Argos unlikely to play at BMO Field in 2014

[Wagner]

It's funny,
the Argo Owners look like buffoons for even suggesting it.
I used to kind of like the Argos, now I hate them. Well done, you've alienated the coveted this 30 yr old middle class male, that you lost through blackouts and bad marketing in the 90's.

[I_AM_CANADIAN]

And a massive huzzah for that news.

[Derko]

That's what I mean.

Just because they won't be able to play at BMO in 2010, it doesn't mean that this issue is dead.

Or not, might as well be optimistic on this 'Doom and Gloom' subject.

[C.Ronaldo]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1401891/

las vegas?

you gotta be kidding me

i wont support a Canadian league that wont support our Canadian economy

[SteeltownBhoy]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club has issued the following statement following receipt of the CFL’s Feasibility Study on BMO Field:

“We would like to thank the Board of Governors of the Canadian Football League for authorizing a feasibility study on the potential of BMO Field as a home for the Toronto Argonauts. We accept the study’s main finding that while BMO Field is a fine facility, our unique brand of Canadian football could not be played there in its current state. In particular, extensive field measurements performed by a surveyor have indicated BMO field cannot adequately accommodate our game.

Our focus is now squarely on providing great game day entertainment in 2010 for our fans at Rogers Centre, a place we have been proud to call home for two decades. It is a first-class facility with state of the art media facilities, locker room facilities and technology. Our season ticket holders remain happy with Rogers Centre and its accessibility to the downtown core, as well as its indoor option in inclement weather. Rogers Centre is able to house our existing fan base and provides opportunity for future growth.

Our ownership now plans to reflect on its future over the holiday season and does not anticipate any further announcements until the New Year.”

[SteeltownBhoy]

http://www.argonauts.ca/article/stat...y-on-bmo-field

Sorry, I keep forgetting to post the link!!

[Always There]

las vegas?

you gotta be kidding me

i wont support a Canadian league that wont support our Canadian economy

What am I missing? I don't understand the Las Vegas remark. The CFL clearly supports the Canadian economy. I see nothing in the article you have posted about either. I'm confused.

[RPB_RED_NATION_RPB]

http://www.argonauts.ca/article/stat...y-on-bmo-field

RIP!






for now!

[stugautz]

What am I missing? I don't understand the Las Vegas remark. The CFL clearly supports the Canadian economy. I see nothing in the article you have posted about either. I'm confused.

The board of governors had their meeting in Vegas.

[Roogsy]

OK, thank goodness. Does this put an end to it? PLEASE?

I'd like to get on with doing things and spending my time that support my team, not wasting it with this issue.

[Roogsy]

We are all this guy right now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGtWssdauME

[TFC&SpursGuy]

http://argonauts.ca/article/statemen...y-on-bmo-field


IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!

(at least for now)

[sully]

http://www.argonauts.ca/article/stat...y-on-bmo-field

I'm not normally that interested in the Argos but I find this ongoing story facinating...

"extensive field measurements performed by a surveyor have indicated BMO field cannot adequately accommodate our game" - they needed a surveyor to tell them that!!

"Our ownership now plans to reflect on its future over the holiday season and does not anticipate any further announcements until the New Year.”
- So they're saying in the release that at the same time that everything is great and Rogers Centre remains a place they are proud to be in, they haven't decided if they will want to stay involved with the Argos or not!!

Surely the Argos fans must be sick to their stomachs of these two gobshites...but as (thankfully) an outsider looking at this it's incredible really...

[reggie]

bye bye...the argos will never see another penny from me...

[FluSH]

las vegas?

you gotta be kidding me

i wont support a Canadian league that wont support our Canadian economy

Funny enough... I was thinking the same thing! LOL

[FluSH]

What am I missing? I don't understand the Las Vegas remark. The CFL clearly supports the Canadian economy. I see nothing in the article you have posted about either. I'm confused.

