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View Full Version : If You Were an Argos Season Ticket Holder Would you want to move to The Ex?



alexintoronto
08-12-2008, 10:14 AM
Stop for a minute and put yourself in their shoes. What would you do if you were an Argos fan but not a TFC fan?





There are so many reasons for them not to move to The Ex from what I can tell.
The weather during their season will suck at The Ex - the players and the game will suffer.
Hosting the Grey Cup will mean less than 30,000 when they could have sold out 50,000 +.
They will remain a second class tenant instead of having their own stadium.
A blue team will play in a stadium with red seats.
Ticket prices are sure to go up now that the Argos will be paying rent and there will be limited seats.
Concessions - they're pretty slow at The Ex, are they that slow at SkyDome?
Did I mention weather? Not only for the players but for the fans - freezing rain = lost ticket sales.
Public Transit - SkyDome is perfect for the Subway and Go Trains - The Ex is a pain to get to.
They'll be making new enemies in the city when they ruin the atmosphere of The Ex.
The atmosphere at The Ex is so good because of the TFC Supporters, not because of the stadium - moving the Argos into The Ex doesn't automatically mean better atmosphere at CFL football games.
I just hope the season ticket holders have more sense than the management & ownership of the team. There is NO WAY I would want to move to The Ex if I was an Argos season ticket holder.

Note: I've decided to start calling it The Ex instead of BMO Field.

Discussion is going on here:
http://www.redpatchboys.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=4541

Troll
08-12-2008, 10:19 AM
I don't think you're list is very objective at all. in fact it'd be tough to try to be impartial here.

The Alouettes list looked very similar to yours prior to playing in Laval.... but it just ended up working. The smaller, intimate atmosphere in an open air stadium was the attraction.

I'm not sure bout you, but when I go down south to watch a football game, battling the elements as a fan is part of the fun. And besides, nobody likes seeing a half empty stadium.

alexintoronto
08-12-2008, 10:22 AM
I'll have you know I'm the most objective person I know.

:)

Fort York Redcoat
08-12-2008, 10:22 AM
What soccer team plays at McGill? And I'm not alone in reminding everyone that the Argos had the opportunity to do just that with York and U of T but failed.

bee dubya
08-12-2008, 10:40 AM
I'm might get shot at for saying this but if I were an Argos fan, I'd prefer the outdoor stadium. The Dome sucks unless the place is packed and it's never packed unless the Yankees are in town.

I wish the Argos had gone in on the rebuild of Varsity though because that would have been a great move for both U of T and the Argos.

Dave67
08-12-2008, 10:45 AM
If I were an Argos sth I would want to move to the Ex in a heartbeat. If we were playing in a 53,000 seat stadium and offered the chance to move to a 25,000 (assuming that is what BMO was enlarged to) we would want to move also. In general the Dome was a great novelty stadium but now that novelty is over it is being shown up for what is is. A poor place to watch sports.

alexintoronto
08-12-2008, 10:46 AM
I should have put an option to build their own stadium.

Antoshka
08-12-2008, 10:52 AM
seeing as they dont want the bills in skydome i think theyll vote to stay at skydome

Beach_Red
08-12-2008, 10:53 AM
The Alouettes list looked very similar to yours prior to playing in Laval.... but it just ended up working. The smaller, intimate atmosphere in an open air stadium was the attraction.

This is true, except the stadium isn't in Laval, it's right downtown, on the McGill campus.

Certainly the success of the Als at Molson Stadium is exactly what the Argos would like to copy - and I'd like to see them do it. Varsity Stadium would be the one, then, but I guess that's not happening.

BMO wouldn't be the same as the Als in Molson at all, which is a football stadium first and foremost. That's more what the Argos need. Being second-class in a soccer stardium wouldn't be the same at all.

The thing is, the Als put up the money....

tfcleeds
08-12-2008, 10:56 AM
MLSE had the taxpayers of Toronto, Ontario and Canada build the stadium for it's soccer operation. This stadium belongs to every Canadian and even those thats support Football in this country. Therefore it should be made available to Argos.

