Lansdowne Park Redevelopment Phase 1 | Completed

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by JeffB

Will there be screens placed where people on the low side of the rink can see them?

There is a series of smaller (big screen tv type) screens mounted along the ceiling above the low side.

The Ottawa senators had a similar setup back when they were in the civic centre and that was their club seats down there. Only difference was the TV's were CRTs in those days!

[citydwlr]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

Was at the game. Awesome time! Fury games have definitely been the most under-appreciated aspect of this development. The soccer is decent quality (lot's of high end talent on our roster) and the atmosphere is fantastic with the supporter's groups singing and chanting all game long. Beats CTC that's for sure.

Looking forward to see what this team can do in the coming years.

Glad to hear! Definitely looking forward to their future here as well. They've done a great job this past year for an expansion team, IMO. Based on the last few games it seems they've finally found a good lineup/system that works.

My only major complaint so far is that I'd like to see fans on the North-side stands and not just on the South side). A minor complaint would be the television coverage; I watched the game last night on Rogers and the quality wasn't great (I guess I should expect that much from a local community television station...). They only really had one angle the whole game -- from the top of the south-side stands in the press booth. When replaying some key moments in the game (goals, penalties, etc...), they would do a close-up of those moments. Why don't they intersperse the camera angles a bit more during play, like they do in other sporting games ?!

[phil235]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

Was at the game. Awesome time! Fury games have definitely been the most under-appreciated aspect of this development. The soccer is decent quality (lot's of high end talent on our roster) and the atmosphere is fantastic with the supporter's groups singing and chanting all game long. Beats CTC that's for sure.

Looking forward to see what this team can do in the coming years.

Yeah, the Fury games have been a lot of fun.

How many fans were there last night? It seems that they have settled in around 5000, at least on the weekends. That's enough to keep them viable, but it would be nice to see them get up a little higher.

BTW, the CTC is going to have a supporters section this year as well. Very European.

[JeffB]

Originally Posted by citydwlr

Glad to hear! Definitely looking forward to their future here as well. They've done a great job this past year for an expansion team, IMO. Based on the last few games it seems they've finally found a good lineup/system that works.

My only major complaint so far is that I'd like to see fans on the North-side stands and not just on the South side). A minor complaint would be the television coverage; I watched the game last night on Rogers and the quality wasn't great (I guess I should expect that much from a local community television station...). They only really had one angle the whole game -- from the top of the south-side stands in the press booth. When replaying some key moments in the game (goals, penalties, etc...), they would do a close-up of those moments. Why don't they intersperse the camera angles a bit more during play, like they do in other sporting games ?!

If they can continue to grow the crowds they may have to open it up to the North side. I was at Sunday`s game and the announced crowd was almost 5,100 people, which is good, but probably not worth the expense of opening up the other side yet.

[JeffB]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

There is a series of smaller (big screen tv type) screens mounted along the ceiling above the low side.

The Ottawa senators had a similar setup back when they were in the civic centre and that was their club seats down there. Only difference was the TV's were CRTs in those days!

Good to hear. I'll likely bring my oldest to a 67's game in the new year, but will likely try to get seats on the high side. But I did use to get seats on the low side behind the bench back in the late 80's with my dad.

[EdFromOttawa]

Originally Posted by phil235

Yeah, the Fury games have been a lot of fun.

How many fans were there last night? It seems that they have settled in around 5000, at least on the weekends. That's enough to keep them viable, but it would be nice to see them get up a little higher.

BTW, the CTC is going to have a supporters section this year as well. Very European.

3000 odd but it was a mid-week game (the only one of the season I think) and marketing was minimal for it so I was surprised there were even that many.

The big advantage to lumping everyone together in the south stands is that you really feel part of a bigger crowd despite a smaller total number. Everyone was very vocal and into the game. Really enjoyed it a lot. I actually am having more fun at the Fury games than at a typical Sens game (read: mausoleum atmosphere).

Watch out if this team get's competitive and starts playing TFC and Montreal Impact in the Canadian Cup next year. This thing could really take off.

[Radster]

I was at the game last night too, and had a great time. I fully agree, way more entertaining than Sens games at CTC for a fraction of the cost.

As for the 3K attendance, I too think its not only due to the midweek timing, but also due to lack of marketing for it.

I did get a survey from the Fury today about my game experience, and this is exactly what I told them in the comment box, that everything was great, except the fact that the attendance should have been higher and that I blame that mainly on them not marketing it.

