Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[The S'toon Goon]

Originally Posted by JustForTheHalibut

IGF in Winnipeg hosts both the Bombers, Bisons and Valore, you'd would think that Saskatoon could share facilities.

So I had to look and that proposed soccer stadium wouldn't even be the largest stadium in that exhibition complex area only, there's another outdoor grandstand that hosts concerts etc.

https://prairielandpark.com/plan-an-event/live-entertainment/

Plus I looked up that there's a NASCAR race track in the city that seats more than the proposed soccer stadium too.

You'd think that they could just use one of those for a couple years to find out if sports like soccer would go over well there, but like, who am I kidding, they seem to monopolize ever sport they got in that province to begin with. Not many SSP posters from that city seem to be posting about the proposed stadium but I'd be interested to hear what someone from that actual city like The_Saskatoon_Goon poster what he'd think about those other options.

I'm not sure I am qualified to speak for the city, but my two cents would be to partner with the university and create a facility capable of supporting the Huskie Athletics as well as supporting the CPL. I'm sure this is easier said than done. I would like the city to be involved as well and perhaps a soccer/lacrosse version of the recently built Merlis Belsher Place can be accomplished. The university teams can certainly benefit, but also the field/facility can be used by youth soccer or lacrosse. Hypothetically football too, but SMF field already does a fine job there.

I don't get the impression that those in charge of this potential new soccer stadium are looking to partner with anyone and it would seem they are all-in on the prairieland location. I am not as opposed to this location for a venue as others are, but it is a bit redundant to have another facility similar in size and capability as two already existing fields. If it is private money, so be it. I'll enjoy some soccer there. If it's majority public money, I hope the city can sway the location.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

The land is owned by the city, and the park is operated under a lease for purposes that the city undertakes. I am not sure what you think collecting tax would accomplish.

It would ensure a private corporation which wants to operate a soccer team doesn't continue to benefit from tax breaks it no longer qualifies for? The amount of money the City might get from taxes is largely irrelevant; a soccer stadium cannot reasonably be considered agricultural lands, so Prairieland shouldn't receive special treatment anymore. Sometimes the principle is what matters.

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

It would ensure a private corporation which wants to operate a soccer team doesn't continue to benefit from tax breaks it no longer qualifies for? The amount of money the City might get from taxes is largely irrelevant; a soccer stadium cannot reasonably be considered agricultural lands, so Prairieland shouldn't receive special treatment anymore. Sometimes the principle is what matters.

How is renting out facilities for for profit trade shows or for profit concerts any different?

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by MalcolmTucker

How is renting out facilities for for profit trade shows or for profit concerts any different?

Good point, get rid of the tax break entirely.

[ericmacm]

Some new Canadian sports/stadium info that hasn't been brought up yet:

Kelowna Canadian Premier League Interest - Kelowna city officials have confirmed that an investor group has reached out and expressed interest in bringing a CPL team to Kelowna. The site currently generating the most interest is the Recreation Avenue Park, located just north of downtown. The Apple Bowl Stadium located east of downtown, which seats 2,300 people, is apparently not being looked at due to current condition and age. Talks are preliminary, but I'm sure we will hear more soon.

Official Launch of Oak View Group Canada - Tim Leiweke's Oak View Group has officially opened a Toronto office and formally launched their Canadian division (after previously announcing their expansion to Canada in fall 2021), headed by former MLSE executive Tom Pistore, and has already retained a number of clients. OVG Canada will focus on venue development/redevelopment, brand consulting, advertising, and venue management/alliances like in the US. They will apparently focus on underutilized mid-sized markets, with the Hamilton Downtown Entertainment Precinct development being their first major project. In another article, OVG has stated that the goal in Hamilton is not necessarily to create a venue primarily focused on landing an NHL team (because that's the elephant in the room), but to create something capable of handling high-profile concert and event overflow from Toronto.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

Some new Canadian sports/stadium info that hasn't been brought up yet:

Kelowna Canadian Premier League Interest - Kelowna city officials have confirmed that an investor group has reached out and expressed interest in bringing a CPL team to Kelowna. The site currently generating the most interest is the Recreation Avenue Park, located just north of downtown. The Apple Bowl Stadium located east of downtown, which seats 2,300 people, is apparently not being looked at due to current condition and age. Talks are preliminary, but I'm sure we will hear more soon.