If MLSE soccer fans want their own SSS, they should get MLSE to foot the bill for one.

The stadium was built with taxpayer money to be a soccer-specific facility. To be a home for Canadian soccer, TFC, and youth soccer associations. It was not built to be a multi-sport facility. The Argos had the chance to share a multi-sport facility, but they backed out.

If anyone should foot the bill for their own facility, it is the Argos.

Huginho
08-12-2008, 11:01 AM
does anyone remember by chance when the bubble went over BMO last year? just wondering cause of the possibility of the city losing revenue with the bubble having to go up later then before if the argos play into late november.

stugautz
08-12-2008, 11:02 AM
I read this in the national post on Saturday. IF Toronto were to get the 2015 Pan Am games and Mississauga were to build a lakefront stadium, why not put the Argo's there? Everybody has their own facility and everybody is happy...no?

http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=710751

Parkdale
08-12-2008, 11:02 AM
And until real grass is installed the argument that BMO is a SSS is a falsehood.

an SSS isn't determined by the turf. It's determined by the size/shape of the field, and by the tenants.

alexintoronto
08-12-2008, 11:03 AM
Well. Now that Saputo is built and has grass, it's become the new home in the east for our Men's National team. The players would rather play there.

And until real grass is installed, the argument that BMO is a SSS is a falsehood. When that decision was made to maximize revenue by MLSE by installing plastic, it opened the door to anyone else wanting to use it.

Blame MLSE. Not the Argos.
You're right! We should put grass in The National Soccer Stadium.

Roogsy
08-12-2008, 11:06 AM
If I was an Argos fan and my team wanted to dump that kind of money on a stadium I would want it to be designed for my team in mind. That kind of planning could have happened had the Argos not pulled out but now that they want to spend the money now, I'd want it done from scratch. Which they can do at say...Varsity or Lamport or York U.

jb831
08-12-2008, 11:12 AM
I actually AM an Argos season ticket holder. (In addition to being a TFC STH).

And I do not want to relocate to the Ex. A lot of it has to do with the fact I'd like to keep BMO soccer-specific, but even if that wasn't the primary issue at hand, I still wouldn't want to move.

A lot of the reasons, alexintoronto has already mentioned: ticket prices, stadium accessibility, red seats (how awkward). But it also comes down to the fact that I have possibly the best "cheap seats" for Argos. My seats are padded, have cup holders, offer a clear view of the jumbotron without being in the endzone,.. and are uniquely positioned to offer a great view of the field / plays, while being only several rows from the field. No "cheap seat" @ BMO could offer anything comparable.

Funny thing is... I never received this survey from the Argos. I'm going to call my ticket rep and ask for it... simply so I can vote "NO".

Parkdale
08-12-2008, 11:14 AM
A lot of the reasons, alexintoronto has already mentioned: ticket prices, stadium accessibility, red seats (how awkward).


I knew it would be all about matching your seats to your outfit.

:jester:

graeme117
08-12-2008, 11:15 AM
If I was an Argos fan and my team wanted to dump that kind of money on a stadium I would want it to be designed for my team in mind. That kind of planning could have happened had the Argos not pulled out but now that they want to spend the money now, I'd want it done from scratch. Which they can do at say...Varsity or Lamport or York U.

I have to agree here... if i was an argos sth i wouldn't want to play in either, in fact i would be livid that my club had fumbled (oh yeah... i went for it) so many deals in the past, and now are settling for two less than ideal situations.

I would be demanding that the Argos find a way to become involved with the PAN Am games bid, and secure their own stadium w/ tax payer funding.

Roogsy
08-12-2008, 11:18 AM
I would be demanding that the Argos find a way to become involved with the PAN Am games bid, and secure their own stadium w/ tax payer funding.

I had forgotten that the Pan Am games were being targeted. What a great idea Graeme!

If the city is going to spend money again on sporting attractions, then this is the chance the Argos have to get in and partner with the city like MLSE/CSA did with the U20 World Cup.

