Stadiums and Arenas of Canada part 2

[speedog]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

That was the original highschool-esque stadium that barely seated 20000 with next to nothing amenities, MLSE invested considerably more than the above combined costs the last couple years. TFC support emboldened them to expand seating twice, build luxury boxes and facilities, quality heated and well drained pitch and now a new roof and lighting + sound system. We should average around 25000 attendance (judging by growth the last 2 seasons) and fully sold out seats this year so in 5 years they'll start expanding to 40,000 permanent seats given ample space in the North end and above the South and West stands.

I wonder what could done with McMahon with $53/63 million.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

That was the original highschool-esque stadium that barely seated 20000 with next to nothing amenities

20,000-seat stadium (capable of expansion to 30,000 seats and capable of conversion to a football format) with luxury viewing suites, premier seating, FIFA specifications including artificial field turf, food and beverage concessions and an air supported winter field structure

Of course when building the stadium initially MLSE "forgot" about this part.

[elly63]

Threads ebb and flow, good and bad, and seeing as it's been a bit quiet lately this is what we get. No big deal. The course will be rightened when there's some news.

CFL fans are a strange lot, they are probably some of the few sports followers who seem to love the league itself. You don't hear much about people loving the machinations of Gary Bettman or the NBA and hope that every goes ok for them but people loved former Commish Cohon and the league.

CFL fans are also a fiesty lot when attacked and some TFC fans have definately done that but as I always say I would never wish ill will on TFC or MLS. It's just the "peeny" boys I have issue with.

I totally agree with Acajack that this is a not wanting to share issue. What really pees me off though is you get the idiots saying they'll abandon TFC if MLSE does this or the pitch isn't that. And then they say they'll support the new Canadian league. Who do they think will be the big backers of this league? The CFL member clubs, and they will also be sharing their facilities something the TFC people don't want to do.

[Prometheus]

Some actual social science to keep things in perspective:


Source: http://www.reginaldbibby.com/recentmajorreleases.html

[Migs]

Let's get this thread back on track

Originally Posted by UrbanClimate

Views of the stadium from last week:

[UrbanClimate]

Recent views of Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK.
{already posted}

[ggopher]

Thanks for the update Migs! Can't wait to check out a game at the New Mosaic Stadium. But I guess that also means only one season left at Taylor Field, after 106 years it will be tough to say goodbye.

[elly63]

It's amazing how quickly Mosaic 2 has gone from concept to getting near completion. I can remember posting on the original idea (a structure similar to the Stockholmsarenan) and then the concept drawing, to the final design. Have yet to be disappointed.

[Andy6]

They'll need to change the exterior to the Eskimos' colours!

[Coldrsx]

Ha!

I pledge to make trip to Mosiac, it looks so damn good.

[caltrane74]

damn, it looks cold there. lol!

still though, nice big ass stadium.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

damn, it looks cold there. lol!

still though, nice big ass stadium.

Yes... it was awesome all through November, December, and part of January, so they've really been able to push ahead on some of the work. Then this morning... -43 with the windchill... not exactly weather conducive for construction.

They've got about a year and a half before they need everything officially done though. Really looking forward to seeing some of the finishing touches come together starting in the spring (roof membrane, seating, lighting, etc.)

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

damn, it looks cold there. lol!

still though, nice big ass stadium.

For being 'officially' a 33,000-seat stadium, it seems to be insanely huge when I am near it! ( . . and I have been to other stadia.) Since it's roof-ready, I wonder what the official capacity would/could be if it were to be enclosed with permanent seats? (Since Mosaic 2.1 here already has gaps as we see it now.) 45,000ish???

. . . . and 68% of her seats are actually below street grade.

[esquire]

Nice shots... it's coming along nicely.

Originally Posted by UrbanClimate

Those last few pics give off a bit of an Olympic Stadium/East End vibe...

[Nicko999]

Originally Posted by esquire

Nice shots... it's coming along nicely.



Those last few pics give off a bit of an Olympic Stadium/East End vibe...

Good to see I'm not the only one that got the same observation.

[Black Star]

The stadium does look much larger than a 33k stadium.

I to will take a trip to see this badboy

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by speedog

I wonder what could done with McMahon with $53/63 million.

At first glance you would think alot. But Seats would be about 6-8 Million (commonwealth was an 8M project I do believe)

With the remaining 55 ish million I would literally build the endzones up and cramb as much concourse underneath them as possible. add all the washrooms and concession as possible.

