Stadiums and Arenas of Canada part 2

[Oilkountry]

So if my calculations are right BMO will have 35 yards of overlap (according to wikis dimensions) so seating at one side will end at the 15 yard line. That`s going to look ridiculous MLSE should get the ball rolling on a new stadium for TFC or the Argos. I really don't wanna sound pessimistic here but I cant belive anyone on the Argos side nor MLSE deeming this as acceptable

[king10]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

So if my calculations are right BMO will have 35 yards of overlap (according to wikiès dimensions) so seating at one side will end at the 15 yard line. That`s going to look ridiculous MLSE should get the ball rolling on a new stadium for TFC. I really don't wanna sound pessimistic here but I cant belive anyone on the Argos side nor MLSE deeming this as acceptable

MLSE isn't "getting the ball rolling on a new stadium for TFC or the Argos". They're spending $150 million on a stadium they dont own. They aren't going to build a new stadium for the Argos or TFC just because the stands are off centre by 15 yards. Tim leiweke stated again today the stadiums primary tennant is TFC. All the renos being done enhance the TFC experiences. All the premium suites, and final finishes are TFC accented. TFC won't be building a new stadium anytime in the next decade at the MINIMUM.

The Argo's have no home and are desperate, they can take this option or fold. Why would MLSE just build a $150 million stadium for the Argos when there isnt even a guarantee they will be profitable. The argo's moving into BMO is fine but they can't commadeer it and force TFC to find a new home just because the seating layout may not be ideal.

Beggars can't be choosers, let alone evictors. Also if TFC left and found a new home the stadium would still be off centre.

People are deeming this as acceptable because its either that or fold the team.

And nobody knows forsure what the actual layout will be for CFL football.

[king10]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

So if my calculations are right BMO will have 35 yards of overlap (according to wikiès dimensions) so seating at one side will end at the 15 yard line. That`s going to look ridiculous MLSE should get the ball rolling on a new stadium for TFC. I really don't wanna sound pessimistic here but I cant belive anyone on the Argos side nor MLSE deeming this as acceptable

MLSE isn't "getting the ball rolling on a new stadium for TFC". Tim leiweke stated again today the stadiums primary tennant is TFC. All the renos being done enhance the TFC experiences. All the premium suites, and final finishes are TFC accented. TFC won't be building a new stadium anytime in the next decade at the MINIMUM.

The Argo's have no home and are desperate, they can take this option or fold. The argo's moving into BMO is fine but they can't commadeer it and force TFC to find a new home just because the seating layout may not be ideal. And MLSE has no reason to build a $150 million stadium for the Argos, a team that as of today they don't even own and hasn't been profitable in decades.

Beggars can't be choosers, let alone evictors.

This is the deal the Argos have, this is what happens when you draw 10 000 ppl to games at the Rogers Centre, you have no leverage to demand someone pay for your new stadium. They can take this deal or pack up and fold.

The argos should be estatic they get this BMO deal. Pack the place with 25 000 fans for 10 years, get profitable then have a business plan to stand on to perhaps build their own stadium.


Plus nobody knows for sure if the field will be indeed off centre until the final drawings come out.

[caltrane74]

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

A pretty big photo update of BMO from this morning

http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/showthread.php/8777-BMO-Field-Expansion?p=997825#post997825

When it gets the roof, it will have that Premier League Stadium Vibe!!!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

So if my calculations are right BMO will have 35 yards of overlap (according to wikis dimensions) so seating at one side will end at the 15 yard line. That`s going to look ridiculous MLSE should get the ball rolling on a new stadium for TFC or the Argos. I really don't wanna sound pessimistic here but I cant belive anyone on the Argos side nor MLSE deeming this as acceptable

Why do you assume that the field will be off-centre? When the CFL played in the US for a short while in the 90s, some American stadiums with fields that are roughly the size of a soccer pitch were renovated to accommodate the CFL field in a way that worked. I'm thinking of Shreveport in particular... if anything, that was a tougher fit than BMO but they made it work.

That said, I think it's pretty likely that BMO is going to be a temporary home for the Argos from day 1. If Tanenbaum and Bell end up owning the team, then the number one long-term priority for the team will likely be to get their own facility.

[caltrane74]

There's enough space at Exhibition Place for another stadium... .Go For it Bell!!

[Oilkountry]

Well Tim saying that it will always be grass coupled with the mention of the 1 endzone will be turf basically solidifies the notion that its going to be off center. This is going to be a disaster for the Argos.

[esquire]

Is this not the plan anymore for BMO? Judging by this drawing, seating will stretch to the endzone and slightly beyond... there is nothing wrong at all with this arrangement. What has changed?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

Well Tim saying that it will always be grass coupled with the mention of the 1 endzone will be turf basically solidifies the notion that its going to be off center. This is going to be a disaster for the Argos.

If the Argos end up playing with one fieldturf endzone it's hardly the end of the world. I'm sure they'd sooner do that than play with an off-centre field just so the gridiron is entirely on grass.

[Coldrsx]

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by esquire

If the Argos end up playing with one fieldturf endzone it's hardly the end of the world. I'm sure they'd sooner do that than play with an off-centre field just so the gridiron is entirely on grass.

I think you're confused. If one end zone is going to be turf and the other grass that means the field will be off centered.

[Berklon]

It looks decent and will look better with the roof, but it would've been so much better if it were an truly enclosed stadium. That would give it a more intimate feel. The Red Bull arena in NY/NJ looks fantastic because of that... like a miniature version of a major soccer stadium in Europe. Leaving one end opened up so it can fit a football field will definitely take away from the more intimate feel they could've had. I can see why TFC fans aren't too happy about this arrangement.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by esquire

Is this not the plan anymore for BMO? Judging by this drawing, seating will stretch to the endzone and slightly beyond... there is nothing wrong at all with this arrangement. What has changed?

