Thanks for clarifying FYR!Originally Posted by Fort York Redcoat
Although I still see the whole season as a trial of grass. From their plan to review & perhaps resod in August, it's clear MLSE don't know how it's going to work out. So I wonder what the Plan B is for the playing surface in 2017, if grass doesn't do well in 2016.
The NFL values the CFL way to much as an affiliate league to risk destabilizing the whole CFL with a Toronto franchise. The extra point convert FG was moved further back this year in both the CFL and NFL...coincidence? I think not.
I think a bigger issue is playing in March/April at BMO the grass has been terrible, especially in the Defoe year ... i think its a bigger issue than 10 football games + a few rugby games a year. Hasn't come up lately because we haven't played any home games recently in those months due to renos.
That key indicator if they switch to an alternative surface in future is once they start having march home games again and how well it performs.
Last edited by Onyx; 01-14-2016 at 11:56 PM.
Not saying the grass wasn't in its best condition back in years when TFC would play at home in as early as the end of March or in early April...I just never herd much about it and it sure was never obvious on TV or in the seats on game day. Worse then 10 football games + a few rugby games? come on that is a redicuoulous statement, do we have to show some pictures of other soccer fields after 1 Football game? Wembley the most obvious choice...come on BMO never ever looked like Wembley did after a single football game (BMO has never had a football game played yet at BMO field to compare to Wembley).
if they are doing all these things to try to make sure the grass will be in good condition for TFC is great...however for fans to feel more at ease they should actually perhaps advertise this sort of thing more on the official website. Perhaps make a video, showing all the lengths they are going through to make sure this grass will last all year. By keeping us all in the dark on many issues makes us wonder what the hell is going on at BMO field?? they really have not told us much since construction started back in November!
2014 it was talked about a lot. IIRC, the weather didn't get above freezing until the week before game 1. There was an article with the head groundskeeper about the issues. It was notable with clumps coming up.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/jerm...ener-1.2583060
We had one home game in March and one in April. Pitch only really got good in mid May.
Absolute bullseye. I'll admit I feel this year is the guinea pig year to trash the cheaper grass before they "have to" switch to either hybrid or full artificial.
Next year will be more of this begging for info while they decide which dart to throw at the board - Do they spend on a hybrid when they aren't confident it can take it? Or do they deal with the eventual backlash of the artificial conversion. Watch this space.
Reason: Canada. They can't get around bad conditions in early months unless they go artificial or fully covered (meaning artificial again).
FORMER FULL TIME KOOL-AID DRINKER
We had two very unusual winters. The grass pitches were bad in a couple MLS stadiums, not just BMO. However other countries have dealt with bad weather & had better grass. The solutions are known: grow lights; heavy winter tarp; and winter pesticide/herbicide exemption so they can use that heavy tarp w/o the grass rotting or going all mouldy; possibly different grass type & maintenance procedures. (Are we getting any of those now?)
You don't need alternative surfaces for soccer alone, even with a couple of rugby games. Even in Canada. With CFL, we shall see.
One of the construction pictures had a "pesticide in use" warning sign in view on the pitch, maybe they gotten around that ban?
Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton was grass until 2010.
It hosted CMNT games and CFL games several times in October. Does anyone remember what their field looked like then?
O, Maple Leaf around the world, You speak as you rise high above,
Of courage, peace and quiet strength, Of the Canada that I love.
Remind us all, our union bound by ties we cannot sever,
Bright flag revered on every ground, The Maple Leaf forever
Oct 2008 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu6T0u9PEDo
Good point! I don't get why nobody from the club is talking about this (and so many other things)!? That one construction update video was pretty useful, but other than that, very little has been said publicly.
(And I believe the grass surface was often crap in Edmonton. However I don't think they had a fancy grass & undersoil setup like BMO.)
Ali Gerba, fuck, did I ever like what he did for us with the National team, he looked like the read deal CF, in that uniform. I still think that he was sued really poorly with TFC, expected to do what he did not do. He should have simply been asked to sit at the top of the formation and get into got positions to fire away.
Professional Sports are exempt from 63/09
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/090063
Specified sports fields
29. (1) For the purposes of paragraph 5 of subsection 7.1 (2) of the Act, the use of a pesticide mentioned in section 16 for the purpose of maintaining a sports field for a national or international sporting event is prescribed. O. Reg. 63/09, s. 29 (1).
