Stadiums and Arenas of Canada part 2

[elly63]

nm

[Oilkountry]

I'm a fan of new Mosiac it's great. But ill take IGF over it all day everyday. Maybe i'm a biased bombers fan but I just love the look and design over Mosiac.

2 things I would like to see changed at IGF. Endzone seats should be changed to loge style party deck gathering spaces which we are seeing in Mosiac,commonwealth,TD place and THF It's really only a matter of time untill the bombers invest in this. And also I would like the Score boards used better. A ribbon board underneath for statics and keep the replays and advertisements separate while utilizing 100% of the screen like every other CFL club manages to.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

I'm a fan of new Mosiac it's great. But ill take IGF over it all day everyday. Maybe i'm a biased bombers fan but I just love the look and design over Mosiac.

2 things I would like to see changed at IGF. Endzone seats should be changed to loge style party deck gathering spaces which we are seeing in Mosiac,commonwealth,TD place and THF It's really only a matter of time untill the bombers invest in this. And also I would like the Score boards used better. A ribbon board underneath for statics and keep the replays and advertisements separate while utilizing 100% of the screen like every other CFL club manages to.

I'll reserve judgment for now. But the two stadiums don't strike me as being very wildly different, Migs' hyperbolic assertions about the genius and greatness of HKS notwithstanding.

In terms of things that I'd change about IGF, after attending events there for a few years here's my list:

-Easily the single biggest problem has nothing to do with the actual stadium itself, and that's completing the rapid transit line all the way to the facility. Right now it's a pain getting to and from the stadium, and having a proper RT station and line for quick ins and outs by bus will make all the difference in the world.

-Love the canopy, wouldn't change a thing about it. I like Sask's approach with the translucent cover, that looks pretty nice and light.

-I like the seating configuration and wouldn't want to see it changed to accommodate party decks, but the potential revenue bump and the difficulty the Bombers have in selling endzone seats might force their hand anyway.

-No two ways about it, the main concourse is congested. They've improved it a bit by clearing the walkways, but it's still kind of cramped before games and at halftime.

-The upper concourses are much better and I find it always easy to get around and I can get in and out of the washrooms quickly.

-Seating is comfortable, no problems there.

-I think the press box situation is not ideal, but they've made it work.

-Concession selection is good although service is slow.

-I like the big jumbotrons at either end, but as oil points out they could be used a bit better... I don't know why they don't put the score/gametime/ads on separate screens. At least they're putting stats up this season.

All things considered I'm very pleased with the place. The waterproofing stuff and other various issues that get raised about IGF aren't something that the average fan would ever notice... from a fan standpoint, once you actually fight your way through traffic and enter the stadium, it's a top notch experience through and through.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

I'm a fan of new Mosiac it's great. But ill take IGF over it all day everyday. Maybe i'm a biased bombers fan but I just love the look and design over Mosiac.

2 things I would like to see changed at IGF. Endzone seats should be changed to loge style party deck gathering spaces which we are seeing in Mosiac,commonwealth,TD place and THF It's really only a matter of time untill the bombers invest in this. And also I would like the Score boards used better. A ribbon board underneath for statics and keep the replays and advertisements separate while utilizing 100% of the screen like every other CFL club manages to.

Yup that would be it.

I agree IGF is great but with NMS you will have improvements on pretty much every deficiency esquire posted above.

Bigger concourses, translucent roof, considerably more points of sale, more washrooms, more elevators, 7x more party decks, more video monitors, more lounges, approx 58% of seats below grade, LED sports lights, roof that aerodynamically deflects wind, media booths at centre field, two levels of club & corporate suites on either side of field, wifi antennas throughout stadium, 123" x 73" video board in south endzone that utilizes entire screen for replays, own power generator, etc etc.

[Migs]

Originally Posted by esquire

I'll reserve judgment for now. But the two stadiums don't strike me as being very wildly different, Migs' hyperbolic assertions about the genius and greatness of HKS notwithstanding.

Hyperbolic assertions? There is already $100M or so dollars worth of design flaws from IGF's original price tag. I agree it's a nice stadium but when you get a company to design it who's never designed one before you are not going to get much value for your dollar. Remember IGF is only a few years old & is already undergoing tens of millions in repairs, makes one nervous to think what's going to be discovered 10 years from now.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Migs

I agree IGF is great but with NMS you will have improvements on pretty much every deficiency esquire posted above.

I don't doubt that NMS is shaping up to be great, but let us remember that a stadium is never as impressive as it is before it opens its doors.

Bigger concourses

This is one area where NMS could stand to improve on IGF.

translucent roof

It looks nice but I don't think it's going to function any better than the cover at IGF. I'd expect it will probably cost more when it comes to maintenance.

considerably more points of sale

There's no lack of points of sale at IGF, the issue I've griped about has to do with the use of volunteer staff who are not exactly a well oiled machine.

more washrooms

Washrooms are not an issue at IGF, it's fairly well set up from that standpoint.

more elevators,

No idea about this one, but I haven't heard anyone complaining about the elevators at IGF (pretty sure there's at least one in each corner of the stadium, possibly others).

