Grass Developments

[Hitcho]

http://torontofc.neulion.com/tfc/con...atid=2&id=1456

Bob Hunter on TFC TV on the grass project beginning in the NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS!!!

Some interesting snippets:

- we are getting a $3.3m pitch which is the same quality as the english premier league (Chicago and COlorado have the same kind of thing);

- all the construction will be done in the next 6 weeks or so so the ground settles, freezes and thaws before the sod goes on in spring;

- it's going to be drainage, heating and 8 inches of top soil now, then the sod goes o top of that come spring; and

- nice bit of mud kicked in the eyes of the Limp Act for their $500k pitch vs our top notch one and why they had to keep relaying it, hehehe.

Also, Lamport bubbling is right on track.

[MUFC_Niagara]

Chicago has a NICE pitch. If ours looks nice as theirs then we will be in business!!!

[flambe]

VERY nice.
Thanks for the update.

[Canary Canuck]

Colorado's grass is orgasmic. This will be top notch

[Redcoe15]

[Cashcleaner]

Thanks for the update, Hitchy. I'm just glad that this whole issue can get sorted out once and for all.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

so psyched, cant wait to see it in person next season

[SilverSamurai]

Excellent

[Shakes McQueen]

Great to hear it. Next up, we should push for a roof around the stands!

Not just to help with weather, but also to make the crowd sound louder.

- Scott

[Brooker]

^^^

who cares about the weather?! just get it louder!

[Hitcho]

In all fairness, this is a great example of something MLSE is doing right, right and very fucking right. They could easily have hashed this one, gone for something cheaper and easier to maintain which provided a poorer playing surface but kept the fans happy ebcause it was "grass". I know their hands are tied to some extent by the weather so they kind of had to have a decent heating and drainage system, but it sounds as though they are going bollocks out to get us a world class grass pitch that PL teams would be happy to play on.

Of course, the cynic might say "now they can get Madrid or Barca here every year for a cash grab and they'll pay it all off in a couple of mid-season friendlies".

But I think they deserve some kudos for this. Even if the trade off is a big name mid-season friendly each year to help pay for it, the additional benefits of being able to attract better players, having a top class pitch to play on for home games etc are worth it. And if we do get a kcik ass European team every season (even if not included in the SSH package) then it may at least keep raising the profile of the game here, which is always good. (For the record, I am dead against mid-season friendlies and I want them stopepd, but I am being realistic here).

Thanks MLSE. If this pitch is what Bob is claiming it will be, then thanks. Just thanks.

[Chevy]

+1. Proof that MLSE is not the big bad wolf that many make it out to be.

[Hitcho]

^ well there's always a balance with MLSE. I don't think for one second they are doing this just because they love the game, but in this instance I also don't think this is just based on money making for them. They recognise that the outlay will A) bring substantial improvements to TFC as a club and B) also generate more revenue streams for them.

And let's be honest kids, no money means no team. That's true of all clubs everywhere.

So the balance looks good here because we're not just getting "a" grass pitch, we seem to be getting a KICK ASS grass pitch with a sophisticated heating and drainage system. And that extra mile was walked by MLSE when it didn't really have to be. That's the bit I am grateful to them for.

[boban]

^^ You forgot to mention they were forced into this situation. 1 by the fans, and 2, by MLS who wouldn't release the Edu money until all was spent ($3.5 m) on the club (infrastructure included).

[deltox]

they wouldnt release the money....... wheres the info about that ?

[boban]

It's common knowledge MLS has rules on how to spend transfer money revenue.
It must be used on the club and cannot be simply pocketed by the owner.

[Shakes McQueen]

It's common knowledge MLS has rules on how to spend transfer money revenue.
It must be used on the club and cannot be simply pocketed by the owner.

That's right. And we have no idea what amount of it was used on getting grass.

- Scott

[deltox]

yes....but how do you know it wasnt used to help pay for the academy?

[boban]

That's right. And we have no idea what amount of it was used on getting grass.

- Scott

Pretty big fucken chunk.

[boban]

yes....but how do you know it wasnt used to help pay for the academy?

Academy was already up and running.
And those revenue streams were figured out before they took in their first player.
The grass is an out and out cost. Knowing how MLSE operates, they used as little as possible form their own kitty.

[Shakes McQueen]

Pretty big fucken chunk.

Source?

I have no doubt some of money was probably used to pay for this renovation to BMO Field, but you're simply trying to downplay this significant investment into our playing surface as something that was basically forced on MLSE - which it wasn't.

- Scott

[Shakes McQueen]

Knowing how MLSE operates, they used as little as possible form their own kitty.

Knowing how they operate? So when they built that big expansion at the ACC that opened this season, was that paid for with their money? Or the new centre-ice videoboard they introduced LAST season at the ACC - was that their money?

I have no doubt they tried to keep their own costs down, but that's simply good business. You say it like it's an indictment.

- Scott

[mastermixer]

The only thing I didn't like was that he said they may not donate the turf to a school cuz it may be too expensive to transfer..

[daner90]

I wonder how this will effect the CMNT playing at BMO in the future....hopefully with a world class pitch installedm they will starting using BMO as their true home.

[Wagner]

I wonder how this will effect the CMNT playing at BMO in the future....hopefully with a world class pitch installedm they will starting using BMO as their true home.

I believe that that was part of the pitch for the new pitch...

more revenue from more world class/elite football matches.

[Hessanfefer]

Colorado's grass is orgasmic. This will be top notch

Orgasmic! Hmmmm.....

[Ageroo]

I wonder how this will effect the CMNT playing at BMO in the future....hopefully with a world class pitch installedm they will starting using BMO as their true home.

It will truely be the National Soccer Stadium then.........After the support they received for the Jamaica match...I can't see why they wouldn't want to use it exclusively....No offence to the rest of Canada.....but with this field being installed....ALL matches should come to Toronto!

[Hitcho]

^^ You forgot to mention they were forced into this situation. 1 by the fans, and 2, by MLS who wouldn't release the Edu money until all was spent ($3.5 m) on the club (infrastructure included).

Forced? I think you dramatically over estimate the impact of a few whinging SG members (no offence guys! ). They may have got the message that this is want the fans wanted, but forced? I think not.

And yes everyone knows that the Edu money had limitations on how it could be spent, but Mo and others have already said that what was left was nowehere near enough to cover the whole project. Don't forget that out of the $5m or so, MLS takes a chunk, a chunk went to allocation/salary type stuff etc.

And even if you were right, there's no reason MLSE couldn't have just put in something far inferior to what it now seems we are getting. How do you account for that?

We give them shit when they deserve it, but that's no reason not to give them kudos when they deserve that too.

[boban]

Knowing how they operate? So when they built that big expansion at the ACC that opened this season, was that paid for with their money? Or the new centre-ice videoboard they introduced LAST season at the ACC - was that their money?

I have no doubt they tried to keep their own costs down, but that's simply good business. You say it like it's an indictment.

- Scott

You go with that.

[Shakes McQueen]

You go with that.

Better yet - you point out what's factually incorrect about it.

- Scott