60 million isn't enough for McMahon it needs 100M minimum. They need to add a strip private boxes up top, Redo the press box, The stadium needs an entire exterior shell added to for ecstatics mainly, Seats! Individual seats! my vote would be black with a strip of red like IGF or THF ,premium seating, they need to add usable space in the endzones just like they did with commonwealth, A continuous concourse, Get rid of those nasty 100 foot towers for the sound system and the light towers they are god awful. maybe a canopy if they really wanna get fancy

I honestly love the Idea of a reno'd McMahon Stadium if it's taken seriously. IMO it's always been the top candidate for renovation over replacement. It's close to the field, it's got great sight lines. The bones of the stadium itself are perfect. it's fairly intimate and It's got a great modern stadium shape to it unlike THF or BMO. If greenbay can enjoy lambeau field I don't see why Calgary can't enjoy McMahon. I don't see it as a downgrade from a new stadium in anyway

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Black Star

The stadium does look much larger than a 33k stadium.

I to will take a trip to see this badboy

I would think that NMS and IGF would have been 40K+ capacity had they been built in their current form 30 or 40 years ago. Back then there were few if any boxes/lounges to take up the space of many seats, and seats were typically narrower too.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

At first glance you would think alot. But Seats would be about 6-8 Million (commonwealth was an 8M project I do believe)

With the remaining 55 ish million I would literally build the endzones up and cramb as much concourse underneath them as possible. add all the washrooms and concession as possible.

60 million isn't enough for McMahon it needs 100M minimum. They need to add a strip private boxes up top, Redo the press box, The stadium needs an entire exterior shell added to for ecstatics mainly, Seats! Individual seats! my vote would be black with a strip of red like IGF or THF ,premium seating, they need to add usable space in the endzones just like they did with commonwealth, A continuous concourse, Get rid of those nasty 100 foot towers for the sound system and the light towers they are god awful. maybe a canopy if they really wanna get fancy

I honestly love the Idea of a reno'd McMahon Stadium if it's taken seriously. IMO it's always been the top candidate for renovation over replacement. It's close to the field, it's got great sight lines. The bones of the stadium itself are perfect. it's fairly intimate and It's got a great modern stadium shape to it unlike THF or BMO. If greenbay can enjoy lambeau field I don't see why Calgary can't enjoy McMahon. I don't see it as a downgrade from a new stadium in anyway

I agree with this. I never understood the hate for McMahon, I've been there a few times for games and I thought it was a decent venue. Yes, it is getting left behind compared to the newer stadiums but honestly, a good thorough reno could address many of the problems that fans have without the need for a pricy new structure altogether.

The biggest single thing that could be done is to demolish the existing press box and replace it with something bigger that can accommodate skyboxes, lounges, etc. Maybe not quite as big as this one, but something along these lines...

[Steveston]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

At first glance you would think alot. But Seats would be about 6-8 Million (commonwealth was an 8M project I do believe)

With the remaining 55 ish million I would literally build the endzones up and cramb as much concourse underneath them as possible. add all the washrooms and concession as possible.

60 million isn't enough for McMahon it needs 100M minimum. They need to add a strip private boxes up top, Redo the press box, The stadium needs an entire exterior shell added to for ecstatics mainly, Seats! Individual seats! my vote would be black with a strip of red like IGF or THF ,premium seating, they need to add usable space in the endzones just like they did with commonwealth, A continuous concourse, Get rid of those nasty 100 foot towers for the sound system and the light towers they are god awful. maybe a canopy if they really wanna get fancy

I honestly love the Idea of a reno'd McMahon Stadium if it's taken seriously. IMO it's always been the top candidate for renovation over replacement. It's close to the field, it's got great sight lines. The bones of the stadium itself are perfect. it's fairly intimate and It's got a great modern stadium shape to it unlike THF or BMO. If greenbay can enjoy lambeau field I don't see why Calgary can't enjoy McMahon. I don't see it as a downgrade from a new stadium in anyway

I think the big reno for McMahon is the best plan. True, it's not a downtown location, but it's on a transit line, and people know "how to get there". If the bones are good (structurally sound), then there's no reason why you need to start from scratch. Both Vancouver & Ottawa opted for this route, and they both turned out very well.

I've never been there for a game, but based on the comments, it seems like most of the negatives are related to the concourse and amenities, which are the easiest elements to address.

The objective of achieving a 'poor man's Lambeau' is a good one, and certainly achievable without spending $900 million. Remember, people thought that the bill for BC Place was outrageous ($550M), but the transformation of that facility has been nothing short of amazing. Same thing can be done at McMahon for much less, because you don't have to spend a couple of hundred million on a new superstructure for the roof.