Just curious did Touchdown Atlantic 2023 have a positive effect on bringing a franchise to Atlantic Canada sooner rather then later?
- Yes
- No
0
voters
most of the fans were not from the area
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I voted no, but it couldn’t hurt either. I somewhat doubt that the movers & shakers needed to make it happen were swayed on Sat.
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yes it looks like half the crowd flew in from Sask and maybe other CFL fans from other cities.
I guess we won’t know how many locals bought tickets
A thousand standing room only tickets went on sale a day or so before the game. I would assume they would have to be locals dealing with a short time frame to come from outside the Maritimes.
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I tend to agree. It appears it’s down to whether some sort of venue can or can’t be arranged.
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It is what it is. Two out of town teams playing…creating a major buzz in the city. Soldout. Successful. SMU would be a great partner if that is the route taken. Also great for tourism within the Maritimes…Lots of opportunities but still challenges and hurdles. Time will tell.
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Yes could be, but we don’t know how many of the 11,000 were locals.
It probably doesn’t hurt to play a game every year down there. As long as the CFHOF continues to host it.
I would agree Touchdown Atlantic should continue (assuming no team is announced) as it does seem to showcase the league and people from wherever (local or tourist) look forward to it. Different teams though. Maybe whomever finishes 1st in their respective divisions are teams involved in the next years event.
Are there stats or sources anywhere to back that up? I’d also like to see the TV ratings from the Maritime provinces if a breakdown is available. Most curious to see how many Nova Scotians watched it.
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Good question. I think a lot people assume because there was a sea of green there not from the area. It would be interesting to know how many Maritimes were actually in the stands if that is possible to figure out.
Yes exactly. I remember Rod Smith on the broadcast crew said there were definitely more Rider jerseys around the stadium as compared to Argos shirts; but who knows if they’re all from Sask.
One of my primary concerns with East Coast expansion and as a former born & raised Maritimer is the overall culture. People are very pessimistic and can be negative for sure. Despite the fact Halifax is booming they tend to be conservative & not like change.
I agree with having a variety of teams play but it can’t be fixed based on standings or some other formula. Teams like Winnipeg and Saskatchewan could never play a “ home” game there as the loss of money by giving up a 30,000 person gate would be ridiculous and unaffordable. Wpg and Sask could only be visiting teams as would be the same with others if their attendance improves. Teams like Toronto should always be designated the home team because of their poor attendance. If they don’t like it too bad. They shouldn’t have a choice unless and until they put more bums in seats in their own stadiums.
Still, as much variety as possible would be good. Sask being involved is always good as they have the most fans of any team across Canada. I’m not sure why the Bombers never play one of these games as the away team as they probably have the second most fans. They could say play BC in Victoria or somewhere else in BC.
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Is there a 3rd choice? Doesn’t make a difference either way.
Sure the sold out game didn’t hurt but we all know the elephant in the room
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Amar Doman did say earlier if he was a betting man Touchdown Pacific would happen at Starlight in Langford. Haven’t heard anymore, maybe theirs an issue with the stadium, don’t know.
For the same reason as you listed your doubt about Winnipeg or Saskatchewan hosting a game, I’d suspect the Lions wouldn’t want to host one in Victoria either. If TD Pacific happens, I suspect Toronto would be the home team and BC would be the road team.
I would have thought that BC might sell 20,000 tickets to a game somewhere else on the province? Perhaps not. You would know better than me.
I think BC probably could attract 20,000 to a TD Pacific in Victoria or Kamloops or Kelowna. But I don’t think any of those cities has a 20,000-seat stadium. I’m not sure any of them has even a 10,000-seat stadium.
There are plans to expand Starlight in Victoria to about 10,000. That’s probably where a TD Pacific would take place.
I’d like to see the Lions host a preseason game in Kamloops one year, since they’ve been holding their training camp there for quite a while.
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That’s 
the issue. Thanks Dave. 
I doubt you could put a 20,000 seat venue in the province anywhere even on a temp basis. The costs would just be too high I think. Starlight might be the best option as they have the approval for 10,000 capacity from their current 6,000.
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