Quote:
Originally Posted by MonctonRad
And, the Maritimes arguably now have the best freeway system in the Dominion but q12 is being overly optimistic here. Nobody can drive 120 km/hr the entire way from Freddy to Halifax, and you have to add in coffee, rest and pee breaks. Also, with a location at Shannon Park, at least a half hour will have to be added on to the travel time to get there and find your parking spot. A trip from Freddy would be 4 hr 20 minutes minimum (nearly 9 hours return). An overnight stay would be mandatory. Even the most ardent Freddy football fan would only make the trek once a year.
Hell, I live considerably closer to Halifax in Moncton, and I only ever go down to Halifax 2-3 times per year.
The Cobequid Pass toll is more of a nuisance than a deal breaker in terms of driving to Halifax or not but I can guarantee you that PEIslanders do not shop in Halifax "regularly". Islanders are homebodies (I grew up there). If there is someplace they shop reasonably frequently it's Costco in Moncton (1 hr 45 minutes from Charlottetown).
You can bypass the toll booth on the Cobequid Pass, but then you have to drive through the Wentworth Valley instead (~ 40 km at 80 km/hr). Not many people do this.
The Cobequid Pass is very well maintained, no question. As for Mainers visiting Foxboro, perhaps if they live in Kennebunk, York or Ogunquit. They are essentially Boston exurbs in any event. Nobody north of Portland would frequent Foxboro on even a semi routine basis.
I think it's more like 600,000, but that's beside the point. The local population in central NS is more than sufficient to support a CFL team. Overall, I imagine they will compromise about 80% of the fans in the stadium seats. The majority of the rest will come from elsewhere on the peninsula, and from southeastern NB.
I'll be there 1-2 times per year. ![Yes](images/smilies/yes.gif)
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Aww ok, just as I thought, so that makes most of New Brunswick and PEI likely not going to games on a regular basis, over nighting it, but seeing games in Halifax maybe a couple times a year, about the same 4 hour drive distance as central Manitoba to Regina to see Blue Bombers at Mosaic stadium in Regina, and 4 or 5 hour drive from Alberta cities like Medicine Hat & Lethbridge ( larger city than Fredericton) to see Alberta teams in Regina.
With added nuisance of Tolls or having to take the 'long route' from New Brunswick, football fans there would fundamentally have to latch onto Halifax team as their very own once the novelty of having one major Pro Sports in Maritimes ... or at least wait for their favourite team to come to town, There are CFL fans across the country & RiderNation is vast.
I did take a quick look at Central Nova Scotia population of Municipalities, looks like just under 550,000 people within 60 minute drive of potential stadium, (some parts of the Halifax city limit itself is over an hour from Dartmoth though).
Halifax has 403,000 in its vast 5500 sq kms (same size as PEI), that'll be a potential football team's bread and butter, Halifax doesn't have another large CMA in the Province to have fans from.
![](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4565/37777200494_fc5cfc4481_o.png)
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...But there is almost another 150,000 people in the Municipalities surrounding Halifax (even though population is dropping) West & East Hants (35,000), Lunenburg (25,000), Chester (10,000), Kings (45,000), Colchester (35,000).
Every man woman and child will have to be a CFL fan right from the start, Entire populous making sure to see at least one game every couple years or so to make it work. As mentioned before, I really think Maritime pride will shine through & that they can pull it off and be great hosts to foster a new fledgling team. *fingers crossed