Stadiums and Arenas of Canada part 2 - Page 322

speedog · #**6421** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 5:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Migs

Could you guys take this footy argument elsewhere?

It would be nice.

Mister F · #**6422** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 6:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

No. BMO's existence lies with the Womens World Cup. It wouldn't have been built without federal tax dollars. Soccer was always first. The Argos were an early consideration as a backup plan if soccer failed but that was quickly dismissed. It's true soccer fans have to get used to sharing but, they do have every right to be upset over a soccer field substituting as a football field. Let's not go overboard.

Not quite. City Council approved funding for a stadium that was to be "capable of a conversion to a football format." What ended up getting built was a bit different, but it was approved with football in mind.

king10 · #**6423** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 11:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

No. BMO's existence lies with the Womens World Cup. It wouldn't have been built without federal tax dollars. Soccer was always first. The Argos were an early consideration as a backup plan if soccer failed but that was quickly dismissed. It's true soccer fans have to get used to sharing but, they do have every right to be upset over a soccer field substituting as a football field. Let's not go overboard.

Womens world cup? What are you talking about. It was tied to the 2007 u20 mens world cup.

And the council reports dating back to 2005 always said funding was approved for a stadium built with the ability to host cfl football.

elly63 · #**6424** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 12:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by osmo

Again. Photos are misleading and frankly I find the press to be quite stupid.

This photos does not tell you the whole story....

I'm still looking for the old men that are supposed to be the only fans of the CFL. Most people I've been seeing in the photos posted here are sub 35. There sure seems to be a lot of misleading photos, that's a lot of Photoshopping.

WhipperSnapper · #**6425** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 12:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by king10

Womens world cup? What are you talking about. It was tied to the 2007 u20 mens world cup.

And the council reports dating back to 2005 always said funding was approved for a stadium built with the ability to host cfl football.

This forum sometimes.

My sincerest apologizes for getting the exact world cup event wrong. Comes from not being a fan of the game. I should still face a firing squad eventhough the game it was built for is the only thing of relevance.

However, What part of the Argos being an early consideration as a backup to soccer are you confused over? You don't think soccer has proven itself financially viable?

elly63 · #**6426** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

This forum sometimes.

My sincerest apologizes for getting the exact world cup event wrong. Comes from not being a fan of the game. I should still face a firing squad eventhough the game it was built for is the only thing of relevance.

However, What part of the Argos being an early consideration as a backup to soccer are you confused over? You don't think soccer has proven itself financially viable?

Sorry but your original quote was all wrong, and if you don't have your facts straight you don't want to get into the history of how this all came about.

In actuality, how it is now is how it was all meant to go down long before the stadium was built to try and keep football out. The Argos sharing a stadium with soccer was the original plan and that's what eventually came about, and if you want me to prove it I can.

WhipperSnapper · #**6427** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:19 PM**

I'd hardly say I got it all wrong. All I got wrong was which event was hosted which isn't even all that important. The sport is what matters. Sorry, I don't care enough to find the documentation and I don't really care what you want to believe. No where did I state football wasn't part of the equation at some point in the process either.

It's your prerogative whether you believe the stadium exists as a soccer stadium whether football is played there or not and whether the post I originally responded to was utterly pointless and stupid. Just don't mention facts.

The Chemist · #**6428** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:22 PM**

Do Whitecaps fans whine nearly as much about sharing a stadium with the CFL as some TFC fans seem to? You'd swear that the CFL kicked their dog the way some of these TFC fans act.

king10 · #**6429** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

This forum sometimes.

My sincerest apologizes for getting the exact world cup event wrong. Comes from not being a fan of the game. I should still face a firing squad eventhough the game it was built for is the only thing of relevance.

However, What part of the Argos being an early consideration as a backup to soccer are you confused over? You don't think soccer has proven itself financially viable?

where did i say anything about soccer not being financially viable or being confused about the exact wording of council reports?

osmo · #**6430** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:27 PM**

The real test will be what modifications and touch-ups happen in the offseason at BMO for the Argos and TFC. The North-end will need a plan for TFC to make it better.

For anybody who was at the game for the Argos would of seen how tight' it is from the endzone to the fence on the north end. I don't know what they could put there as it is a circulation point for people. It was standing room for the Pre-Season game. May not be enough space present to make a bar/lounge/patio type setting. It will be tough to troubleshoot that.

MLSE has lots on its plate. The Winter Classic is still not 100% fail-proof. Lots of issues in making BMO a winterized facility that they don't know how to address yet in full. Grey Cup might be a test run for winter testing but it does not get "that" cold in Toronto in November (Toronto folks complain, but it still balmy for anybody from the ROC).

Acajack · #**6431** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:27 PM**

I agree with those who have commented on the photos: it's hardly the over 50, gray-haired crowd that some people are claiming it was. In fact, the crowd actually looks predominantly young.