Official Launch of Oak View Group Canada - Tim Leiweke's Oak View Group has officially opened a Toronto office and formally launched their Canadian division (after previously announcing their expansion to Canada in fall 2021), headed by former MLSE executive Tom Pistore, and has already retained a number of clients. OVG Canada will focus on venue development/redevelopment, brand consulting, advertising, and venue management/alliances like in the US. They will apparently focus on underutilized mid-sized markets, with the Hamilton Downtown Entertainment Precinct development being their first major project. In another article, OVG has stated that the goal in Hamilton is not necessarily to create a venue primarily focused on landing an NHL team (because that's the elephant in the room), but to create something capable of handling high-profile concert and event overflow from Toronto.

Here is an interview Tim Leiweke did last fall with Bob McCown and John Shannon where he discusses the arenas in Seattle, New York and their involvement with Hamilton. The Hamilton discussion starts around the 28 minute mark, but the whole episode is well worth a listen.

• Video Link

[canucklehead2]

Kelowna? Heck yes! It's the next boomtown especially for Alberta refugees.

[ericmacm]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Here is an interview Tim Leiweke did last fall with Bob McCown and John Shannon where he discusses the arenas in Seattle, New York and their involvement with Hamilton. The Hamilton discussion starts around the 28 minute mark, but the whole episode is well worth a listen.

• Video Link

Thanks for sharing, that was pretty interesting. The key takeway I got from that regarding Hamilton is that they are trying really hard to not step on the toes of MLSE, framing the venue as supplementary to the region. At the end of the day, NHL in Hamilton will require both an ownership group and a venue. OVG's business is venues, not teams, so they are taking the right approach here by not trying to send the wrong message. Landing a potential team will be the business of the Hamilton Sports Group or another source of private capital. The presence of a modern venue will certainly grease the wheels though.

Aside from this, it's really nice that we will have a new major source of private capital for sports arenas in the country that isn't tied down to a specific geographic region. It'll be neat to see if they get involved with other major upcoming arena projects in our mid-sized markets, like in Saskatoon or Kitchener.

Originally Posted by canucklehead2

Kelowna? Heck yes! It's the next boomtown especially for Alberta refugees.

Kelowna is one of the places I really wanted to see a team land, outside of Windsor, London, and Kitchener. I'm really excited to see it happen. Soccer in BC is going to be crazy, especially if a team in the Fraser Valley (rumoured for a while now) ends up happening at some point too.

[Denscity]

Yes I'm hoping Kelowna gets one of everything eventually as it's only 3 hours from here.

[elly63]

FIFA announces Toronto and Vancouver as Canadian Host Cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026™

FIFA revealed today that Toronto and Vancouver will be the Canadian Host Cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, joining 11 Host Cities in the USA, and three Host Cities in Mexico as competition venues for the largest FIFA World Cup™ in history.

Click here for full FIFA press release

In preparation for FIFA 2026, BMO Field will add an additional 17,756 seats – bringing total capacity to 45,736 seats.

[itom 987]

Toronto's stadium reminds me of this:



Gotta stuff those extra seats somewhere...

Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/14/russian-world-cup-stadiums/

[WhipperSnapper]

Nothing wrong with staging temporary seating. They is something very wrong with the obstructed view. They need to remove the awning.

[Djeffery]

It's a little more than an awning and no easily removed. I don't recall if there were any issues with sightlines when they had the seating in place 5 or 6 years ago when they had the MLS Cup and Grey Cup there.

[itom 987]

In Russia, you don't pay for your nosebleed seat, the seat pays you!

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

It's a little more than an awning and no easily removed. I don't recall if there were any issues with sightlines when they had the seating in place 5 or 6 years ago when they had the MLS Cup and Grey Cup there.