If the pass up this chance, it becomes painfully obvious that they are just in it to ride everyone elses coattails, making them a 2nd rate organization and league.

jb831
08-12-2008, 11:21 AM
I knew it would be all about matching your seats to your outfit.

:jester:

What was that? I can't hear you over the sound of you munching on your prawn sandwiches... :D

Parkdale
08-12-2008, 11:23 AM
What was that? I can't hear you over the sound of you munching on your prawn sandwiches... :D

they sure are delicious!


nom nom nom nom

that's the sound I make while eating prawns

graeme117
08-12-2008, 11:23 AM
I had forgotten that the Pan Am games were being targeted. What a great idea Graeme!

If the city is going to spend money again on sporting attractions, then this is the chance the Argos have to get in and partner with the city like MLSE/CSA did with the U20 World Cup.

If the pass up this chance, it becomes painfully obvious that they are just in it to ride everyone elses coattails, making them a 2nd rate organization and league.

Exactly, and if the plans for the pan am game include anything (although on a hell of a lot smaller scale) like the planned olympic development in the port-lands i gotta say, us tfc supporters will be damn jealous

Roogsy
08-12-2008, 11:31 AM
And you know what? I would be happy for the Argos and their fans. If they got a great stadium at a great location that they controlled...all the power to them. So long as they do not disturb the place which I have come to see as the home of soccer in Toronto and I hope to make the home of soccer in Canada if we ever get grass. The fact that other teams have "nicer" stadiums...good for them. This one is ours. It ain't much but it is ours. Once it stops becoming "ours" then it becomes a blight I want nothing to do with.

JDG
08-12-2008, 11:34 AM
Where will the Argos recoup the money they'll need to spend to refit BMO?
Why would they incur that kind of debt, and why would the Argos STHs encourage that kind of frivolous spending? They're in Rogers Centre rent free. They won't get the same deal at BMO.

Chevy
08-12-2008, 11:34 AM
I don't think you're list is very objective at all. in fact it'd be tough to try to be impartial here.

The Alouettes list looked very similar to yours prior to playing in Laval.... but it just ended up working. The smaller, intimate atmosphere in an open air stadium was the attraction.

I'm not sure bout you, but when I go down south to watch a football game, battling the elements as a fan is part of the fun. And besides, nobody likes seeing a half empty stadium.

I agree..

Tintin
08-12-2008, 11:42 AM
And you know what? I would be happy for the Argos and their fans. If they got a great stadium at a great location that they controlled...all the power to them. So long as they do not disturb the place which I have come to see as the home of soccer in Toronto and I hope to make the home of soccer in Canada if we ever get grass. The fact that other teams have "nicer" stadiums...good for them. This one is ours. It ain't much but it is ours. Once it stops becoming "ours" then it becomes a blight I want nothing to do with.


The problem is hopw many stadia are enough? You cant have Skydome, BMO, Argo Field in the same are (Port land) and the Argos in Missisauga does not make sense so there is a problem.

Anyway, its the City that will decide and MLSE, the Fans have no say.

graeme117
08-12-2008, 11:43 AM
And you know what? I would be happy for the Argos and their fans. If they got a great stadium at a great location that they controlled...all the power to them. So long as they do not disturb the place which I have come to see as the home of soccer in Toronto and I hope to make the home of soccer in Canada if we ever get grass. The fact that other teams have "nicer" stadiums...good for them. This one is ours. It ain't much but it is ours. Once it stops becoming "ours" then it becomes a blight I want nothing to do with.

But it seems the Argos ownership has no vision, their fans have even less, otherwise they'd see the opportunity and start doing something about it.

I for one will consider live sports in toronto dead to me, if the argos move to bmo,

i will have no reason to support any MLSE owned team (i won't support a team that abandons its supporters),

no reason to support the argos (i already hate them b/c they monopolize the gym on my campus and are general assholes around the school),

and no reason to support a team owned by rogers (who is the reason the Argos are in this mess, pulling out of deals like a john).

Unless we looked into starting an FCUM type team in the CSL... hmmmm

LucaGol
08-12-2008, 11:44 AM
The problem is hopw many stadia are enough? You cant have Skydome, BMO, Argo Field in the same are (Port land) and the Argos in Missisauga does not make sense so there is a problem.