That said, the Argos still have a lot of work to do in order to fill that stadium, it seems.

But this looks like a step in the right direction.

king10 · #**6432** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I'd hardly say I got it all wrong. All I got wrong was which event was hosted which isn't even all that important. The sport is what matters. Sorry, I don't care enough to find the documentation and I don't really care what you want to believe. No where did I state football wasn't part of the equation at some point in the process either.

It's your prerogative whether you believe the stadium exists as a soccer stadium whether football is played there or not and whether the post I originally responded to was utterly pointless and stupid. Just don't mention facts.

If you don't care enough to support your argument with fact then don't expect to get far with your arguments or have anyone take you seriously. It doesn't take much to back up arguments with credible fact, that is unless you're trying to pass off your opinion as fact.

Here is a FACT: from 2005 City of Toronto Council minutes discussing that funding was contingent on the following:

(ii) 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;

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2005/agendas/council/cc051026/pof9rpt/cl036.pdf

notice how both of those things have been achieved 10 years later: football format and 30,000 seats

the argos as a backup plan was never "quickly dismissed" it was always on the table even on the signing of the original business arrangement as indicated in the council report

elly63 · #**6433** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 1:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Chemist

Do Whitecaps fans whine nearly as much about sharing a stadium with the CFL as some TFC fans seem to? You'd swear that the CFL kicked their dog the way some of these TFC fans act.

Frank Zicarelli had it right

"the entitled, selfish, insecure souls who remain livid at football, the North American version, occupying their playpen by the lake"

And no the Whitecaps' fans don't whine like that and they have artificial turf to boot. As one TFC fan said at their RPB website "It's no wonder everyone hates us"

FrankieFlowerpot · #**6434** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:15 PM**

yeah - you've told us 1000 times

elly63 · #**6435** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I agree with those who have commented on the photos: it's hardly the over 50, gray-haired crowd that some people are claiming it was. In fact, the crowd actually looks predominantly young.

More lies from RPB: "A lot of kids who prolly got given tickets and all the old Argos guys. Not very many people in attendance between the ages of 20-40."

esquire · #**6436** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

That said, the Argos still have a lot of work to do in order to fill that stadium, it seems.

But this looks like a step in the right direction.

Definitely a step in the right direction. Let's recall that even 16,000 for a preseason game is still, for the Argos, a pretty respectable turnout.

The last couple years their preseason games have been played at Varsity Stadium where the crowd topped out at around 5,000. Prior to that the preseason game at Skydome was always poorly attended... except for that one year when they packed the place with students I think it has long drawn a crowd of under 10,000. I remember going once to a preseason game in the Flutie era during the 90s and I don't think there more than 7 or 8 thousand people there. 16,000 would look like a tiny, scattered crowd in Skydome but in a venue like BMO you actually have a decent critical mass of fans.

For what it's worth I could see this taking some time for the Argos. Even the Alouettes, who had a multi-year sellout streak going for a while at Molson Stadium until they expanded it to 25,000 seats, didn't automatically start selling out that venue after they moved there. During their first season or two there in the late 90s the games weren't all sellouts... it took a bit of time before the crowds got into the habit of showing up but once they did it really took off.

Acajack · #**6437** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

More lies from RPB: "A lot of kids who prolly got given tickets and all the old Argos guys. Not very many people in attendance between the ages of 20-40."

I knew even before posting that someone would say that the free tickets were all given out to young people.

Old people = paid tickets only

Young people = free tickets only

elly63 · #**6438** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

For what it's worth I could see this taking some time for the Argos.

I'm of the opposite opinion, I think it will happen fast. The Argos have a much more attuned leadership group and just judging by what I'm reading about the tailgate and other things, there have been few missteps, as they seem to have been very prepared. Contrary to the rumours being spread by the CFL haterz, all the photos I've seen indicate a much younger audience which can only bode well and shows the message is being received.

esquire · #**6439** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elly63

I'm of the opposite opinion, I think it will happen fast. The Argos have a much more attuned leadership group and just judging by what I'm reading about the tailgate and other things, there have been few missteps, as they seem to have been very prepared. Contrary to the rumours being spread by the CFL haterz, all the photos I've seen indicate a much younger audience which can only bode well and shows the message is being received.

Obviously they're not quite at the selling-out stage yet. I don't think it'll take years and years to get there but this season is a bit of a transitional one. Still, they're clearly headed in the right direction.

elly63 · #**6440** Posted **Jun 13, 2016, 2:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

yeah - you've told us 1000 times

You know I'm a reactor and if they didn't act the way they do I wouldn't respond. I want to like TFC but a large number of their fanbase (to a CFL fan) makes it nearly impossible to do so.

And as the poster said, you don't get this garbage from the Whitecaps fans, so it is what it is. And if I repeat myself it is because I am old and forgetful.