Of course, it's not easy or cheap. It's not a massive roof section either. Wasn't it erected in one piece? These stands (as rendered) won't be cheap and the tickets will undoubtedly sell for a fortune. Would I still say removing the roof is economical? No. Is spending 50 million per match economical? No. The majority of Torontonians will watch on TV at home or in bars whether it's in Toronto or Doha.

[MalcolmTucker]

I don't think the awning will screw with sight lines too much. They'll slope the seats so it doesn't. Now - will the seats be god awful anyways? Yes.

[SteelTown]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

It's a done deal. New owners of FirstOntario Centre.

City hands over operation of 3 key downtown entertainment facilities for up to 49 years

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/downtown-entertainment-facilities-1.6059106

Blah blah blah...

Arena renovations will take 2 years

FirstOntario Centre construction is expected to start in the fall of 2022. The city said it will take two years and be completed in two phases.

Proposed renovations — costing at least $50 million — include a new exterior façade and video board, a "transformation" of the lower bowl, an expanded concourse level, and a new curtaining system for the upper bowl balcony.

The group also proposed year-round access to street-level features on York Boulevard, like a Sports Lounge, e-Gaming zone, a food and drink options.
.......

Looks like FirstOntario renovation is moving forward

Originally Posted by LikeHamilton

U.S. venue group OVG heads up Hamilton arena renovation in first Canadian project

ANGELA KRYHUL GLOBE AND MAIL PUBLISHED JUNE 14, 2022

When Los Angeles-based Oak View Group (OVG), a global sports and entertainment company, went looking for its first arena project north of the border, it found its sweet spot in Hamilton.

FirstOntario Centre (formerly Copps Coliseum) may have witnessed Canada’s 1987 Canada Cup victory against the Soviet Union, but the aging venue will soon be torn back to the studs and brought up to 21st-century standards as part of the City of Hamilton’s vision for a new multimillion-dollar sports, entertainment and cultural district.

The privately funded downtown project is driven by the Hamilton Urban Precinct Entertainment Group LP (HUPEG), a regional consortium led by Carmen’s Group and the Mercanti Family and Associates working in collaboration with venue operators, industry consultants and development partners, including Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), Meridian Credit Union and Paletta International.
OVG, which recently launched its Canadian division in Toronto, was brought in for its sports venue expertise and entertainment industry connections; the renovated building will serve Hamilton’s hometown teams as well as visiting big-name acts.

OVG is making headlines for its arena projects in the U.S. and Europe. Founded in 2015 by Tim Leiweke, former president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and entertainment industry trailblazer Irving Azoff, the company just announced a new US$3-billion arena-casino-hotel-amphitheatre development in Las Vegas; it recently completed the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and the UBS Arena in Belmont, N.Y.; and Manchester’s Co-op Live, at 23,500 seats, will become the largest indoor arena and live-music venue in Britain.

Stephen Collins, OVG’s president, global venue development and special projects, says some of the innovations built into the company’s other arena projects will be tailored to FirstOntario Centre. “None [of our projects] looks like they were produced by the same developer,” he says. “They all have unique elements that are appropriate for their markets.”

With construction work set to begin in late spring 2023, FirstOntario Centre will get a new exterior façade and video board and will better integrate at street level, along York Boulevard and Bay Street, with a year-round sports lounge, e-sports zone and local restaurants.

The overall redevelopment plan aims for a live-work-play experience similar to Toronto’s Distillery District and Maple Leaf Square (aka Jurassic Park), Edmonton’s Ice District and L.A. Live in Los Angeles, says Jasper Kujavsky, director of the arena renovation project and a HUPEG founding partner.

The arena has “good bones,” Mr. Kujavsky says, and is situated close to downtown hotels, restaurants, shops and public transit, including the future Light Rail Transit system. While the venue is currently home to the Hamilton Bulldogs (Ontario Hockey League), Hamilton Honey Badgers (Canadian Elite Basketball League) and the Toronto Rock (National Lacrosse League), the renovation will give it a better shot at hosting additional sporting events such as the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup, he says.

The three teams have not yet announced where they will temporarily relocate to during the renovation, Mr. Kujavsky says.