Anyway, its the City that will decide and MLSE, the Fans have no say.

We can't?....we're a pretty large city.

Look at Chicago...a comparable city to ours....how many bloody stadia do they have....Wrigley, New Comiskey, Soldier Field + Bridgeview + college football stadiums + a few Im probably missing.

And I would argue that T.O. is a more passionate sports city then they are....so yes....we can have those stadiums.

graeme117
08-12-2008, 11:47 AM
The problem is hopw many stadia are enough? You cant have Skydome, BMO, Argo Field in the same are (Port land) and the Argos in Missisauga does not make sense so there is a problem.

Anyway, its the City that will decide and MLSE, the Fans have no say.

you can also add lamport, varsity and a potential york stadium to that list, but if you look at the needs of the pan am games, sure it could be done at the dome, but w/ our city on show, i wouldn't be surprised to see a new stadium as part of the bid, MHO though. Also there may be interest from rugby canada too, moving from their current home outside the city into a new complex may be on the table as it gains popularity

Tintin
08-12-2008, 11:50 AM
We can't?....we're a pretty large city.

Look at Chicago...a comparable city to ours....how many bloody stadia do they have....Wrigley, New Comiskey, Soldier Field + Bridgeview + college football stadiums + a few Im probably missing.

And I would argue that T.O. is a more passionate sports city then they are....so yes....we can have those stadiums.


NO WAY!!! Not even close, Are you kidding me. Chicago is a true sports city with Crazy fans. The sports culture is way more developped in Chicago.

The other thing is in Canada, tax payers are less inclined than in the States tio pay for a stadium so it would have to be private money or as par as th Pan Am games.

LucaGol
08-12-2008, 11:51 AM
[/b]


NO WAY!!! Not even close, Are you kidding me. Chicago is a true sports city with Crazy fans. The sports culture is way more developped in Chicago.

The other thing is in Canada, tax payers are less inclined than in the States tio pay for a stadium so it would have to be private money or as par as th Pan Am games.

Ok, maybe I bit off more than I could chew with that unsubstantiated argument.

My main point is...I don't think its out of the realm of possibilities for Toronto to add more stadiums.

Tintin
08-12-2008, 11:56 AM
The problem is that the Argos don't have deep pockets and I can't see the city paying for another Stadium. So there is 3 options:

1. Build one with PAN AM money: The problem is that it is many year saway.

2. Stay at Skydome: The problem is that they want to creat the Alouette experience.

3. Ask the city for a parternship at BMO: Easiest solution for them...

I guess we have to pressure the local politicians.

joel
08-12-2008, 12:21 PM
Hey lets post a poll, and pretend we were Toronto FC ticket holders, and we could imagine if we would want grass.

yeah, that sounds like a good objective poll too.

jaahuuu
08-12-2008, 12:30 PM
Concessions - they're pretty slow at The Ex, are they that slow at SkyDome?

I only go to 1 Bluejays game a year, but from what I remember, nothing is as slow as concessions at BMO.



I'm not sure bout you, but when I go down south to watch a football game, battling the elements as a fan is part of the fun.
After standing through snow, freezing rain, and wind blowing in my face at the last Bills game last year, I'd beg to differ.

Parkdale
08-12-2008, 12:33 PM
I only go to 1 Bluejays game a year, but from what I remember, nothing is as slow as concessions at BMO.

Try standing in line for an ATM.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j243/jr_landis/SmileySuicide-1.gif

BakaGaijin
08-12-2008, 12:46 PM
The problem is that the Argos don't have deep pockets and I can't see the city paying for another Stadium. So there is 3 options:

1. Build one with PAN AM money: The problem is that it is many year saway.

.

The Argo's have signed 3 five year leases with the Roger's Centre, with an out clause attached to the end of each agreement. The first agreement is up in 2009. If we can keep them out of BMO Field until then, they will be forced to stay at Rogers Centre until 2014........by which time they might be able to get a stadium built for them that would be used for the Pan Am games. The timing would be perfect for them to exercise their out clause then.

giambac
08-12-2008, 12:46 PM
[quote=alexintoronto;132398]Stop for a minute and put yourself in their shoes. What would you do if you were an Argos fan but not a TFC fan?


