Argos at BMO Field

[T-Bone]

Hopefully they will be able to make some compromise at CNE, like no open-liquor or hibachi's (with coals) and allow tailgating for Argo games.

Like I said, I didn't attend any tailgates at BMO Field but I heard people we're using solo cups and still getting tickets for open alcohol. I don't know if the tailgaters were given a chance to compromise but it sounded like the decision was made in the off season between season one and two to shut it down and that's what they did by enforcing the law.

[paulwoods13]

Call me a relentless optimist, but I think experimentally allowing tailgating at BMO is coming, i.e. the province will agree to some sort of trial at that location in 2015. I wouldn't be surprised if that has been discussed behind the scenes along with all the other back-door dealmaking that is moving the Argos to BMO.

[rdavies]

I know for some that tailgating is part of the football culture, me I just like football, don't need the rest. Having said that, and I'm not familiar with the market, would allowing tailgating be a significant attraction to get people back to the Argos, in a big way?

If the American dream is dead for now, is this (tailgating) close enough to that culture to affect the Argos in a significant way. Or like a Grey Cup week, it won't really change much afterwards. Would tailgating add 1000, 5000 or 10 new fans?

I don't know, I'm asking.

[Argocister]

I know for some that tailgating is part of the football culture, me I just like football, don't need the rest. Having said that, and I'm not familiar with the market, would allowing tailgating be a significant attraction to get people back to the Argos, in a big way?

If the American dream is dead for now, is this (tailgating) close enough to that culture to affect the Argos in a significant way. Or like a Grey Cup week, it won't really change much afterwards. Would tailgating add 1000, 5000 or 10 new fans?

I don't know, I'm asking.

I'm not sure how many more fans it would draw, but tailgating is one aspect of the live game that cannot be duplicated at home. It sounds that in this era, the competition for attendance at a live game is the home experience, with big screen TVs, the game discussions , the replays.... Sure some have the nice home locations that allow the outside tailgating/BBQ experience, but for opportunity for the tailgate/experience makes it a day event.
Tailgating , or lack thereof, made the Skydome experience less impressive for Bills fans. Why not just drive to Buffalo and watch there.

2 cents worth

[Johno27]

Here's is a recent report today from the Sun on the topic of Argos' new home at BMO and the possibility of joining the MLSE family. Comments from Mr. Leiweke.

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/16...rade-bmo-field

[bluto]

Here's is a recent report today from the Sun on the topic of Argos' new home at BMO and the possibility of joining the MLSE family. Comments from Mr. Leiweke.

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/16...rade-bmo-field

thanks for the link... i can't read the article though because of the pay-gate. any chance someone could copy/paste, pls?

[Argo57]

I know for some that tailgating is part of the football culture, me I just like football, don't need the rest. Having said that, and I'm not familiar with the market, would allowing tailgating be a significant attraction to get people back to the Argos, in a big way?

If the American dream is dead for now, is this (tailgating) close enough to that culture to affect the Argos in a significant way. Or like a Grey Cup week, it won't really change much afterwards. Would tailgating add 1000, 5000 or 10 new fans?

I don't know, I'm asking.

Agreed.
The game is the most important thing.
The tricky part will be balancing the party atmosphere from tailgating and still keeping it family friendly at the same time.
Parents will be reluctant to bring their kids it these games if excessive drinking and rowdiness rules the day.
I have a couple of friends who had TFC season tickets the first couple of seasons and gave them up because of some of the stupidity happening in the stands during the game.
I'm sure they have cleaned some of it up since then, T-Bone have you seen any of this at the TFC games??

[ArgoGabe22]

Here you go.

