Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[esquire]

^ Yeah, I noticed that the renderings were a bit old. But something of that scale would be great for Halifax, especially in that location.

[SaskScraper]

^^ At first I was going to say, I wonder WHICH Halifax will build... football field in Dartmouth or a new arena. Considering Halifax will have a Pro Lacrosse NLL team starting 2020, re-invirgorating talks of a new Halifax arena maybe important for holding on to the team.
The current Metro Centre in Halifax will be one of the smallest NLL arenas in the league, SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon routinely hits over 15,000 people per game.

originally posted by FFX-ME
I didn't really double check the numbers. I got them using this service and they states that they were 2015 values.

oh ok, ya I just did an estimate for the City of Saskatoon as well & it looks like its out by 75,000 too, in addition to your older in-accurate estimate for Regina...



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...rate-1.4533264

[esquire]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

^^ At first I was going to say, I wonder WHICH Halifax will build... football field in Dartmouth or a new arena. Considering Halifax will have a Pro Lacrosse NLL team starting 2020, re-invirgorating talks of a new Halifax arena maybe important for holding on to the team.

I don't think it's all that urgent... most NLL teams averaged under 10,000 fans a game last year so it's not like Halifax needs to run out and build a new venue right away. But if the NLL takes off there and they routinely play to capacity crowds, it could eventually be a factor in deciding what to do with the Halifax Metro Centre.

[SaskScraper]

^^ The Up-State New York team being relocated to the
maritimes seemed to average about 7,000 per game last season before announcement of being up-rooted to Halifax.

I'd imagine unless the relocated Halifax NLL team can't maintain a certain attendance in the next decade, near sell out for each game at there current arena, I'm sure they will be fine.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...RIYlEk6nV5XoZW

[JHikka]

@AlouettesFLDeck reporting that the Alouettes will be reducing capacity of Percival Molson stadium in 2019 to "Around 20K" to "create a better atmosphere".

Team averaged between 17k and 18k in 2018.

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by JHikka

@AlouettesFLDeck reporting that the Alouettes will be reducing capacity of Percival Molson stadium in 2019 to "Around 20K" to "create a better atmosphere".

Team averaged between 17k and 18k in 2018.

How about put a better product on the field and don't charge the high ticket prices to sit on bench seats and get more buts in seats, the capacity is only about 23,500 right now. Seems like the wrong approach to me...

[migo]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

How about put a better product on the field and don't charge the high ticket prices to sit on bench seats and get more buts in seats, the capacity is only about 23,500 right now. Seems like the wrong approach to me...

I agree. The stadium looks bush league, uninviting, an embarrassing eye-sore. Removing some or all of the steel bench seats and installing plastic seating like what was done to Lansdowne Park in Ottawa would go a long way IMO.

[thurmas]

Molson stadium is already so small there is no need for this it is not the Big O with 56,500 seats. Make tickets cheaper and fill the place up with a good football team.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by thurmas

Make tickets cheaper and fill the place up with a good football team.

If only life was that easy.

[esquire]

^ Als ticket price points are very expensive for what they offer (several years of mediocrity and the most barebones stadium in the league)... but when was the last time any pro team rolled back ticket prices by a significant margin? It just doesn't happen. Tarping off sections it is.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by esquire

when was the last time any pro team rolled back ticket prices by a significant margin? It just doesn't happen.

Didn't TFC do that a few years ago because they sucked so bad?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by elly63

Didn't TFC do that a few years ago because they sucked so bad?

TFC generally have some of the highest ticket prices in MLS. They're going up this year despite the team missing the playoffs.

Unlike the Alouettes, the Argonauts rolled back their ticket pricing for 2018:

Originally Posted by Global

To get fans to [Argonauts] games, the average ticket price will be rolled back by 23 per cent, meaning about 2,600 tickets will be sold for as low as $15 per game for season’s seat holders and $19 per game for single-seat buyers.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4137099/t...et-price-drop/

Of course, the Argonauts both lowered ticket prices and limited the number of available seats in their stadium.

This is most likely better suited for the attendance and marketing thread, though.