Your argument is very bias and one sided.

For the record I hope they don't move to BMO becasue it will ruin our socceer satdium. However I think it will happen. I brought 3 of my buddies to a tFC game. Theya re all Argo season ticket holders and they all said they would love for the Argo's to move to BMO. IN fact they said a petition is being circulated amongst the Argo season ticket holders to get managemnt to move to BMO.

alexintoronto
08-12-2008, 01:08 PM
Yes - my argument is biased in favour of the Argos staying at SkyDome - because that's what I would prefer.

What are the arguments in favour of them moving?
-Atmosphere (magically The Ex will fix this issue for them)
-$$$? They will be spending a lot of money on modifying The Ex - Are they expecting to recoup it in concession sales? MLSE gets 50%, the city gets 50% - what will the Argos get?
-They'll be able to charge higher ticket prices - I guess that's one good thing from an ownership perspective

Anything else?

Parkdale
08-12-2008, 01:11 PM
Theya re all Argo season ticket holders and they all said they would love for the Argo's to move to BMO.

if they think the atmosphere will stay at BMO for their games too, then they are deluded.

Roogsy
08-12-2008, 01:14 PM
If you can't create an atmosphere in an enclosed environment like the Skydome...what makes them think they will have any atmosphere at BMO Field? As a physical structure, it's pretty average. It isn't the stadium that creates the environment? By that rationale, if TFC was playing Skydome, then we wouldn't have any atmosphere at TFC games? I beg to differ. I think TFC fans would rock the roof off of any stadium. It's the fans that make the atmosphere, not the venue.

alexintoronto
08-12-2008, 01:18 PM
Hey lets post a poll, and pretend we were Toronto FC ticket holders, and we could imagine if we would want grass.

yeah, that sounds like a good objective poll too.

And I thought my poll was brilliant! You, Sir, are a genius.

:hurray:

Don Julio
08-12-2008, 01:23 PM
I won't go to Argos games at BMO despite going to about 5 a year for my entire life.

Tintin
08-12-2008, 01:25 PM
If you can't create an atmosphere in an enclosed environment like the Skydome...what makes them think they will have any atmosphere at BMO Field? As a physical structure, it's pretty average. It isn't the stadium that creates the environment? By that rationale, if TFC was playing Skydome, then we wouldn't have any atmosphere at TFC games? I beg to differ. I think TFC fans would rock the roof off of any stadium. It's the fans that make the atmosphere, not the venue.


There is no way the athmosphere for TFC games would be the same in cavernous Skydome with 30-35 maibe 40 000 people in a 50 000 seating stadium. It would be good, better than for the argos or Jays but not electric like in quaint BMO.

giambac
08-12-2008, 01:35 PM
If you can't create an atmosphere in an enclosed environment like the Skydome...what makes them think they will have any atmosphere at BMO Field? As a physical structure, it's pretty average. It isn't the stadium that creates the environment? By that rationale, if TFC was playing Skydome, then we wouldn't have any atmosphere at TFC games? I beg to differ. I think TFC fans would rock the roof off of any stadium. It's the fans that make the atmosphere, not the venue.

If you don't think a stadium helps create atmosphere for a sporting event than your crazy. If you truly believe that then everyone wouldn't be so dead set against having the Argo's move to BMO. Why then is everyone worried that more seats will be inserted and lines put on the field. Your telling me that the stadium has nothing to do with the atmosphere, it's all the fans...

Then don't worry if they move in.

giambac
08-12-2008, 01:42 PM
Yes - my argument is biased in favour of the Argos staying at SkyDome - because that's what I would prefer.

What are the arguments in favour of them moving?
-Atmosphere (magically The Ex will fix this issue for them)
-$$$? They will be spending a lot of money on modifying The Ex - Are they expecting to recoup it in concession sales? MLSE gets 50%, the city gets 50% - what will the Argos get?
-They'll be able to charge higher ticket prices - I guess that's one good thing from an ownership perspective

Anything else?