SEATTLE - They’re dollar figures Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment has never before dished out.
In the neighbourhood of a quarter-billion, according to MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, who spoke exclusively with the Toronto Sun ahead of Saturday’s Toronto FC opener here at CenturyLink Field.
Including the $100 million MLSE’s soccer club spent on a trio of players this winter, the company is also finalizing plans to spend an additional $120 million on upgrades to BMO Field this summer.
“It took a while for our board to get comfortable with this because this is the largest commitment we’ve made on a single process,” Leiweke told the Sun.
“It was critical that we take the lead, that we put up the money and we bare the brunt here,” he continued, a week after receiving unanimous approval from the Exhibition Place board of governors.
“I’m a big believer that the public sector should be worried about transportation, safety and education. We had no problem with the formula. We wanted to make sure that those who originally funded the stadium are still involved in the stadium.”
The commitment from MLSE, as Leiweke explained it, is the full $120 million, with the city, province and federal governments each contributing $10 million. The city will be paid back over 20 years, with interest. The province and feds will benefit from tax revenue.
“I don’t think it makes sense for the taxpayer to be asked to fund another stadium,” Leiweke said. “The city came along and told MLSE the conditions of a deal (to expand/renovate BMO) is you providing a permanent home for the Argos.”
A vocal minority of TFC fans hate the idea. As for the CFL’s Argonauts, they’d be homeless if MLSE elected not to move forward with the plans. The Double Blue are being kicked out of Rogers Centre in a few years’ time.
“There has been so much written about this and it amazes me that it has been this controversial,” Leiweke said. “The reality is that, originally, this stadium was meant to be a solution for the Argos as well.”
A solution for the Argos never came.
While it’s all but a lock the Boatmen will soon be playing closer to the water, the CFL club’s ownership situation is still unresolved.
News of BMO Field upgrades provided the stipulation from the city that MLSE welcomes the CFL as co-tenants has fueled speculation the Argos could soon join the Maple Leafs, Raptors and Toronto FC under the MLSE umbrella.
“People have to take a deep breath that compromise and partnership is the best way to find resolution,” Leiweke said.
“I think we owe it to the city, we owe it to the Argos to find a permanent solution. As to us buying them, on a stand-alone basis, we have no interest in the Argos. But because of the uniqueness of what we have to go through to get the stadium, we are certainly intertwined. The definition of intertwined is forthcoming.”
Also pending are construction plans. Leiweke told the Sun that shovels will hit the ground September 1 assuming the city’s executive committee and council approve.
The first phase of construction, which will include seat expansion, concourse work and the creation of suites and club seats, will end next May.
As a result, Toronto FC will likely play an additional two road games to start the 2015 season. They will not, however, be forced to find a temporary venue.
The second phase will run from Sept. 1, 2015 to May of 2016. Again, no TFC games will be moved.
As for cost overruns, MLSE is taking “100% of the risk,” he added.
Plans are for the new BMO field to seat 30,000 for soccer and 25,000 for football, with the ability to expand by an additional 10,000 seats for big events.
“When you walk into the building for a TFC game, you won’t know the Argos play there,” Leiweke said. “We’re not painting logos, so there won’t be a centre logo. The CFL logos in the end zones will be underneath the stands so you won’t see them. We’re going to work at making sure the lines go away.”
He said it was an additional $30-million commitment to make moveable stands a reality.
“We live in a different age and world now where the creativity and technology we can use to move stands in and out, to use paint that goes away, to ultimately use a turf system that gives both sides a green grass. We’re going to do all we can to protect the purity of the sport.”
Leiweke’s always speaking in soccer terms. He also quashed fears of BMO Field going back to artificial turf here Saturday, saying they’ll use an expensive hybrid surface utilized by big clubs around the world.
“We think we know how to work the schedule out,” Leiweke said. “We have eight Argos games a year. We’ll figure this out.”
He added that an MLS game will never be played the day after a CFL game, but the reverse is possible.
The high-priced off-season TFC player additions MLSE invested in were also an important first step in assuring stadium upgrades were viable.
“We have to be a good team,” Leiweke said. “The link between what we did with TFC from November on and what we’re doing with the stadium is tied hand-in-hand in order to make sure that we have a stadium that is one of the best in the league. At the same time we needed a team that guaranteed the economics of this worked so we can cover it through the private sector.”
The soon-to-be-homeless Argos are also without a training facility, meaning TFC’s Kia Training Ground at Downsview might soon have a neighbour.
“In a perfect world there’s a football field next to the Kia Training Ground,” Leiweke said. “We’ll work with Downsview to see if we can build a new facility as part of the campus.”
Which means there’s a chance, big or small, MLSE adds the Argos to their collection of teams.
“There’s always a chance,” he said. “Our first focus is TFC. Then BMO Field. We’ll see where this goes with the Argos.”

[T-Bone]

Agreed.
The game is the most important thing.
The tricky part will be balancing the party atmosphere from tailgating and still keeping it family friendly at the same time.
Parents will be reluctant to bring their kids it these games if excessive drinking and rowdiness rules the day.
I have a couple of friends who had TFC season tickets the first couple of seasons and gave them up because of some of the stupidity happening in the stands during the game.
I'm sure they have cleaned some of it up since then, T-Bone have you seen any of this at the TFC games??