Out of all places in North America... why would the CFL executives go to Las Vegas? Instead of maybe I don't know... Niagara Falls... or Banff...

I mean if the last minute deals for Las Vegas were that good... then so be it.

Local Tourism = Local Dollars for the people.

[Kevvv]

"extensive field measurements performed by a surveyor have indicated BMO field cannot adequately accommodate our game" - they needed a surveyor to tell them that!!

Actually, you're not reading enough into that statement. On the surface, it's obvious that two kids with a tape measure could tell them the dimensions of BMO aren't appropriate for the CFL. But extensive measurements by a surveyor implies (to me) that they also looked to see if BMO could accomodate a regulation CFL field: in other words, how much further south or north, what is there now, and would there be any modifications required to the playing surface (like installing another X yards of grass and piping to allow for a CFL-length field).

The surveyor likely arrived at the conclusion that some expected all along - to accomodate a CFL-sized field would require extensive, expensive modifications.

[Roogsy]

Just making it "official" what we all knew. But we can't expect some owner in Winnipeg, who has never been to BMO, to know that.

[Kevvv]

Just making it "official" what we all knew. But we can't expect some owner in Winnipeg, who has never been to BMO, to know that.

True, but the Winnipeg owner isn't the one that needs convincing - it's the Argos owners who suggested the move in the first place. If those two had visited BMO once with a tape measure, surely it would have died quietly. On the other hand (conspiracy hat on), was this just a distraction from the other FO issues, like the sacking of their coach two days ago?

[billyfly]

^Or that their Team doctor was arrested.

[Roogsy]

True, but the Winnipeg owner isn't the one that needs convincing

He does if he is on the board of governors that has to approve any move to BMO Field no?

[Blizzard]

No way they will invest more than salaries into Argos anytime soon.



Never thought about dressing rooms being to small,nice.

It's a minor issue IMO. With the Queen Elizabeth building located right outside BMO Field's lobby, I could see that being a potential option.

Regarding the previous statement, for C and S I agree. Braley could be a different matter altogether.

B

[Kevvv]

Out of all places in North America... why would the CFL executives go to Las Vegas? Instead of maybe I don't know... Niagara Falls... or Banff...

I mean if the last minute deals for Las Vegas were that good... then so be it.

Local Tourism = Local Dollars for the people.

If a winter meeting is held in Canada, there's a much greater chance that the meeting could be postponed or cancelled due to weather.

[Blizzard]

True, but the Winnipeg owner isn't the one that needs convincing - it's the Argos owners who suggested the move in the first place. If those two had visited BMO once with a tape measure, surely it would have died quietly. On the other hand (conspiracy hat on), was this just a distraction from the other FO issues, like the sacking of their coach two days ago?

They didn't need to visit BMO. They knew it was too small. They were banking on the league bending the rules for them.

[Kevvv]

He does if he is on the board of governors that has to approve any move to BMO Field no?

Yes, but I would take that as a next step. I would have expected that the Argos would do a feasibility study before going to the BOG, unless they intended to ask permission to play on a shrunken field.

[Hitcho]

I'm not sure this is dead forever. It won't be unless the Argos get their own stadium or start selling 50,000 tickets per game. Every time the Rogers lease comes up for renewal, there will be distractions about "oh well we might go here instead" to try and keep the rent down. Next time this comes up, there might be public money available to get the stadium expanded or private investor money from Braley or someone else. So it remains a longer term issue in my opinion.

That said, MLSE are not stupid (far from it) and I would fully expect them to start taking steps now to make it as expensive and difficult as possible for the Argos to ever modify the stadium for CFL. The north stand is a good start. Foe example, filling up dates on an annual basis for cash spinning friendlies on the new grass (Real, Barca, Liverpool, etc year after year will make the City a tonne of money) and working with the CSA to make BMO Field the unoffical home of Canadian soccer so that the city gets more money from that and the damage to the sport would be huge if the Argos took the CSA dates away. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a string of minor midifications over the years designed to keep the place soccer specific and make it harder to convert the facility for CFL.