No-one really knows but the majority of the south end will stay as is - only the front 6 or 7 rows will be retracting

While the soccer pitch at BMO Field will remain grass, CFL games – assuming the deal goes through – will feature an all-turf end zone at the north end of the stadium while the south end zone could be half-turf.

“For CFL (action), we'll have to go all the way back to the scoreboard to create an end zone,” Leiweke explained.

As a result, the seats at the north end of the stadium (near the Gardiner Expressway) would disappear. Those 800 seats would be replaced by a retractable, multi-layered terrace soccer fans will utilize on game days.

The multi-deck terrace would cover the north CFL end zone during soccer games before being rolled back for football.

“That's the misnomer that's out there,” Leiweke said. “You won't see end zone markings during soccer games. All of our portables come out and cover it at both ends. Those end zones would be field turf. They'll have logos on them. During a TFC game, you aren't going to see that.

“There will be no logos anywhere on this field ever. If they want logos, they're going to have to work with the field turf in each of the end zones.”

[Oilkountry]

Originally Posted by Berklon

It looks decent and will look better with the roof, but it would've been so much better if it were an truly enclosed stadium. That would give it a more intimate feel. The Red Bull arena in NY/NJ looks fantastic because of that... like a miniature version of a major soccer stadium in Europe. Leaving one end opened up so it can fit a football field will definitely take away from the more intimate feel they could've had. I can see why TFC fans aren't too happy about this arrangement.

It doesn't make sense for TFC nor the Argos. Why cant MLSE just do this right and make equal stands on each side that retract or disassemble like BC place instead of half ass ing this project. I dont think anyone is truly invisioning what is gonna happen here. they are going to leave one side the way it is. So the MLS pitch will start the same on one side as the CFL endzone. Then they will add 35 yards of turf to the other side of the stadium and cover it with a terrace for CFL games. Its not gonna be what the picture above shows

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

I think you're confused. If one end zone is going to be turf and the other grass that means the field will be off centered.

We don't know the details yet. For all we know, both endzones could be fieldturf.

Originally Posted by FrankieFlowerpot

No-one really knows but the majority of the south end will stay as is - only the front 6 or 7 rows will be retracting

Assuming that a CFL gridiron and a soccer pitch are centred the same, the CFL field would only extend about 15 yards or so past the soccer field in either direction. So it's not as though you need to remove 30 rows of seats or anything like that.

The bottom line is that this is not some intractable engineering challenge we're talking about here. There is what, 30 yards difference between a CFL field and a soccer pitch... I'm pretty confident that they can make this work.

[king10]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

Well Tim saying that it will always be grass coupled with the mention of the 1 endzone will be turf basically solidifies the notion that its going to be off center. This is going to be a disaster for the Argos.

What would be more of a disastor is if BMO wasn't an option at all and the Argos had nowhere to play and folded.

Also again you're jumping to conclusions on the field and assuming the worst case scenario and already calling it a "disastor." Let the dust settle and lets see what the actual drawings and plans are before already labeling it a disastor.

If you want to call something a disaster look no further than the last 5 years of the Argos at Rogers centre with 8 weeks in between tuesday night home games in front of 10 000 fans.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

It doesn't make sense for TFC nor the Argos. Why cant MLSE just do this right and make equal stands on each side that retract or disassemble like BC place instead of half ass ing this project. I dont think anyone is truly invisioning what is gonna happen here. they are going to leave one side the way it is. So the MLS pitch will start the same on one side as the CFL endzone. Then they will add 35 yards of turf to the other side of the stadium and cover it with a terrace for CFL games. Its not gonna be what the picture above shows

Well, this is Toronto we're talking about. The Leafs play in a basketball arena designed for the Raptors, might as well have the Argos play in a soccer stadium designed for TFC.

But why do you assume that the MLS pitch will start on the same side as the endzone on one side? Who has said that there won't be retracting seats at both endzones?

[king10]

Originally Posted by Oilkountry

It doesn't make sense for TFC nor the Argos. Why cant MLSE just do this right and make equal stands on each side that retract or disassemble like BC place instead of half ass ing this project. I dont think anyone is truly invisioning what is gonna happen here. they are going to leave one side the way it is. So the MLS pitch will start the same on one side as the CFL endzone. Then they will add 35 yards of turf to the other side of the stadium and cover it with a terrace for CFL games. Its not gonna be what the picture above shows

Please show the concrete drawings instead of attemping to infer what you think will happen and piece it together based on wording.

I'll reserve judgement until the official announcement of the Argos to BMO is made and drawings are made public.

Until then its just a bunch of people holding their breath complaining about a worst case scenario which may not even be in the plans.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by king10

Please show the concrete drawings instead of attemping to infer what you think will happen and piece it together based on wording.

Exactly. The owners involved here are pretty deep-pocketed players, and putting in retractable end zone seats is not exactly a billion dollar project. I find it hard to believe that they would green light a construction project that would result in a completely half assed arrangement. I don't know why Oilkountry is panicking so much about this when we don't even know exactly what the plans are.

[Oilkountry]

Ok so it just got worse lol I was wrong. However now I wish I was right! They are gonna remove 6-7 rows so it will still be off centered but now not only will 1 end zone be turf the other will be half turf half grass. This makes the islanders and Barclays center look like they were made for each other

Maybe im wrong but all signs point to this being just as bad as the rogers centre deal for the Argos