If there is tailgating. Like I said before there isn't any at BMO Field currently, it was stopped after season one. Have you ever been to sporting event with out seeing some stupidity happening in the stands during a game? You're always going to have someone that drinks to much. Regardless of that there are tons of kids with their parents at TFC games.

[Argo57]

If there is tailgating. Like I said before there isn't any at BMO Field currently, it was stopped after season one. Have you ever been to sporting event with out seeing some stupidity happening in the stands during a game? You're always going to have someone that drinks to much. Regardless of that there are tons of kids with their parents at TFC games.

Fair enough, I remember some morons throwing empty liquor bottles regularly at the end of most Argo games in the 70's.

[rdavies]

i can't read the article though because of the pay-gate.

Clear the cache on your browser.

[ArgoRavi]

Here is the key part of the article for me:

“People have to take a deep breath that compromise and partnership is the best way to find resolution,” Leiweke said.
“I think we owe it to the city, we owe it to the Argos to find a permanent solution. As to us buying them, on a stand-alone basis, we have no interest in the Argos. But because of the uniqueness of what we have to go through to get the stadium, we are certainly intertwined. The definition of intertwined is forthcoming.”
__________________________________________________ ____
It would seem to confirm that MLSE had no interest in buying the Argos if they played anywhere else but BMO but will be involved in some way with the team beyond them just playing in their stadium.

[ArgoRedneck]

I got a tip and did some fishing and pretended I knew more than I did with some people on the in and with some really on the in. I' am not going to debate this but it sounds like I atleast will stop guessing. Looks like we will be at BMO field for 2015 season. I also got that the Argos will be on the road for a bit during the start of the season. My guess is that is because of a retro-fit. MLSE will own the Argos. Braley is the problem but the deal will get done.

If am wrong I will host a tailgate where we end up for the ACTIVE current members on this form.

Bump.


It's not news folks. It was posted a few months ago.

[T-Bone]

Bump.


It's not news folks. It was posted a few months ago.

I'm sorry but I don't know your sources and last I checked your word is not official.

[ArgoRedneck]

I'm sorry but I don't know your sources and last I checked your word is not official.

Bone you don't have to be sorry....Not official but accurate 3 months ago. Its not offical yes, but upon further review it will be.

[T-Bone]

Bone you don't have to be sorry....Not official but accurate 3 months ago. Its not offical yes, but upon further review it will be.

I'm not sure what it is you want as a response Redneck, "You were right?" But it's still not official so the best I can do is "You're most likely right." When making a claim and providing no evidence as you did 3 months ago you're not going to get many people to believe said claim. Now there is supporting evidence so people are willing to believe.

[Ron]

I had conversations with fans last year and the idea of the Argos in BMO by 2015 came up as a viable and highly likely option. So it's pretty easy to write down an option and then brag about it later if it happens to come true that way.

So from a conversational perspective ... the Ticat fan who said it would happen that way was correct many months before the original post in this thread. So that dude gets the bragging rights and everyone is is late to the party.

And a note on Argotoms incorrect American wannabee assertions. Toronto has never shown itself to be American wannabee. They have at times shown themselves to want whatever is perceived to be the best at the time. Thus some wanted the NFL while others packed the Skydome to the rafters to watch an Italian soccer club play an exhibition game. World class was the mantra.

And as for the virtue of the rest of Canada in that regard?

I recall years ago reading an article in a Calgary paper. The Cowboy Museum was relocating out of Calgary. The statement from the power at be in Calgary about it were "Calgary is a world class city and the museum no longer fits Calgary's place on the world stage."

The point being that if you ever look outside the bubble to see how things are ... things are not always as you think they are.

[paulwoods13]

There were tons of bold, confident predictions on this and other forums. On cfl.ca, one poster fan confidently asserted for weeks, if not months, that the Argos "will" move to the northern burbs. The beauty of predictions on fan forums is that if yours turns out right, you can remind everyone later. If it turns out wrong, you can act like it never happened. Either way, so what?

[BATKINSON001]

do you guys think that they can get the field lengthened and the stands removed for the 2015 season (either mls or cfl, whichever starts earlier)?

[T-Bone]

do you guys think that they can get the field lengthened and the stands removed for the 2015 season (either mls or cfl, whichever starts earlier)?

It looks like the seats are part of the first phase of construction which I'm sure includes the field which they want to get done by 2015 before the Pan Am Games. I'm not sure if they are planing artificial turf in the end zones since those appear to be covered by the seats but that would be my guess.