The Argos under the current fuckwit owners are not really a threat now that the CFL has pissed on their reduced field size idea. The Argos under new owners or with public money backing would be. MLSE and the CSA need to start working now to stop that from ever happening.

Of course, when TFC's 15 year lease (?) is up at Exhibition, there might be an opportunity for MLSE to build us a red bull arena type place at another venue that they would own outright. If the TFC fan base keeps growing AND the league keeps growing in terms of tv ratings, franchise profitiability, etc, then that's not an unreal dream to hold onto. If MLSE could make money from a new stadium then they'd probably do it. Neither the team nor the sport as a whole are big enough to justify it for now, but in 15 years? With all the school kids playing soccer now out earnign money and wanting to spend it on TFC and MLS? Who knows. If MLS ever gets a real foothold in the US (and with current grass roots growth and immigration from soccer supporting countries still increasing, then it very well might in the next 10 to 15 years), then MLSE will be nicely placed to make a huge windfall from their $10m investment in the franchise. A new stadium in those circumstances, location permitting, might actually be a good move.

[Roogsy]

^

What he said...

[Whoop]

I'm not sure this is dead forever. It won't be unless the Argos get their own stadium or start selling 50,000 tickets per game. Every time the Rogers lease comes up for renewal, there will be distractions about "oh well we might go here instead" to try and keep the rent down. Next time this comes up, there might be public money available to get the stadium expanded or private investor money from Braley or someone else. So it remains a longer term issue in my opinion.

That said, MLSE are not stupid (far from it) and I would fully expect them to start taking steps now to make it as expensive and difficult as possible for the Argos to ever modify the stadium for CFL. The north stand is a good start. Foe example, filling up dates on an annual basis for cash spinning friendlies on the new grass (Real, Barca, Liverpool, etc year after year will make the City a tonne of money) and working with the CSA to make BMO Field the unoffical home of Canadian soccer so that the city gets more money from that and the damage to the sport would be huge if the Argos took the CSA dates away. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a string of minor midifications over the years designed to keep the place soccer specific and make it harder to convert the facility for CFL.

The Argos under the current fuckwit owners are not really a threat now that the CFL has pissed on their reduced field size idea. The Argos under new owners or with public money backing would be. MLSE and the CSA need to start working now to stop that from ever happening.

Of course, when TFC's 15 year lease (?) is up at Exhibition, there might be an opportunity for MLSE to build us a red bull arena type place at another venue that they would own outright. If the TFC fan base keeps growing AND the league keeps growing in terms of tv ratings, franchise profitiability, etc, then that's not an unreal dream to hold onto. If MLSE could make money from a new stadium then they'd probably do it. Neither the team nor the sport as a whole are big enough to justify it for now, but in 15 years? With all the school kids playing soccer now out earnign money and wanting to spend it on TFC and MLS? Who knows. If MLS ever gets a real foothold in the US (and with current grass roots growth and immigration from soccer supporting countries still increasing, then it very well might in the next 10 to 15 years), then MLSE will be nicely placed to make a huge windfall from their $10m investment in the franchise. A new stadium in those circumstances, location permitting, might actually be a good move.

This could be exciting.

But that is in the future.

[Loyal]

It is official and the Argos will be reworking their arrangement with the Rogers Centre.

[Oldtimer]

The north stand is a good start. Foe example, filling up dates on an annual basis for cash spinning friendlies on the new grass (Real, Barca, Liverpool, etc year after year will make the City a tonne of money) and working with the CSA to make BMO Field the unoffical home of Canadian soccer so that the city gets more money from that and the damage to the sport would be huge if the Argos took the CSA dates away.

Actually BMO Field (a/k/a the "National Soccer Stadium") is the official home of Canadian Soccer. The CMNT never wanted to play there, because of the turf, but with the change to grass, expect "official" to become "reality."