CFL in the Maritimes

[MonctonRad]

CFL game sells out
Published Friday March 26th, 2010

Only remaining tickets available through minor football leagues, bus tours, contests
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

Metro Moncton has scored another touchdown.

In just 32 hours, the public sale of tickets to the Canadian Football League's ScotiaBank Touchdown Atlantic game in Moncton on Sunday, Sept. 26 has sold out.

The only tickets remaining for the game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos are being sold through minor football leagues in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and bus tours coming from Fredericton, Saint John, Halifax and Charlottetown.

The league announced the sellout at 6 p.m. last night, at which time CFL commissioner Mark Cohon called the Times & Transcript to share the good news.

"The fact that it sold out so quickly is a testament to the strength of the CFL, but more importantly the passion that people have in Atlantic Canada for our game and for our league," Cohon says.

More than 13,000 tickets sold out in a one-day pre-sale online at www.CFL.ca/TouchdownAtlantic on Wednesday.

Another 5,000 or so sold throughout the day yesterday.

Jamie Dykstra, manager of communications for the CFL, says over 18,000 tickets are sold and the game's total capacity is 20,693.

Cohon says it was important for the league to make an effort to help out minor football in the Maritimes, so an allotment of tickets has been given to teams in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

"One of the commitments that we made when we said we were coming out there was we would leave money in the community to help on legacy programs, and that's one piece of it," he says.

Teams can use the tickets for fundraisers in the community.

At the same time, another allotment was left to bus tours from Fredericton, Saint John, Halifax and Charlottetown.

"Part of our commitment to this effort was to make sure that we bring people into Moncton as well," he says.

Fans interested in one of those bus packages can contact Sports and Entertainment Atlantic by calling 1-902-444-3773 or visiting www.seatlantic.ca

Lastly, a few tickets remain for contests that the CFL will unveil in the coming weeks. Cohon says the league is ecstatic over the early success of the CFL in Atlantic Canada.

"We're extremely excited for the opportunity, and we hope that this can turn into, eventually, a multi-year commitment," he says. "I think the fact that ticket sales have gone so well, that we've been able to land corporate sponsorship like ScotiaBank, is an indication that we'd like to go back to the government and try and get them to support this on an ongoing basis."

Asked what the quick sellout might mean for the possibility of a CFL team in Moncton, Cohon says the league will "walk before we run."

"One game does not make a season, but I think we're going to continue to methodically build that fanbase, that we get the corporate support, that the government gets behind us, and we'll see where it takes us."

Ian Fowler, Moncton's general manager of Recreation, Parks and Culture, also mentioned the possibility of a franchise team in the region down the road.

"There was no question in our mind that Atlantic Canadians were going to respond in a very positive manner (to Touchdown Atlantic), but this clearly demonstrates the interest in the Canadian Football League in Atlantic Canada, and certainly sends a strong message to the league about the interest for further advancement of the league in our region, be it through further regular season games and a potential franchise."

Fowler says Moncton has a good string of success going in terms of big events like concerts and sporting events.

"It certainly speaks well of our location, the regional drawing power that we bring that we continue to preach, it speaks well of the infrastructure we're developing, and I also hope it speaks well to the relationship that we're building with promoters and event rights holders, that the word is spreading throughout Canada that Moncton is a good place to do business from an event perspective."

Fowler says the sellout of the game now brings the focus to the weekend-long festival surrounding the Touchdown Atlantic game, but few details of the festival were available yesterday.

He says a number of food and beverage kiosks will be available on site during game day, but he said contractual arrangements relating to those are still being worked on.

Fowler says there will be a public transportation element as well, but work on that element of the event hasn't started just yet.

A flurry of football activities are planned, including the Scotiabank Gala dinner on Saturday, Sept. 25. The weekend will feature Atlantic Canadian entertainment, refreshments, and high school and university level football games, culminating with the CFL game on Sunday afternoon at the Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium on the Université de Moncton campus.

