Roughriders not moving to Saskatoon: CEO Hopson
By Doug McConachie, TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Thursday, February 14, 2008
Don't go making those Saskatoon Roughriders T-shirts just yet.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are not interested in moving to the Bridge City and would not survive in Regina if a CFL franchise expansion team was awarded to Saskatoon, Riders president and chief executive officer Jim Hopson says.
"I'm an eternal optimist," Hopson said Thursday, but the Riders survive only because "we have the support of the whole province."
On his talk show on CKOM, host John Gormley said Thursday there's a group of Saskatoon business people interested in either moving the team north or bringing a new franchise to town. Gormley did not disclose their identities.
"Hey, it's good that they're talking about the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the middle of winter," Hopson said in a StarPhoenix interview, "but I haven't heard a thing.
"It's news to us . . . nobody has approached us."
Hopson concedes that fans always talk about having the Riders in Saskatoon and having the training camp in Saskatoon, but never anything serious about moving the franchise.
"I was in Saskatoon (last Friday) and nobody from the City of Saskatoon, no businesses, said anything."
If there were two football teams, you'd be talking about 60,000 supporters per game, Hopson said. But for far too many years, the Riders weren't even close to drawing sell-out crowds. This year the team turned it around and "the support we got from the whole province was phenomenal . . . the way people from Lloydminster, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Prince Albert drive to our games.
"If we just had to rely on Regina, we wouldn't (survive)."
Hopson said the cost of a state-of-the-art stadium would likely range from $150 million to $200 million. Regina already has a facility in place in Mosaic Stadium and has said there are plans for further expansion and upgrades. The Riders have also made every effort to reconnect with fans across the province, not only with the recent Grey Cup tours, but throughout the year.
Next week, the team is back in Saskatoon, he pointed out, for the Mayor's Breakfast on Feb. 23. There will also be a day with kids and coaches and a session of "101 Football for Women".
The team will also come to Saskatoon this summer for a Green-and-White game while training camp goes on in Regina. As far as moving the training camp to Saskatoon, as they did in the 1990s, it's difficult, Hopson said, indicating it's not likely to happen.
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