7x more party decks

Blech, party decks... you can have them

more video monitors

Plenty of video monitors at IGF but you can see the field from the concourse so it's perhaps less of a big deal here.

more lounges

There are several at IGF but I'm not sure as to exactly how many.

approx 58% of seats below grade,

Most of the lower bowl is below grade at IGF but I'm not sure what percentage.

LED sports lights

I've never seen these in action but I presume they're more energy efficient so that's a feather in NMS' cap.

roof that aerodynamically deflects wind

This sounds good, although wind is far less a factor at IGF than it was at CanadInns so it sounds like we're talking a matter of degrees here.

media booths at centre field

Broadcast media sits near centre field, the press hacks sit in the corner. Seems to work.

two levels of club & corporate suites on either side of field

IGF has more suites.

wifi antennas throughout stadium

IGF has great wifi connectivity, I gave it a good workout at Friday's storm delay

123" x 83" video board in south endzone that utilizes entire screen for replays, etc etc.

So basically the size of both IGF screens but situated at one end of the field.

NMS is damn good Migs, but as I've said before, let's not get carried away

[elly63]

Originally Posted by esquire

I've never seen these in action but I presume they're more energy efficient so that's a feather in NMS' cap.

• Video Link

[bashpash]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnQFlyGwyG8

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

..also green can be painted over to camouflage lines just as easily as soccer lines painted on..
Football (CFL & NFL) is the most popular pro sports followed in Saskatchewan, I'm guessing zero percent of the Regina population is losing sleep about not hosting women's soccer at New Mosaic Stadium and are glad to have top notch turf with stitched football lines on the field. Gives the field a cleaner, more professional look thats unheard of in the rest of Canada.

They will be missing out on some additional revenue generating opportunities though. It's not like there will be many events outside the Riders that will draw more than 10,000 to a stadium. After the honeymoon is over the Rams will draw 5,000 - 10,000 per game and there will probably be no more than 1 - 2 concerts per year. Having a more versatile field like other stadiums in Canada would draw other events which would draw over 10,000 like soccer and potentially rugby.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by Ron Jeremy

That's not a pile of shit. This is a pile of shit

One thing I don't like about the old refurbished stands at Lansdowne are that the seats face directly forward unlike the seats at newer stadiums in which the stands curve as they reach the end zones allowing the seats to face centre field. Ultimately, in the old stands at Lansdowne, you will have to crane your neck quite a bit for any action past centre field.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by bashpash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnQFlyGwyG8

Quite the training centre.

[blueandgoldguy]

Mosaic looks great but I have to be honest - the main level concourse looks marginally bigger than the one at IGF. I think the crowds there before the game and at halftime could present a similar problem.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by blueandgoldguy

They will be missing out on some additional revenue generating opportunities though. It's not like there will be many events outside the Riders that will draw more than 10,000 to a stadium. After the honeymoon is over the Rams will draw 5,000 - 10,000 per game and there will probably be no more than 1 - 2 concerts per year. Having a more versatile field like other stadiums in Canada would draw other events which would draw over 10,000 like soccer and potentially rugby.

Other than the WWC, how many rugby and soccer games has Winnipeg hosted? We're all talking like Regina will magically be a go-to place and get multiple games all the time... in reality, we'd be lucky to have 1 or 2 during the lifetime of the turf for which a non-marked field would be a requirement. Regina is still very low on the totem pole for national events, even with one of the nicest/newest stadiums.

And that's mostly why I'm not fussed about it. Would it have been nice to have the additional versatility... sure... but we're really not going to really miss out on much by not having it.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by Nathan

Would it have been nice to have the additional versatility... sure... but we're really not going to really miss out on much by not having it.

We'll never know and that's the sad part for me.

[king10]

Originally Posted by elly63

We'll never know and that's the sad part for me.

It just seems like a short sighted lazy decision when they come out and say cost wasnt a determining factor. No it isnt the end of the world the lines are stiched. But why take yourself out of the running for potential events even if they are only once a year.

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by king10

It just seems like a short sighted lazy decision when they come out and say cost wasnt a determining factor. No it isnt the end of the world the lines are stiched. But why take yourself out of the running for potential events even if they are only once a year.

Build a bridge and get over it already. It's obviously not a priority for the organization.

[king10]

Originally Posted by The Fisher Account

Build a bridge and get over it already. It's obviously not a priority for the organization.

I'm just discussing stadium discussion in the stadium and arenas thread.

sorry.

[esquire]

^ The point, however valid, is getting a little repetitive... yes, we know you don't like the fact that the numbers are going to be stitched into the field at NMS. I find it a bit of a headscratcher too. But the folks in Sask seem to be OK with it and it won't change at this point, so what's left to discuss?

[elly63]

Originally Posted by king10

I'm just discussing stadium discussion in the stadium and arenas thread. sorry.

I wouldn't apologize, the Fisher king has never posted anything useful, just bitching.

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by elly63

I wouldn't apologize, the Fisher king has never posted anything useful, just bitching.

Except that it's already been discussed ad nauseam...