I asked y 3 buddies (Argo season ticket holders)why they sould prefer BMO over Rogers centre

1) Weather. They believe football was meant to be palyed outdoors and not in an enclosed stadium. They feel the weather, cold, snow etc adds to the football game. They actually enjoy driving to Buffalo in Novemeber to wacth football.

2) atmosphere. BMO is a cozy satdium and you feel like your right on top of the field. Rogers centre is always 1/2 empty. If anotherr 5-10k seats were inserted at BMO it would get you to 25-30k which is the Argo fan base. Also by having only 25-30k seats (limited supply)it would create a demand for their tickets same as there is a big demand for TFc tickets now. (Demand would be greater than supply)

3) Tenants - who says that the argo's would be 2nd tenants. at the end of the day it will be football lines that would go on the field and we jave more to lose.

4) exhibition grounds - more land, more parking spaces. more room for tailgates etc

Like I said a petition has already started being circulated to pressure managment to move to BMO. I really think it will happen.

jm5k
08-12-2008, 02:08 PM
No chance for chalk lines on grass eh? Little water and no one would be the wiser!

What a tough call it really is to house both teams at BMO. I personally would hate having the Argos at BMO, but I can see why it would be attractive to them. The Skydome is such a massive ungodly structure with pisspoor seats and a terrible layout. BMO has one tiny gate and you're on ground zero, the field 50ft away and open air all around you. The seats albeit still tiny are seemingly much more spaced out (certainly legroom infront is) and you can literally phone your buddy across the place and wave; even meet at half time. Although with only seemingly two ATMS in the entire place (honestly wtf) and 5x as many womens bathrooms than mens (regardless of 10/1 male/female ratio) as well as what is best described as a Mosh pit on the eastern side at half BMO does have it's drawbacks.

For me, Football is boring as hell. I went to the Argos season opener and there are so many stoppages and the crowd is so quiet that unless they constantly give crap out (which they do), people will fall asleep. There must have been 15 Pizza Pizza gift rows and no one cared. I don't think moving to BMO will change that.

Also, having gone to Bills games in December, I can tell you that sitting in -15 degree weather is horrible, not fun. Ralph Wilson is basically a gigantic wind tunnel and I wanted to kill myself by halftime. There were literally hundreds of grown men huddling in the bathroom for warmth. If you've ever seen The Day After Tomorrow then you get the picture.

Hopefully the supporter sections come up with an actual noticable protest that people can take part in or I don't see much reason for them not to move.

jb831
08-12-2008, 02:11 PM
The general sentiment of Argos season ticket holders seems to be: NO MOVE TO BMO.

http://argofans.com/viewtopic.php?t=3348&f=11&sid=63c28f4da6d84ea0e317564d4581386d

(and in other threads on that board).

Bars92
08-12-2008, 03:23 PM
I'd guess that two thirds of the Argos fanbase will oppose the move because the Argos are the most affordable game in town. If they move to BMO a whole new more expensive pricing structure comes into play, which I think most Argos fans can't afford. It doesn't make sense for someone to fit the bill for expensive modifications to BMO for a fanbase thats not willing to fork out the cash for the higher ticket prices. The reason Toronto FC has been so sucessful is that the fans have been willing the pay the price for tickets which is higher than the average Argos ticket price. You have people like myself who are willing to buy marked-up ticket prices from Stubhub and scalpers. This demand doesn't exist for the Argos and CFL football and I really don't think the prospect of CFL at BMO will do anything to make Argos fans want to pay more for tickets.

egoodwin
08-12-2008, 03:40 PM
i think this is important why we need the Pan Am games... Us winning the Pan Am games would give us justification to build another stadium, which could then be used for the Argos after

egoodwin
08-12-2008, 03:41 PM
I'd also like to know why the only opinion being asked for in this is the Argos' mere 13k season ticket holders... What about the experiences and opinions of TFC's 16k season ticket holders... shouldn't we have a say in this

BC101
08-12-2008, 03:44 PM
Aflac....