[joeyedm]

i agree....it would need to be a regional team.

moncton is looking more and more likely that they will be getting the team. theyve got the stadium and it certainly appears to have the ambition to get the team.

halifax needs to get its arse in gear, or they are going to loose out on a huge oppurtunity.

[MonctonRad]

CFL seats resold at high prices
Published Saturday March 27th, 2010

Tickets to Sept. 26 Moncton game going for far more than face value
Brent Mazerolle

Shediac's Allain LeBlanc was a man on a mission yesterday, but worried that it was a mission impossible.

Like thousands of other disappointed people across the region, Allain was unable to get even one of the 20,000 tickets that were available for Sept. 26's Scotiabank Touchdown Atlantic game in Moncton.

That's when he went looking for people selling extra tickets they might have.

Allain was looking for six tickets all together, but as of yesterday afternoon, the best offer he had was to buy two silver and two bronze in different spots.

He's hardly alone in being left without tickets once the official selling was over on Thursday. All over our region there are tales this week of the people who just couldn't get through to buy the 20,000 tickets from the official sellers.

In just 32 hours, the public sale of tickets to the Canadian Football League game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos had sold out.

And that was clocking it from the time the first pre-sale tickets were available to pre-registered fans on Wednesday morning until the league released a statement announcing a sellout at 6 p.m. Thursday. Many would-be ticket buyers reported being unable to find available tickets long before that.

By Thursday night, however, there were already advertisements online and elsewhere offering tickets at prices as high as $350 for a pair, far more than even the highest price platinum tickets that officially sold for $79 to those lucky enough to get them.

While the rapid sell-out and high prices are a huge endorsement of the CFL's popularity, the fact tickets are being re-sold at a profit is frustrating many.

Allain LeBlanc is among them.

"The prices online are so high," he said, though he was refusing to be too discouraged. He was also looking beyond this one game for a chance at a CFL fix.

"Hopefully there'll be a team permanently in Moncton some day," he said, noting that if this game's ticket sales was the test the CFL said it was, then surely Atlantic Canada had passed the test.

Meanwhile, in answer to the obvious question many have when they hear of tickets at inflated prices, it turns out there is no law against scalping in the Criminal Code of Canada. A couple of Canadian provinces have provincial laws in place, but even in those jurisdictions, they tend to be poorly enforced.

Ontario's Ticket Speculation Act states that anyone who sells tickets above face value can be fined up to $5,000.

However, several companies are re-selling tickets to sports events and concerts in Toronto, so it appears the law is rarely enforced.

Buying scalped tickets is the ultimate buyer beware transaction however, with the chance of being sold fake tickets always a danger.

[thurmas]

does anyone know if this stadium could be expanded to 45,000 for a grey cup?

[MonctonRad]

That would be a huge stretch. I think it could be expanded to 28,000 or so to make it a CFL grade stadium but if further expansion was required then I think the whole sideline bleachers (especially on the east) would have to be completely dismantled and redone.

Baby steps first!

[dennis]

Well, I think its important to have a Grey Cup ready stadium in Moncton. Every other stadium in the CFL can do this...

[MonctonRad]

Walk before you run............

I think that the thought of a 45,000 seat stadium would give even the most ardent supporter of a CFL franchise in Moncton cold feet.

Not every stadium in the league can hold a Grey Cup game either............Molson Stadium in Montreal is only 28,000 seats. (I know, I know, they can play a Grey Cup game across town at Stade Olympique.)

- first stage a series of regular season games to prove the market.
- then form an ownership group and bid for a franchise.
- then expand the stadium so that it is CFL calibre.
- then run a team for 5-10 years to prove that the franchise is permanently viable.
- finally expand the stadium to 45,000 seats only if it makes economic sense and then bid for the Grey Cup!

I figure the Grey Cup could be held in Moncton around 2035.

I guess we had better start building those hitching posts next to the Marriott Hotel downtown right now!

[thurmas]

I don't mean a pemanent 45,000 seater just a 30,000 seater that has enough room to add temporary seating for 45,000 seats like what we do here in winnipeg and what has been done in regina, calgary and ottawa.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by thurmas

does anyone know if this stadium could be expanded to 45,000 for a grey cup?