Inside the venue, with seating remaining at about 17,500, there will be expanded concourses, comprehensive transformation of the lower bowl, more comfortable seating and better sightlines. A flexible curtaining system will block off the upper-bowl balcony when not in use to help create a more intimate attendee experience in the lower bowl.

The venue’s locker rooms will be modernized with on-site training facilities and social spaces where athletes can unwind, and the roof structure will be reinforced to handle a modern scoreboard as well as rigging for concerts and shows.

The renovation will convert about 80,000 square feet of storage space to restaurants, suites and club areas. “That will change the dynamic of the building,” Mr. Kujavsky says.

“We can open up that space and provide a greater experience and help drive more revenue for the building and the community,” Mr. Collins adds.

Part of the plan is a sort of democratization of the venue’s social spaces, he says: “We come from the mindset that we need to provide something for everyone so there aren’t the haves and the have-nots. There are different opportunities for different areas of the building.”

OVG-designed venues offer traditional executive suites as well as theatre-style seating adjacent to club spaces for those who require only a few seats to entertain clients.

The luxury box as a driver of revenue is a significant development in modern sport venue design, notes Peter Sealy, assistant professor at University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design – fast WiFi, the latest big-screen technology, sophisticated sound and light equipment, and streetscape integration are all must-haves these days.

“Revenue from luxury boxes plays a huge role in the overall financial picture,” he says.

OVG’s arena projects have veered away from traditional food and beverage concession stands toward innovations such as Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, which is in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and New York’s UBS Arena.

A customer’s scanned credit card is automatically charged when they take food and beverages off the shelves, eliminating checkout lineups. OVG is also looking at a marketplace concept for FirstOntario Centre that’s similar to the grocery store self-checkout experience, Mr. Collins adds.

With Hamilton as its Canadian entry point, OVG is interested in communities that wish to revitalize their sports and entertainment offerings or are underserved by their current venues, Mr. Collins says.

As for size, OVG’s sweet spot is typically just over 20,000 seats. “We try to stay in that ballpark because that’s what we feel we do best,” Mr. Collins says. “Our strategic relationships with content providers scale to that size and the economics work better for us.”

Hamilton’s new sports, entertainment and cultural district by the numbers

• The $500-million residential-office-retail development will include 5 per cent affordable housing.
• HUPEG is responsible for the operation and maintenance of FirstOntario Centre, the FirstOntario Concert Hall and the Hamilton Convention Centre for 49 years, with no monetary contribution from the city and with the city retaining ownership of the lands and facilities.
• $12.5-million-plus in upgrades will be applied to the existing Hamilton Convention Centre and Concert Hall.
• A one-time contribution of $2-million will be made to the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
• Savings to taxpayers: $155-million over 30 years, according to a 2019 study by Ernst and Young.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business...=t()&mc_cid=5788a0b8ea&mc_eid=914e0b1e91

[ericmacm]

Fantastic to see, I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I wonder if they’re going to release any updated design renderings soon.

With Hamilton as its Canadian entry point, OVG is interested in communities that wish to revitalize their sports and entertainment offerings or are underserved by their current venues, Mr. Collins says.

As for size, OVG’s sweet spot is typically just over 20,000 seats. “We try to stay in that ballpark because that’s what we feel we do best,” Mr. Collins says. “Our strategic relationships with content providers scale to that size and the economics work better for us.”

This intrigues me, when combined with their previous statement on targeting mid-sized markets. Looks like it’s going to potentially be more viable for our smaller cities to build larger arenas using OVG as an investment/development partner if they’re interested in doing so. I am hoping they somehow get involved in helping the situation in Calgary as well.

[blueandgoldguy]

In the article they discuss converting additional square footage into suites and club lounges/space.

After renos, any ideas how many club seats and suites there will be in the building.

[esquire]

Seems like a very smart play for Hamilton. This plan will let them leverage the value of the existing building by reusing the structure for what amounts to a new arena, and they will take advantage of the downtown location by developing adjacent sites.

Why build a whole new arena from the ground up if you don't have to? Best of both worlds.