating was added to the UNBSJ Stadium, it could hold enough, but the city would have to back it.

I think Halifax would be the logical choice for expansion east due to the population base

SJTOKO · #4 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 12:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helladog

Saint John looked at the idea a few years back, but it had no momentum at that time. If seating was added to the UNBSJ Stadium, it could hold enough, but the city would have to back it.

I think Halifax would be the logical choice for expansion east due to the population base

I think Saint John hosted at least 2 pre-season games.... and they were both sold out.. I don't know if CGS could be expanded to 30 thousand but I think Saint John could support a team..

Joe · #5 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 1:03 PM**

Saint John, Moncton would have to rely to much on fans travelling from outside their immediate areas. Halifax's population base wouldn't have to rely on that so much. I would think you need a metro area of at least 200,000 to have a chance. Just to add, I attended both preseason games at CGS. It was a blast.

kirjtc2 · #6 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 1:22 PM**

It boils down to this:

Halifax would love to have a team, but like anything else, nobody wants to get off their duffs to build something to do it. They would have had a stadium if they won the Commonwealth Games, but let's not revisit that debacle.

It's a shame because I'd love to see a team here on the east coast.

HomeInMyShoes · #7 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 2:25 PM**

It's been commented on to death, but I'd love to see Halifax get something done with a stadium and get a franchise. With hopefully a healthy ownership Ottawa franchise, Winnipeg can move back West and give us:

BC, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg
Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax

And if Toronto leaves, put a team in Quebec and still get a balanced league with none of that cross-over crap.

newflyer · #8 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 3:01 PM**

A 30,000 seat stadium would probibly be needed to make it work, as well as having the ability to expand to ~50,000, if they ever wanted to host the Grey Cup.

Having a stadium shared with a university would likely make the most sense.

If any of you have ever seen Regina (smallest CFL city) during a home game weekend, you'd be impressed how much it can add to the local economy. Its very hard to find a hotel room in town, as I found out last year on my trip to Winnipeg from Calgary. Restaurants were also doing some brisk business. I guess having 10,000 out of town vistors coming in for the game has its benefits. Having a team which has a regional identity could have significant benefits for the host city.

I would love to see it some day .. the sooner the better.

Smevo · #9 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 11:33 PM**

Both Moncton and Halifax have been mentioned in the recent past, with Halifax being the more likely option.

Problem is, the city (and province) won't back a stadium without a commitment for a team, and the CFL won't commit to a team without a stadium.

Ayreonaut · #10 Posted **Jun 21, 2008, 11:38 PM**

Ottawa's problem has never been fan support, it was incompetent ownership that killed the Renegades.

Evergrey · #11 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 2:18 AM**

Toronto is leaving the CFL!?

MonctonRad · #12 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 2:01 PM**

Toronto is not leaving the CFL. The concern is that the NFL may move into Toronto (Possibly a relocated Buffalo Bills team). This might diplace the Toronto Argonauts but this is all speculation.

Regarding the CFL in the Maritimes. This will not happen for some time. The league will want to re-establish and stabilize a team in Ottawa first. The only two logical locations for a CFL team here in the east is either Halifax or Moncton. Halifax obviously because of its size, but they sort of blew it over the Commonwealth games fiasco. Moncton is a candidate mostly because of location with 1.5 million people living in a 2.5 hour radius of the city. Moncton is also building a new stadium for the World Junior Track & Field Championships. This will be on the U de M campus and will hold between 18-20,000 spectators. This is still small for a CFL facility but it will be the biggest stadium in Atlantic Canada. Perhaps it could be expanded if a franchise were awarded.

Nothing will happen for at least ten years however.

Haliguy · #13 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 2:21 PM**

You're right I don't see a CFL team ion the east coast for a while yet. A few years ago I would have said the opposite, but when Ottawa folded, the Commonweath games bid collapsed and the fact the NFL is starting to move into Canada things have changed.

