Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
roccerfeller: Moncton stadium is not 20,000, it has 10,000 permanent seats - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncton_Stadium
This is part of why I say that Moncton's stadium is not terribly important as far as determining where a potential CFL franchise might end up. It would be about as hard for Moncton to raise money for expansion to 20,000 as it would be for Halifax to build a 20,000+ stadium from scratch. In fact the stadium for Halifax is being actively pursued right now. I don't know if there are plans for expanding the Moncton stadium.
I also don't know what the recent sales were like in Moncton but I've always been doubtful that the city could sell out 25,000 or so seats of any event regularly. That is about 1/5 of the entire population of the area, and it is much harder to get somebody to travel 2 hours to see a game in another city than it is to get them to see a game 10 minutes away in their city.
I would be surprised if a typical CFL franchise sold more than say 25% of their tickets to people living outside of the host city for a typical game. |
2 points:
1) Ah yes, just as I thought regarding Moncton's stadium; a lot of the seats are temporary. Thanks for the link. Well, that is a huge knock against Moncton...if Halifax builds a proper sized CFL stadium, then it is highly unlikely Moncton will be the prime choice. That said, keep in mind recently (like 2 days recently) Moncton has brought up the idea of adding 15000 permanent seats.
Ultimately, what matters first is who has the stadium: If Moncton has a stadium that fits what the CFL wants, and Halifax goes for a stadium that doesn't fit it, then if the CFL awards an expansion team to the Maritimes, it will go to Moncton, simply due to this fact; a team needs a stadium.
2) I would be just as surprised as you, in fact! In fact, although I've made comparisons with Atlantic Canada to Saskatchewan, 85% of Season Ticket holders for the Roughriders are from Regina. However, something to think about
: All of Saskatchewan contributes a large amount to the merchandise sales...plus the TV revenues are pretty good for TSN with Riders games. This is where regional support is relevant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
Actually this article only mentions Moncton. I think this is exactly what cormiermax meant when he said that the media seem kind of clueless about the Maritimes.
It would be like writing an article arguing that Ontario can't support an NFL team because Ottawa's population is too small.
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Oh trust me, Dave Naylor is by no means a real expert about anything except trades and "what GM's across the CFL & NHL are planning to do".
And pay no heed to the Toronto media at large - they know little of how things actually operate outside of T dot. I went through this with all the "Winnipeg doesn't have the corporate support for an NHL team" bs.
That said, I am aware it talks about Moncton but I should have elaborated what my intention of the good part of the read is; the financial side of things brings up a relevant point and is important to note.
This would also relate to Halifax...the issue he raises is with regards to why no other CFL team would likely go for touchdown Atlantic next year; no point as they would not make as much money as at home. The exceptions for touchdown atlantic these past two games were Toronto (last year) and Hamilton. Implicit in his words is the issue of which city would best support a team financially...on paper we know the answer. In practice, you guys know that answer as you live there. I don't, outside of an educated guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MonctonRad
Ah, well there's the rub......It probably is impossible to make it a collective effort.
As we all know from comments on this forum, there are people in Halifax who would refuse to support any team in Moncton purely on principle - Halifax is after all the centre of the universe.
Conversely, there are large areas of the Maritimes which are a considerable distance from Halifax (most of NB, PEI and Cape Breton), and these people (actually the majority of the population of the region) will not travel to Halifax for games.
The internecine warfare (Moncton vs Halifax, NB vs NS etc will continue) and the CFL may end up looking elsewhere for future expansion instead, like Quebec City or KW/London.
We're going to end up shooting ourselves in the foot here.
BTW - not to nitpick, but the current CMA population estimate for Moncton in actually 137,500, not 120,000 and this does not include nearby towns like Shediac and Sackville.
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Hmm, that inter-regional bickering is sad but then again, from my point of view - and my interests - I care not specifically whether Moncton or Halifax gets the team, as long as there is one in Atlantic Canada. Sadly, the reality is it will take the whole region to get this thing to work. CFL teams are not like University or High School teams - its pro football, and there are millions and millions of dollars in revenue involved, the number only increasing every year thanks to huge sponsorship's, increasing viewership, and TSN. Never say never, but realistically there is enough money in the region for one franchise.
While the region could probably support two teams theoretically (one in Moncton and one in Halifax - wouldn't that be nice?), like Saskatchewan (when people say Saskatoon and Regina), realistically its unlikely due to the nature of operations. So there will probably be one team in Atlantic Canada; and to this extent I can understand why there is (more) tension between people in Moncton & Halifax over where a team will end up.
In the end, it will only matter who gets their ducks in a row. I can understand that the CFL might prefer Halifax to Moncton for a number of reasons, but then again, if Moncton makes a bid for a team and Halifax has no stadium......this is the other side of the coin. Of course, if Halifax has a stadium ready, then the argument changes again.
Currently, Moncton still has a ways to go before even they can claim they are in a position for a team. But Halifax has even further to go...Moncton is talking about expanding their current stadium and has, in my eyes, held successful games for two years in a row. Plus, they seem buddy-buddy with the Commissioner, not to mention a former CFL resident who is pulling hard to attract the CFL permanently.
But I don't think Quebec City or anywhere else in Southern Ontario (that I know of) will be ahead of you guys...QC is interested in the NHL right now, so their efforts are solely focused on bringing the Nords back and building their arena (and its gonna be a beauty of an arena) that they dont even have the wherewithal to even pursue a CFL stadium, and I don't know of any serious Southern Ontario offers. The market is the weakest in the whole CFL, and needs to focus on strengthening their current 2 franchises first, especially the Argos.
So once Ottawa reenters the CFL, all eyes will be on Atlantic Canada.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fenwick16
It would be interesting to see the CanadInns stadium and not a long flight from Toronto. I would like to see Winnipeg also, so I might do that - cash in some Visa award points and take a quick trip out. On the other hand, it might be better to wait for the new stadium.
If there are people reading this thread in Winnipeg, Calgary or Edmonton could you get some pictures of the respective CFL stadiums - and post them on this Halifax thread (or provide a link). I am most interested in the insides of the stadiums - i.e. the concourses, entrance gates, concession areas, etc. The sort of pictures that are usually not posted on the internet but which give a good feel for each stadium.
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Sure thing:
http://www.bluebombers.com/
here's a portal to the new stadium...check out the virtual venue...you may in fact want to come next year in stead
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