This is part of the problem with Moncton; the city can definitely handle a one-off game with 20,000 tickets, but it seems like a stretch to expect that a decent stadium would be built any sooner than in Halifax. The current venue is only a $17M stadium and is a far cry from what you see in other cities. There are other issues, like finding hotel rooms for visitors for a 45,000 person Grey Cup game. Because Moncton has only 130,000 people it does not have a lot of that kind of infrastructure. Concerts work fine there but again they are events in an empty area where people drive in and then drive home.

There was a stadium planned for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Halifax that would have been a $150-200M structure with roof and so on. That plan is dead and it's part of the reason why there's a lull in interest in a stadium for the CFL, but it's definitely a plausible project for the city.

[fenwick16]

Maybe they could fly into Halifax, stay at hotels in Halifax and have a shuttle bus to the Moncton Stadium for the game. It might to be a good combination; one city with a stadium and not enough hotel rooms and another with quite a few hotel rooms but no stadium. Then it would truly be an Atlantic team.

[MonctonRad]

I think first we'll worry about getting a franchise (which I think the market can justify), then we'll worry about the prospect of hosting a Grey Cup at some point down the road.

Someone123 is correct about Moncton lacking the infrastructure for such an event but if we never host a Grey Cup, I don't know if I would be too upset. Has Regina ever held the Grey Cup ?(I just looked it up - they've hosted it twice) How about Green Bay and the Super Bowl?

Huge games such as these often belong in larger markets. That doesn't mean that smaller markets can't justify a franchise..........

Of course, things can change. In 2031, Moncton should have over 160,000 people. We might have 200,000 by 2051. The city will grow and as it does, the infrastructure will appear. There have been about 1,000 new hotel rooms added to the city in the last 5-7 years. A Grey Cup hosted in Moncton might be possible in 50 years time.

[Urban_Genius]

Regina has hosted, in 2003 I belive. But yeah, I don't think it's that big of a deal if Moncton never hosted a Grey Cup. Just having a CFL team would be sweet. That's not to say there couldn't be a Grey Cup.

Also about the stadium, your stadium is exactly like Montreal's Saputo stadium and same price. Should Montreal join MLS the stadium will be upgraded, which is what I'd also expect to happen in Moncton.

This doesn't look too bad to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAHIOVOOcCU

Lastly, Moncton seems to be a city full of ambition. Unlike every other city to have been thrown around for an expansion team, Moncton has political will from local and provincial government. The CFL realizes that it cannot be ignored.

The prospects of a team is certainly very exciting for CFL fans across this country, hopefully the prospective investors step up to the plate and can run a successful franchise in the Maritimes.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Of course, things can change. In 2031, Moncton should have over 160,000 people. We might have 200,000 by 2051. The city will grow and as it does, the infrastructure will appear. There have been about 1,000 new hotel rooms added to the city in the last 5-7 years. A Grey Cup hosted in Moncton might be possible in 50 years time.

This is really thinking long-term. Why not be optimistic, Moncton might have 500,000 people in 50 years time. It would have to grow at an annual rate of about 2.5% over 50 years (Calgary grows at an annual rate of about 3%).

Moncton has gotten this far so they might pull this off (a team in Moncton).

[Nat]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

It's been commented on to death, but I'd love to see Halifax get something done with a stadium and get a franchise. With hopefully a healthy ownership Ottawa franchise, Winnipeg can move back West and give us:

BC, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg
Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax

And if Toronto leaves, put a team in Quebec and still get a balanced league with none of that cross-over crap.

you must mean:

BC Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg
Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax (possibly Quebec)

two divisions with a wildcard/crossover to ensure you don't get a team inthe playoffs with 4 wins while another with 8 wins is left out.

[riverviewer]

Moncton doesn't need to host the Grey Cup to build excitement in this city. I would prefer we pour our efforts into WINNING the cup! Take the money saved on the smaller stadium and buy players, coaches, equipment, and training.