I think with the right marketing, word of mouth, good news coverage, we could start averaging 8-10K per game for soccer next year, and then hopefully they can start opening the bottom third of the North Side, which will make for a better fan experience and for a stronger 12th man home advantage (they need it, as they've been having issues playing at home). I kind of chuckled when Dantas scored our first goal last night, ran to celebrate it in the North East corner, then realized there are no fans there! ooops! lol

A good start for more attendance would be:

-some discount ticket package deals for the remaining games
-discount deals for seniors
-discount deals for kids and teens
-free beer/food voucher if you arrive before the game starts
-some kind of draws for prizes
-discounts for renewing season tickets for next year

I mean, if Indianapolis, in their first NASL season are averaging over 10K per game, a city similar size to ours, plus they have NBA and NFL teams, then we should be able to hit 10K per game too. OSEG just needs to put some more $ into marketing - TV, Radio, Internet, news, schools, bars, restaurants, airport, OC transpo, ticket deals, the list is endless, thats what it boils down to.

[EdFromOttawa]

Originally Posted by Radster

I was at the game last night too, and had a great time. I fully agree, way more entertaining than Sens games at CTC for a fraction of the cost.

As for the 3K attendance, I too think its not only due to the midweek timing, but also due to lack of marketing for it.

I did get a survey from the Fury today about my game experience, and this is exactly what I told them in the comment box, that everything was great, except the fact that the attendance should have been higher and that I blame that mainly on them not marketing it.

I think with the right marketing, word of mouth, good news coverage, we could start averaging 8-10K per game for soccer next year, and then hopefully they can start opening the bottom third of the North Side, which will make for a better fan experience and for a stronger 12th man home advantage (they need it, as they've been having issues playing at home). I kind of chuckled when Dantas scored our first goal last night, ran to celebrate it in the North East corner, then realized there are no fans there! ooops! lol

A good start for more attendance would be:

-some discount ticket package deals for the remaining games
-discount deals for seniors
-discount deals for kids and teens
-free beer/food voucher if you arrive before the game starts
-some kind of draws for prizes
-discounts for renewing season tickets for next year

I mean, if Indianapolis, in their first NASL season are averaging over 10K per game, a city similar size to ours, plus they have NBA and NFL teams, then we should be able to hit 10K per game too. OSEG just needs to put some more $ into marketing - TV, Radio, Internet, news, schools, bars, restaurants, airport, OC transpo, ticket deals, the list is endless, thats what it boils down to.

Damn you and me are like minded! That's almost exactly what I put in MY feedback form hahaha.

Basically just said the Fury need more ground-level marketing (billboards, posters etc...) plus more cross-marketing with other teams. Every commercial break at TD during a Redblacks game should have some mention of the Fury/67s and vice versa. Isn't that whole benefit of owning three teams at the same facility??

We'll see the organization has impressed me hugely so far so I'm not majorly worried. I think this is all growing pains of a first season.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

Damn you and me are like minded! That's almost exactly what I put in MY feedback form hahaha.

Basically just said the Fury need more ground-level marketing (billboards, posters etc...) plus more cross-marketing with other teams. Every commercial break at TD during a Redblacks game should have some mention of the Fury/67s and vice versa. Isn't that whole benefit of owning three teams at the same facility??

We'll see the organization has impressed me hugely so far so I'm not majorly worried. I think this is all growing pains of a first season.

One simple thing they could do is open their box office during the day. I went to get tickets Saturday afternoon and found it closed. I know they would like to shift things online, but people still like to buy onsite for any number of reasons, including avoiding the fees. They are likely losing quite a few impulsive buys (mine was).

[Schattenjager]

My girlfriend and I will most likely be picking up season tickets next year as we can't get enough of the Fury. We've attended almost every game since they moved to TD Place and we've been watching every away game through NASL Live (terrible quality but that's not the team's fault but the league's).

[EdFromOttawa]

Originally Posted by phil235

One simple thing they could do is open their box office during the day. I went to get tickets Saturday afternoon and found it closed. I know they would like to shift things online, but people still like to buy onsite for any number of reasons, including avoiding the fees. They are likely losing quite a few impulsive buys (mine was).

I suspect this will change once the retail portion of the site is complete and OSEG has moved everything on site. I believe they will have their own team(s) store and box office in between one of those big struts on the north side.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

I suspect this will change once the retail portion of the site is complete and OSEG has moved everything on site. I believe they will have their own team(s) store and box office in between one of those big struts on the north side.

This was what was explained to me when I bought my tickets at the preview centre last year. They took us though a sort of virtual site tour. No difference than graphics and renderings everyone has seen a bizillion times but with some explaination pointing out certain things.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by EdFromOttawa

I suspect this will change once the retail portion of the site is complete and OSEG has moved everything on site. I believe they will have their own team(s) store and box office in between one of those big struts on the north side.

I hope so.

The box office is currently between struts on the east side of the arena. To me, it would have made more sense to put the team store and box office where Rexall is going, right on Bank at the entrance to the site. That way they would get a lot more traffic walking by. But I suppose that location was too big a rent generator to pass up.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by JFFournier

Terrific. Shouldn't be a problem view-wise, with the possible exception of the scoreboard.

Edit: Actually, even that shouldn't be too bad. I used row 10, not knowing the specifics.

