Halifax Stadium Discussion

[someone123]

Yeah, I agree that there doesn't seem to be much of a reason behind constructing a new Metro Centre aside from the fact that they want a shiny new building. The library is falling apart and is 60 years old, and there is basically no stadium at all in Halifax.

A new covered stadium could be just as good for events as a new arena and would allow for a new semi-major sports team. A gold-plated Metro Centre for the Mooseheads would be kind of sad.

[q12]

This weekends Uteck bowl should be an opportunity to bring attention (via the media) to the need for a new stadium.

I really think that Saint Mary's should be included in trying to gain support for this stadium since they could be an immediate beneficiary if one were to be built.

There are many colleges in North America where the football stadium is several blocks away from the actually school itself so I don't see that a problem if the forums land location was chosen.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by q12

This weekends Uteck bowl should be an opportunity to bring attention (via the media) to the need for a new stadium.

I really think that Saint Mary's should be included in trying to gain support for this stadium since they could be an immediate beneficiary if one were to be built.

There are many colleges in North America where the football stadium is several blocks away from the actually school itself so I don't see that a problem if the forums land location was chosen.

You could probably put a 20,000 seat stadium at SMU. Rip out the existing grassy knoll and rebuild. Wrap around ends blocking out the low rise and part of the tower. At the Gorsebrook Lounge end build an executive seating area at the top level c/w media facilities. This would be connected to the Gorsebrook lounge with and elevator. Of course there would be a sky Gorsebrook lounge in the executive area. Everybody can take the bus or walk to the stadium.

[Halifax Hillbilly]

Originally Posted by Empire

You could probably put a 20,000 seat stadium at SMU. Rip out the existing grassy knoll and rebuild. Wrap around ends blocking out the low rise and part of the tower. At the Gorsebrook Lounge end build an executive seating area at the top level c/w media facilities. This would be connected to the Gorsebrook lounge with and elevator. Of course there would be a sky Gorsebrook lounge in the executive area. Everybody can take the bus or walk to the stadium.

I always favoured something like this, although I'm not sure how much space there is. If I recall correctly it's pretty tight between the bleacher side of Huskies stadium and the rest of campus. I would think SMU and HRM should be able to work something out to upgrade the existing facilities as an interim solution of sorts.

The other problem with this location, is politically there is no way in hell you would get a twenty thousand seat stadium in this neighbourhood.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by Halifax Hillbilly

I always favoured something like this, although I'm not sure how much space there is. If I recall correctly it's pretty tight between the bleacher side of Huskies stadium and the rest of campus. I would think SMU and HRM should be able to work something out to upgrade the existing facilities as an interim solution of sorts.

The other problem with this location, is politically there is no way in hell you would get a twenty thousand seat stadium in this neighbourhood.

You could probably get 10,000 on the side of the broken up bleachers and then another 10,000 around the rest.

People in the neighbourhood would just have to live with it.....a penalty or sorts for helping kill the Commonwealth games.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Empire

You could probably put a 20,000 seat stadium at SMU. Rip out the existing grassy knoll and rebuild. Wrap around ends blocking out the low rise and part of the tower. At the Gorsebrook Lounge end build an executive seating area at the top level c/w media facilities. This would be connected to the Gorsebrook lounge with and elevator. Of course there would be a sky Gorsebrook lounge in the executive area. Everybody can take the bus or walk to the stadium.

There may be a worse location for a stadium, but I'm unsure where it would be. East Preston, perhaps. SMU needs all the real estate they can get, and you do not want to plunk a large stadium down in the middle of the prime south end residential area.

The only sensible location is the DND lands near the corner of Windsor and Young.

[Empire]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

There may be a worse location for a stadium, but I'm unsure where it would be. East Preston, perhaps. SMU needs all the real estate they can get, and you do not want to plunk a large stadium down in the middle of the prime south end residential area.

The only sensible location is the DND lands near the corner of Windsor and Young.

20,000 isn't that large and the area isn't that prime. University, hospitals, grain elevator, rooming houses, ugly apartment buildings. A university stands a better shot at getting funding.

[fenwick16]

It seems like SMU doesn't have adequate lands for future expansion. If they support a stadium in another part of Halifax then the current stadium lands could be used for academic buildings. I really don't see a stadium in this part of town. There would an outcry over having large concerts; I can't image the Paul McCartney concert in this part of town. That is my reason for preferring the DND Willow Park area over the South End area. (I actually prefer the skate park area near the Citadel Hill but everyone on this forum seems to think that this is a no-go.)