ErickMontreal · #14 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 2:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haliguy

You're right I don't see a CFL team ion the east coast for a while yet. A few years ago I would have said the opposite, but when Ottawa folded, the Commonweath games bid collapsed and the fact the NFL is starting to move into Canada things have changed.

I`m agree. I guess either Ottawa or Quebec city will get a team before Halifax and Moncton as well.

I think NHL is more on the radar of Quebec city authority than CFL though.

mylesmalley · #15 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 5:37 PM**

I really wonder if there'd be enough fan support for it. There's no doubt football is huge out west, but would atlantic canada even come close to that amount of support?

kirjtc2 · #16 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

I really wonder if there'd be enough fan support for it. There's no doubt football is huge out west, but would atlantic canada even come close to that amount of support?

Halifax strikes me as a football town, more than anywhere else in the region at least. The St. Mary's team has been popular for quite a few years now, and notice that 3 of the 4 AUS football teams are in Nova Scotia. (As we say here, UNB football is undefeated since 1980.)

The problem is the current apathy about the CFL. With no team out here, coverage in local and regional media is almost non-existant, and fan support is about the same. If a team came to town, that would change.

mylesmalley · #17 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 7:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirjtc2

Halifax strikes me as a football town, more than anywhere else in the region at least. The St. Mary's team has been popular for quite a few years now, and notice that 3 of the 4 AUS football teams are in Nova Scotia. (As we say here, UNB football is undefeated since 1980.)

The problem is the current apathy about the CFL. With no team out here, coverage in local and regional media is almost non-existant, and fan support is about the same. If a team came to town, that would change.

It's a lot like what Smevo said a few posts back. The whole thing's a big catch-22.

The CFL won't move into a market that doesn't have a lot of support. There isn't a lot of support in the market because the CFL doesn't have a big presence.

someone123 · #18 Posted **Jun 22, 2008, 11:35 PM**

Officials at the CFL have been quoted several times in the media stating that they'd like a team in Halifax.

I know relatively little about the economics involved but I don't think there is much uncertainty over whether or not the city could support a team. The real limitation is that there's no stadium. The CWGs were supposed to change this but of course the bid failed (wasting something like $15M in the process).

newflyer · #19 Posted **Jun 23, 2008, 3:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HalifaxMtl666

I`m agree. I guess either Ottawa or Quebec city will get a team before Halifax and Moncton as well.

I think NHL is more on the radar of Quebec city authority than CFL though.

First off Ottawa has already been granted a conditional expansion team a couple months back, with a stadium as the only stumbling block to overcome.

Secondly:

CFL Expansion team: $5 - 6 million

NHL Expansion team: $150 million

One has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

newflyer · #20 Posted **Jun 23, 2008, 3:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haliguy

You're right I don't see a CFL team ion the east coast for a while yet. A few years ago I would have said the opposite, but when Ottawa folded, the Commonweath games bid collapsed and the fact the NFL is starting to move into Canada things have changed.

The CFL fan base is comepletely different than that of the Toronto NFL mini-pack over the next five years.

Avg ticket in the CFL is still less than $30 .. while I have heard the Bills game tickets in Toronto are going for in excess of $200 per ticket.. on a draw basis.

While it is fun for Toronto to dream they have a chance of landing an NFL team, the reality is they don't. This is purely a marketing ploy by the Bills to build up there fan base in Ontario... and Ontario is buying in hook line and sinker. The fact is LA will get a team long before Toronto will even be mentioned. The NFL is completely aware that its main revenue stream is big US Network TV and Toronto adds little to nothing in that category. In fact a Canadian team (say Toronto) will draw lower US TV ratings than 2 US teams facing off on American TV, as MLB has proven.

Not to mention the Skydome/Rogers Centre is much too small to host its own NFL team.

The CFL is in no way threatened of losing a thing by these NFL exhibition and single regular season games. Its not like the family friendly CFL expereience will be enjoyed by many middle income families during this NFL marketing stint. In fact Winnipeg just sold out its exhibition game ... without a mention of NFL.

I would assume that Halifax could have that same level of success.