--------------

The Alouettes reducing capacity is an interesting decision given that the recent expansion of Percival Molson (going from 20K to 25K capacity) occurred less than ten years ago and was financed primarily with government money: $19M from Quebec, $4M from Montreal, with $6M coming from the Als owner.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...nsion-1.842309

At the time the Als were basically saying that they couldn't remain economically feasible in the medium-term in a stadium limited to 20K seats.

So, more food for thought for folks in Halifax.

[elly63]

Originally Posted by JHikka

TFC generally have some of the highest ticket prices in MLS. They're going up this year despite the team missing the playoffs.

And attendance beginning to fall, which is ironic because of how many times Argo haterz would gleefully state how could they win a championship and the next year have the attendance decrease.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The Alouettes reducing capacity is an interesting decision given that the recent expansion of Percival Molson (going from 20K to 25K capacity) occurred less than ten years ago and was financed primarily with government money: $19M from Quebec, $4M from Montreal, with $6M coming from the Als owner.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...nsion-1.842309

At the time the Als were basically saying that they couldn't remain economically feasible in the medium-term in a stadium limited to 20K seats.
.

First thing I thought about when I read about this.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

First thing I thought about when I read about this.

It was pretty much around the time that the expanded seating opened that their attendance began declining. Clearly a mistake in hindsight.

[le calmar]

I doubt the Als will go as far as removing the structures that were added during the 2010 stadium expansion, that would be unnecessarily expensive and as other said, this expansion was funded by public funds. They are probably talking about removing bleachers or tarping them off, but probably nothing that cannot be easily reverted to the original configuration. If am I wrong on this, I will start seriously start questioning the capacity of the team to manage their operations as this would be a very short-sighted decision.

[thurmas]

it seems since Whettenhal let his son assume more and more day to day control of the club the last few years they have become more and more inept. I hope the Whettenhal's sell this team to the Habs or some sort of local ownership group.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by le calmar

I doubt the Als will go as far as removing the structures that were added during the 2010 stadium expansion, that would be unnecessarily expensive and as other said, this expansion was funded by public funds. They are probably talking about removing bleachers or tarping them off, but probably nothing that cannot be easily reverted to the original configuration. If am I wrong on this, I will start seriously start questioning the capacity of the team to manage their operations as this would be a very short-sighted decision.

Why spend piles of money disassembling the bleachers when a tarp will accomplish pretty well the same purpose? Besides, there's a good chance those sections might be needed again if the Alouettes manage to get it together.

[ScreamingViking]

Percival Molson is a fine stadium for football buffs who don't really care what they're sitting on. But what they can do with it to make it more comfortable is limited (e.g., I doubt they can really do anything to install individual seats, given the limitations of the existing structure... this was why Ivor Wynne was demolished and not partially rebuilt and refurbished -- the north stands had rows that were too narrow for seating, even the cheapo stuff installed in parts of BMO and TD Place)

What they should have done is improve the corporate box and club seating, and collective spaces for the regular ticket-buyers. That has been where the money is for the other teams.

[MonctonRad]

I don't really expect any more updates on the Avenir Centre in Moncton here in the national stadium thread, since the arena is now complete and fully operational, but as a parting shot, I present you the Moncton Wildcats dressing room, which opened for use by the team last week. Owner Robert Irving spared no expense, and had designers visit multiple other team facilities in major junior hockey, the NHL and the NFL all over North America to come up with his final plan.


Moncton Wildcats dressing room at the Avenir Centre

11,000 sq ft (the size of four typical suburban houses).

Includes - street side and rink side locker rooms, kitchen and dining area, lounge, theatre, equipment repair and laundry facilities, medical clinic, hydrotherapy, gymnasium, washroom & showers, stick rack & equipment prep area and coaches offices.

All photos have been shamelessly appropriated from the T&T
https://www.telegraphjournal.com/tel...e=daily-digest (paywall)


26 seat theatre for review of game films


Rink side dressing room with smart board for coaches presentations


Player lounge with TV and video game system


Kitchen


Washroom & showers


Gymnasium and training room

Every friggin player in the QMJHL is going to want to come and play for the Moncton Wildcats!!!