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

It seems like SMU doesn't have adequate lands for future expansion. If they support a stadium in another part of Halifax then the current stadium lands could be used for academic buildings.

If a new stadium was built off-campus, and the Huskies played their games out of there, SMU would be wise to still keep Huskies Stadium as is, maybe with slightly better seating, as a practice field. Don't forget there's also a running track around that field which is an asset.

Anyway, the Uteck Bowl is this weekend. Should be interesting to see how well that is attended. If I was going to be around Saturday, I probably would be there myself.

[Empire]

-

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by Empire

...{STEVIE WE WILL TRADE DARRELL DEXTER FOR A 20,000 SEAT STADIUM}

25 and you've got a deal.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by Empire

Hopefully there will be signs in the crowd {HALIFAX WANTS A REAL STADIUM} or {HALIFAX NEEDS A STADIUM} or {STEVIE WE WILL TRADE DARRELL DEXTER FOR A 20,000 SEAT STADIUM}

Seriously, this is sort of how Toronto got the Skydome. People started chanted that they wanted a dome and the politicians obliged:

The idea for building an enclosed sports venue came following the Grey Cup game in November 1982, held at the outdoor Exhibition Stadium. The game was plagued by terrible weather that affected the patrons, who were viewing from stands that were not sheltered. Thousand spend most of the game in the concession section of the stadium, the crowd was drenched, and the washrooms were overflowing, which was an all around bad experience for all the fans. In attendance that day was then-Ontario Premier Bill Davis, and the poor conditions were seen by over 7,862,000 television viewers in Canada (at the time the largest TV audience ever in Canada [8]). The following day, at a rally at Toronto City Hall, tens of thousands of people who were there to see the Grey Cup winners began to chant, "We want a dome! We want a dome!" So too did others who began to discuss the possibility of an all-purpose, all-weather stadium.

Seven months later, in June 1983, Premier Davis formally announced that a three-person committee would look into the feasibility of building a domed stadium at Exhibition Place. The committee consisted of Paul Godfrey, Larry Grossman and former Ontario Hydro chairman Hugh Macaulay.

source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre

If you are serious about getting a stadium, this is the sort of thing that you will have to do. However, just don't go as far as wanting an extravagant facility like the Skydome (Rogers Centre).

[q12]

From the Herald:

Uteck Bowl not tied to SMU

CHRIS COCHRANE
Sat. Nov 21 - 4:46 AM




PHIL CURRIE SURPRISED many this week when he mused publicly about the possibility of the CIS national football semifinal, now known as the Uteck Bowl and staged at Huskies Stadium every two years, moving around the AUS conference in the near future.

The Atlantic University Sport executive director tossed out that suggestion during a pre-Uteck Bowl interview, while discussing the condition of Huskies Stadium with CTV Atlantic’s Paul Hollingsworth.

Obviously, Currie was also speaking with conference-building on his mind.

The AUS brain trust is aware that any new interlock deal with the Quebec conference could be the last one. If that happens, the AUS will eventually be back to a four-team conference without interlock, a scenario no one finds attractive.

There’s pressure to entice at least one more school to take on the expense of building a football program and eventually give the AUS a more stable five-team operation.

What better way to attract more interest than to showcase the conference’s biggest game, which has been exclusively a Halifax event for decades, in different markets?

The market that best fits that plan is Moncton, with its spanking new stadium and the growing popularity of football in New Brunswick.

"Moncton is an attractive opportunity," Currie said on Wednesday. "We are also looking for some expansion in New Brunswick. It could be a catalyst."

Currie, who has a habit of successfully tossing new ideas into the public forum to land feedback, said any decisions on Uteck Bowl future sites will be decided by the conference members.

"It (Uteck Bowl) is an (AUS) association event. It’s directed by the members of the association. We do have members interested in hosting it outside of Halifax. We have to take those inquiries seriously."

Currie said changing economics make it possible to present a more sound business case for hosting such events in markets outside Halifax.

He expects a profitable Final 6 in Sydney next spring, the first time that AUS basketball event hasn’t been held in Halifax in over two decades. That could give hope to smaller market schools, such as Acadia or St. F.X., to perhaps someday host a Uteck Bowl.