Waggy
08-12-2008, 07:08 PM
My family (as mentioned before) has had argos seasons tickets since the 50s. My whole life, I've grown up a die hard Argos fan. After this whole debacle, should the Argos end up in BMO, that'd be it for me. Its like having 2 good friends fighting with each other, then one demanding you take their side. You'll always stick with the other right? The Argos don't need to move to BMO, they shouldn't move to BMO. If they want an outdoor CFL stadium, they had their chance to get in years ago and they blew it (which pissed me off to no end) because they didn't want to pitch 10 or 15 million dollars. They just want a free lunch. We may talk about MLSE being cheap, but for the richest CFL team, the Argos are far and away the cheapest team in the city.

FluSH
08-12-2008, 09:39 PM
Based on the audiance here... this poll would be a skewed one... unless you want to see what the general TFC supporter/fan thinks... which in turns makes me wonder who are the 20 people who voted YES?!!?

Cashcleaner
08-13-2008, 03:19 AM
What soccer team plays at McGill? And I'm not alone in reminding everyone that the Argos had the opportunity to do just that with York and U of T but failed.

I'm pretty sure the McGill University mens and womens soccer teams play at Molson Stadium, Redcoat.

As for the question posed at the start of the thread, while I'm not an Argos Season Ticket Holder, I obviously follow the team pretty closely and therefore have a bit of a mixed feeling about the issue at hand. As a Toronto FC Season Ticket Holder, I actually wouldn't mind the ground sharing scheme if, and this is possibly the hundredth time I've said it, my enjoyment of Toronto FC matches remains unaffected after such a move. That would mean my seat stays exactly where it is, my sightlines remain free of obstruction, and the price I pay for tickets, merch, food, and other TFC-related services stay the same. At the end of the day, I have to admit that if I still go to a TFC game and nothing had been changed, I'm really not going to have an issue. Furthermore, I think it's unreasonable to feel otherwise. The only point of contention that makes things a bit complicated is the turf itself. If the Argos came in, we'd probably never see natural grass as it just could not take the constant wear and tear from both teams. Conversely, we still don't know if we'll ever see grass at BMO Field to begin with, so its a very ambiguous argument in terms of the playing field.

Now with all that said, I'll really address the question this time. :D

If I were a Toronto Argonauts Season Ticket Holder, I would not support a move to BMO Field, at least not unless a major renovation was made of the stadium such as a roof along all stands and at least seating for 40,000. To me the seating capacity is a huge issue because frankly, I'd like to see another Grey Cup in the city before too long and you need at least that many seats before the league even considers you to host the event. Let's also not forget that the Argos regularly bring in 28,000 to 30,000 fans for most regular season matches, and more so for playoff games. As it stands now, the Rogers Centre suits the needs of the Argonauts and their fans perfectly. Some call it a cavern, but I rather enjoy the intimacy of it, and really like the new look of the banners put up and around the top level sections. I've sat in all sorts of seats from the End Zones to the Centre Line, and on all levels; and I gotta admit I've never had a bad seat. I don't want the Argos to move out of Rogers Centre because in all honesty, I don't see anything wrong with where they are. Furthermore, as it has been mentioned, as an Argos fan I certainly do not want to pay for my team to move out of their current home and demolish and reconstruct a 2 year-old stadium down the road without any good reason. If I were a Season Ticket Holder and my ticket prices went up to pay for all that, I'd probably drop them altogether.

nascarguy
08-13-2008, 12:19 PM
why would i wast my money on a shity team in the CFL

Kevvv
08-13-2008, 12:31 PM
why would i wast my money on a shity team in the CFL



This is about the Argos, not the TiCats :p

Kevvv
08-13-2008, 12:34 PM
I'm pretty sure the McGill University mens and womens soccer teams play at Molson Stadium, Redcoat.