As promised... my unbiased review.... ok... I happily eat my words

Beautiful on the inside... view from South Side section XX row 11 was just fine.. scoreboard was perfectly watchable, even at an 70 degree angle. No problem to follow all replays in detail.

My fears of a "windswept plain" between two bleachers was tempered by the grass "risers" at each end which do tend to bowl out the field somewhat. New stands and facilities are top notch... love the open area between lower and upper decks... They even seem to have tidied up the North Side roof from when I was last there.

I guess part of my negative expectation came from a picture (still on the TD Place website)....

http://www.tdplace.ca/about-td-place/td-place-stadium

Check out the roof of the North Side stands... Airy with sexy curve in the middle... not at all like the flat clunky chunk of steel it currently is. When one goes to the stadium expecting one thing... and sees how mis-represented it is, even on the current official website... disappointment is a possibility.

And it did rain when I was there... water dripping off the veil caused many people to leave the top rows of the upper deck... I still maintain that though aesthetically pleasing, a little more effort should have been put into functionality.

All in all a great evening... it's been many years since I left Winnipeg so my heart was actually with the team that got it's act together for the first time

[citydwlr]

From the Citizen's David Reevely (via Twitter):

The Lindt chocolate shop has opened at Lansdowne. First of the new businesses, I believe.

[JFFournier]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

As promised... my unbiased review....

Nice. Regardless of what your final opinion was going to be, I was hoping you'd remember to report back.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

As promised... my unbiased review.... ok... I happily eat my words

Beautiful on the inside... view from South Side section XX row 11 was just fine.. scoreboard was perfectly watchable, even at an 70 degree angle. No problem to follow all replays in detail.

My fears of a "windswept plain" between two bleachers was tempered by the grass "risers" at each end which do tend to bowl out the field somewhat. New stands and facilities are top notch... love the open area between lower and upper decks... They even seem to have tidied up the North Side roof from when I was last there.

I guess part of my negative expectation came from a picture (still on the TD Place website)....

http://www.tdplace.ca/about-td-place/td-place-stadium

Check out the roof of the North Side stands... Airy with sexy curve in the middle... not at all like the flat clunky chunk of steel it currently is. When one goes to the stadium expecting one thing... and sees how mis-represented it is, even on the current official website... disappointment is a possibility.

And it did rain when I was there... water dripping off the veil caused many people to leave the top rows of the upper deck... I still maintain that though aesthetically pleasing, a little more effort should have been put into functionality.

All in all a great evening... it's been many years since I left Winnipeg so my heart was actually with the team that got it's act together for the first time

It appears we were at the same game, another sellout. The only other CFL games I've been to were at Ivor Wynne in Hamilton, and that set the bar pretty low.

The overall experience was pretty awesome, from the stadium, to the team winning for a change. Stephen Harper was there, and we managed to get a picture with him too.

Like anything, it's not perfect. Concession stands on the North side were cramped, and staff were tripping over each other to prepare food. The modern South side had much larger work spaces and seemed better laid out. Signage was also lacking in a few places, including at the concession stands and finding the seating sections.

Leaving is a also a bit hectic because the sidewalk is so narrow for the construction. There are also long waits while the crowd crosses Bank street, hopefully some people can be directed down under the Canal Bridge to reduce waits in the future. It would also be nice to see better signs for the 45x bus stops. Once on a bus though things moved pretty quickly.

It's not a bad place at all.

[EdFromOttawa]

Some more shots of the revamped Civic Center. Looks stunning imo. I think they fixed the viewing angle problem by adding two smaller screens on each side.

[JFFournier]

Originally Posted by Catenary

Leaving is a also a bit hectic because the sidewalk is so narrow for the construction. There are also long waits while the crowd crosses Bank street, hopefully some people can be directed down under the Canal Bridge to reduce waits in the future. It would also be nice to see better signs for the 45x bus stops. Once on a bus though things moved pretty quickly.

At that game, I waited things out a bit while people filed out. There was a crowd all trying to cram on the 452. I sat back and watched them battle it out, then was one of seven people getting on the next one jus a few minutes later. I waited longer inside that bus for it to fill up than I did outside. Similar experience with the shuttles in prior games.

Unless you are in some kind of hurry for whtever reason, I'd suggest just enjoying the view for a while while things thin out.

[phil235]

Pretty small numbers for the first two 67s games - 4700 on Friday and just 1700 on Sunday.

Maybe it was the nice weather, or the 67s got lost in the intense marketing of the Fury and the Redblacks, but I'm a little surprised the crowds were that low. It is true that ticket/concession/parking prices are quite a bit higher than in the past, so that may have played a role.

Though there isn't a whole lot different in the arena, I thought it looked a lot nicer with the new paint and floors. The curtaining off of the top rows creates a more intimate and balanced feeling. The new video board is a huge improvement, though it takes some getting used to, with the scores to either side.

The team still looks like a work in progress, but they do have a few players that will be great to watch, which is what you really look for in a junior hockey team.