"A market like Moncton, St. F.X. or Acadia, when you go to those markets the business case changes," Currie said. "It’s not as expensive to run an event in those markets as in Halifax."

Saint Mary’s athletic director Steve Sarty can quickly make a strong case for keeping the game in Halifax.

"It was all a bit of a surprise to me," Sarty said. "And it was a little bit upsetting. We’re not surprised to hear that our stadium needs to be replaced. A new stadium will come to Saint Mary’s; it’s just a matter of time."

But the stadium issue aside, does Sarty expect a fight to keep the Uteck Bowl in its longtime home?

"I don’t think fight is the right word. But we need to probably talk about the bigger picture. Once this (Uteck Bowl) is done and we see where we end up next week, we’ll start talking about, in two years’ time, are we going to have the Uteck Bowl back here and what do we need to do to make sure it happens?"

Is it a good idea to consider a move?

That really depends on the financial figures, the demand for the Uteck Bowl in other markets and whether a change can help lead to expansion. Presently, the AUS has a good thing going at Saint Mary’s. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t also work well in other AUS markets.

The need for a new stadium has got some media attention today. This story is also on News 95.7 this morning (Saturday). They will be broadcasting the game live, along with a tape delay on TSN. Fenwick16 is right, this is the time for citizens of Halifax to demand a new stadium during and after an event that would benefit from a new stadium. They are expecting over 7,000 people, somebody should sit in the derelict roped off section with a sign saying we need a new stadium.

[q12]

T HIS
S TADIUM
N EEDS
REPLACEMENT

Maybe this sign could make sportscentre.

[fenwick16]

I will be watching on TSN. I hope to see this sign.

I sent an email to Jerry Blumenthal on the HRM council about a week ago to ask if he would interested in setting up a trust fund for a stadium after seeing this article in The Coast
( http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/jerry...ent?oid=995642 ) which states:

"He also expresses frustration at the secrecy of the Commonwealth Games bid, although he would like to see a new stadium built."

This article was printed on September 25 2008 prior to him being re-elected.

I should point out that I do not know him and I am not currently a HRM resident and (not unexpectedly) I haven't received a response. His contact information is on this link: http://www.halifax.ca/districts/dist...1.html#contact

[q12]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I will be watching on TSN. I hope to see this sign.

I sent an email to Jerry Blumenthal on the HRM council about a week ago to ask if he would interested in setting up a trust fund for a stadium after seeing this article in The Coast
( http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/jerry...ent?oid=995642 ) which states:

"He also expresses frustration at the secrecy of the Commonwealth Games bid, although he would like to see a new stadium built."

This article was printed on September 25 2008 prior to him being re-elected.

I should point out that I do not know him and I am not currently a HRM resident and (not unexpectedly) I haven't received a response. His contact information is on this link: http://www.halifax.ca/districts/dist...1.html#contact

That was a good find Fenwick16. The rest of us should all e-mail Jerry Blumenthal. His district includes DND willow park. A politician could gain some political points by championing a new stadium. What about Sue Uteck? SMU is in her district, so I'm fairly certain that she would be for a new stadium. If a new stadium were to be built it could be named in honour of her late husband. It could be called Larry Uteck Stadium.

I also posted a comment on Chris Cochrane's article in the herald, with a link to the petition. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1153886.html

[Empire]

Originally Posted by q12

T HIS
S TADIUM
N EEDS
REPLACEMENT

Maybe this sign could make sportscentre.

That is an excellent sign. It could be hammered in the ground in the grassed over section.

[q12]

Even this TD Waterhouse Stadium for U of Western Ontario in London, a city the size of Halifax, would be better than the Huskies stadium crap we are stuck with right now. This TD stadium only cost $10 million to build in 2000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TD_Waterhouse_Stadium







It holds 8,000, expandable to 16,000 (similar to the stadium Moncton is building for cheap) and looks like it would almost fit where Huskies stadium is. Although I think building a 25,000 seat or larger stadium makes more sense.

This stadium also hosted a CFL game back in 2002.

[q12]

This forum seems to have all the Canadian university stadiums with pictures:

http://www.cisfootball.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6064


This picture shows what room they have to work with at SMU.



http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rf4...72&lvl=2&sty=b

[MonctonRad]

That aerial photo cinches it for me.......there just isn't the footprint at SMU to have a decent sized stadium, even if you lose the track. You will just have to look somewhere else.

I still think Gorsebrook would be a good choice for a penninsular location.