[Dalreg]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Maybe they could fly into Halifax, stay at hotels in Halifax and have a shuttle bus to the Moncton Stadium for the game. It might to be a good combination; one city with a stadium and not enough hotel rooms and another with quite a few hotel rooms but no stadium. Then it would truly be an Atlantic team.

No way, fly/stay in Saint John, Fredericton, even Charlottetown. A lot closer than Halifax!

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by riverviewer

Moncton doesn't need to host the Grey Cup to build excitement in this city. I would prefer we pour our efforts into WINNING the cup! Take the money saved on the smaller stadium and buy players, coaches, equipment, and training.

Doesn't matter how much you save, you're still going to be limited by the salary cap in terms of players.

[Nat]

Originally Posted by mmmatt

What would they call the team if it came to Moncton?

It would have to be Roughriders, wouldn't it?

[MonctonRad]

I think Roughriders has been taken once (or twice) before! The name is also a little dated..........It's been well over a century since Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill.

I remain taken with the idea of calling the team the Moncton (or Maritime) Express. It pays homage to Moncton's roots as a railway town.



This makes a really good logo. The idea of an onrushing locomotive gives the impression of strength and unstoppability and it avoids the automatic association of the region with the ocean or with the fisheries. We are so much more than that now.

[Nat]

Originally Posted by isaidso

My concern is whether Moncton is predominantly a hockey town, or a football town. The answer to that question will certainly be studied closely by the CFL. I can assure you that they're also going to look at how well Moncton supports the football teams it currently has. That means all the high school teams, the number of boys playing football in the Moncton area, but also support for the college football team.

If, as you argue, Mt. Allison should be considered a Moncton university, their attendance numbers will be looked at. The support Moncton's population gives to this school's football team isn't very impressive. I post quite often on cisfootball.org and have been monitoring attendance levels at college football games across Canada. Mt. Allison attendance hovers around 2,000/game.

It should be noted that Moncton's biggest competition for a CFL franchise will come from Halifax and Quebec City. How does attendance at a regular season game at Mt. Allison compare to that of Saint Mary's and Laval? A typical Saint Mary's crowd is from 3,500 to 5,000. At Laval it's from 12,500 to 17,000. That's right, 17,000 for college football! It's not a typo.


http://www.quebechebdo.com/imgs/dyna...r_Peps_net.jpg
http://www.universitesquebecoises.ca...es/laval_2.jpg

I'm not pointing these things out to be a prick. I'd love for Moncton to get a team, but if you guys are serious about landing a football team, you need to start putting your money where your mouth is. That doesn't start next year with the CFL exhibition game. It starts now with 5,000-10,000 of you turning out to Mt. Allison games and good crowds at high school games. It also means showing up when Mt. Allison drives 30 minutes up the highway to play within Moncton city limits.

It doesn't matter that this is a college football team. A population that loves the sport of football will go to watch the football team it has. In Moncton that means Mt. Allison. People who love football don't ignore a team because it's not a professional team like you just did. If you look at all the cities in Canada without a pro team, they support their college teams. University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon? Saint Mary's in Halifax? UWO in London? Laval in Quebec City? Queen's in Kingston?

That Moncton doesn't support it's current football team, Mt. Allison, doesn't reflect well. If you were Mark Cohon, what is going to look best on paper? 17,000 people turning out to college football in Quebec City or 2,000 turning out to college football in Moncton? What happens next year with that exhibition game will matter a great deal, but you've already got some catching up to do to look as good as Quebec City in the eyes of the CFL. They are going to look at this.

I guarantee you that the CFL is salivating over those Laval numbers.

If you were to look at the attendence for the University of Regina football games you would likely also think a CFL team based in Regina has no chance of being successful. I think we can all agree you would be wrong in that judgement. It's not so much that puople love football as it is that the Roughriders are a regional team that"puts us on the map" and provides rivalries with other parts of the nation - hopefully the whole nation soon