As for the question posed at the start of the thread, while I'm not an Argos Season Ticket Holder, I obviously follow the team pretty closely and therefore have a bit of a mixed feeling about the issue at hand. As a Toronto FC Season Ticket Holder, I actually wouldn't mind the ground sharing scheme if, and this is possibly the hundredth time I've said it, my enjoyment of Toronto FC matches remains unaffected after such a move. That would mean my seat stays exactly where it is, my sightlines remain free of obstruction, and the price I pay for tickets, merch, food, and other TFC-related services stay the same. At the end of the day, I have to admit that if I still go to a TFC game and nothing had been changed, I'm really not going to have an issue. Furthermore, I think it's unreasonable to feel otherwise. The only point of contention that makes things a bit complicated is the turf itself. If the Argos came in, we'd probably never see natural grass as it just could not take the constant wear and tear from both teams. Conversely, we still don't know if we'll ever see grass at BMO Field to begin with, so its a very ambiguous argument in terms of the playing field.

Now with all that said, I'll really address the question this time. :D

If I were a Toronto Argonauts Season Ticket Holder, I would not support a move to BMO Field, at least not unless a major renovation was made of the stadium such as a roof along all stands and at least seating for 40,000. To me the seating capacity is a huge issue because frankly, I'd like to see another Grey Cup in the city before too long and you need at least that many seats before the league even considers you to host the event. Let's also not forget that the Argos regularly bring in 28,000 to 30,000 fans for most regular season matches, and more so for playoff games. As it stands now, the Rogers Centre suits the needs of the Argonauts and their fans perfectly. Some call it a cavern, but I rather enjoy the intimacy of it, and really like the new look of the banners put up and around the top level sections. I've sat in all sorts of seats from the End Zones to the Centre Line, and on all levels; and I gotta admit I've never had a bad seat. I don't want the Argos to move out of Rogers Centre because in all honesty, I don't see anything wrong with where they are. Furthermore, as it has been mentioned, as an Argos fan I certainly do not want to pay for my team to move out of their current home and demolish and reconstruct a 2 year-old stadium down the road without any good reason. If I were a Season Ticket Holder and my ticket prices went up to pay for all that, I'd probably drop them altogether.


Pretty much says it all. Grass aside, this move would potentially be worse for the Argos than for TFC.

Cashcleaner
08-13-2008, 04:09 PM
^ Oh for sure, Kevvv. The league would never give the city another shot at the Grey Cup (incidently, the largest single-game sporting event in the country) if they were playing out of a stadium that seats only 30,000 or 35,000 people. And you need seating for around 32,000 at least for the playoffs.

rocker
08-13-2008, 04:14 PM
^ Oh for sure, Kevvv. The league would never give the city another shot at the Grey Cup (incidently, the largest single-game sporting event in the country) if they were playing out of a stadium that seats only 30,000 or 35,000 people. And you need seating for around 32,000 at least for the playoffs.

ya know, i don't think I'd like to see BMO at 30000 or more seats.
I' m not sure we'd sell that out every year. I think they should put 2000 in the north end, private boxes in the north end too, and then 3000 in the south end in a second deck. 25000 would be a nice number without going overboard. And this could be done in the off season probably.
But as you say, that would be still small for the CFL.

Cashcleaner
08-14-2008, 12:09 AM
^ I believe 30,000 to be the magic number for TFC. I think the sort of crowd we can seat consistently is around 25,000 or so, with an extra five grand in case of special matches or events (ie: WC qualifiers, friendlies, etc).

Flipityflu
08-14-2008, 08:22 AM
well, i think that Argo fans should be concerned with this. you know what happens when there is a drop in seating...prices will go up. i wonder if anybody who supports the argos move has thought about how much more they will have to pay to go see a game.

flatpicker
08-14-2008, 08:34 AM
I would he happy to see a new stadium built that would suit their needs.
That being said, I would be happy to see a new stadium built to suit our needs! :)

alexintoronto
08-29-2008, 01:28 PM
A well connected person tells that that the results of the Argos fan survery are in and . . . a majority of Argo fans PREFER the Rogers Dome!:)

And with the recent talk of putting grass into BMO Field, it looks like momentum is moving in favour of keeping BMO Field a soccer only facility.


If true - Argos STHs were smart to stay there.