(2) If the pesticide is used for the purpose mentioned in subsection (1), the following conditions apply:
1. At least six months before the intended use of the pesticide for the event, or by such other time as may be approved by the Minister, the person who intends to use the pesticide must,
i. submit to the Minister a description of the application area, the purpose and expected duration of the use, and
ii. request that the Minister approve the use.
2. The Minister must approve in writing the use of the pesticide for the event.
3. The use of the pesticide must stop when the event concludes.
4. The person mentioned in paragraph 1 must comply with any conditions or limitations imposed by the Minister under subsection (3). O. Reg. 63/09, s. 29 (2); O. Reg. 279/09, s. 4 (1, 2); O. Reg. 139/15, s. 14.
(3) In approving the use of a pesticide for an event under this section, the Minister may impose any conditions or limitations that the Minister considers appropriate. O. Reg. 279/09, s. 4 (3).
(4) The Minister may approve the use of a pesticide for an event under this section only if he or she is of the opinion that,
(a) the use of the pesticide is necessary for the hosting of the event; and
(b) the use of the pesticide is in the public interest. O. Reg. 279/09, s. 4 (3).
Is that recent? I seem to recall after the DC shitshow they said they were banned from using them?
no, Pro Sports and Int'l competition were exempt from the start (Apr 22/09)
hard to tell how the grass held up with out actually being on the grass. On TV it didn't look to bad. You could see a few faint CFL marking (Mainly just the yard lines at certain parts of the field) , but overall it wasn't that obvious that a CFL team played there. The other issue tho is, this will not just be a few soccer games or a few CFL games at BMO field, this is at least 17 home season games for TFC, + another 1 or 2 Canadian Championship games + chance of Concacaf games, + maybe playoffs + Argos 8 or 9 season games, + chance of playoffs and Grey Cup game. This is a lot of games played at BMO field in a season...can it last all that abuse is the big question? and also while the grass in Edmonton had faint CFL grid iron markings, but TFC fans want no markings at all visible on game day. Its a lot to ask!!
your going to get faint markings ... if you have seen a fall game from dallas or houston, thats what you are going to get.
At times it was absolute garbage particularly in the bench areas on the sidelines where they laid down a carpet to supposedly protect the underlying grass. All it did was kill two huge rectangular sections of the pitch on the sidelines.
In other regards, yes, the pitch itself was uneven and yes, the centre strip between the hash marks was thin.
Yes, until the day comes that some sort of line marker that instantly loses its pigment when sprayed with some sort of chemical cocktail that doesn't also kill the grass is developed, yes.
Perhaps some organic compound that quickly breaks down when hydrogen hydroxide is applied ...
Last edited by nfitz; 01-18-2016 at 01:54 PM.
Something seems off about that. In early 2014 TFC's own groundskeeper said they weren't allowed to use pesticides, therefore couldn't use a heavy winter tarp, and that he was lobbying the Ontario government about getting an exemption:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer...ng_winter.html
the City of Toronto might have not allowed him to use Herbicides/Pesticides.
or he was misinformed.
who knows.
The question is what is the definition of "the purpose of maintaining a sports field for a national or international sporting event"
I see the Argos have released a seating chart, with the southend dubbed 'Fanzone'. Shameless.
http://cfl.wp.uploads.s3.amazonaws.c...g-map-2016.pdf
Hmm, 11 games including a playoff. And those tickets look danged expensive. $700 for the top of 207?!?!?!!
Here are Ti-Cat prices
I woulda thought they would keep things low and cheap. As for the Fan Zone, meh....most teams have a bar/patio there. Let them try to create atmosphere - I don't have any beef with the vast majority of Argo fans.
*************
Its all about the field.
Last edited by OgtheDim; 02-01-2016 at 04:47 PM.
There's a difference in terms of pricing compared to the Argos because Hamilton actually sells the place out. Tried going a few times last season with no luck.http://cfl.wp.uploads.s3.amazonaws.c...g-map-2016.pdf
Hmm, 11 games including a playoff. And those tickets look danged expensive. $700 for the top of 207?!?!?!!
Here are Ti-Cat prices
I woulda thought they would keep things low and cheap. As for the Fan Zone, meh....most teams have a bar/patio there. Let them try to create atmosphere - I don't have any beef with the vast majority of Argo fans.
*************
Its all about the field.
Yeah at a clip of $30 a game per ticket.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
i think upper east is a bit expensive ... would have priced that lower, especially will the trouble we have had getting people up there
Last edited by Onyx; 02-01-2016 at 10:04 PM.
Posting Permissions
