BC Lions to announce new ownership

BC Place could still be used for playoff games, Grey Cups like Olympic Stadium. It is still host to trade shows, Rugby 7s, international soccer matches, large concert events. And that’s really what BC Place stadium is for. Events.

It’s clearly too large and cavernous though for CFL football (and MLS soccer for that matter).

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Which city is willing to pony up the cashola?

Even the new owner can’t be foolish enough to try to build entirely with private funding.

The stadium is not the issue. The in-game experience needs to improve.

I don’t know if it’s a good idea to model yourself after one of the biggest money losing structures ever built on planet earth :laughing:

It wasn’t PAVCO’s decision. It was the Lions’. PAVCO wants them to use the upper deck because they charge the user more for that

Doesn't look like a bad rental agreement to me! :eyes:

BC Lions pay no rent on the first $9 million of net ticket sales to play at BC Place Stadium

the threshold of $9 million in net ticket sales has been tied to inflation and is the first of a six-step rent calculation for the 10 scheduled Canadian Football League home games. After the rent-free $9 million, the Lions are charged 10 per cent on the next million, 12.5 per cent on the next million, 15 per cent on the next million, 17.5 per cent on the next million and 20 per cent on all amounts over $13 million.

Yah exactly. I’d still go to CFL games all the time however I live in Victoria so the travel is very awkward to do that so I only go to the occasional Lions game or Rider game when I’m visiting family in Sask, and of course the Grey Cup every year being a family tradition and all. However, I love the birds eye view. It’s the best seat in the house in my opinion. Being too close to the field makes it harder to see the yard lines because of the depth perception and I think a lot of people think the same way because back when I went to games a lot in like 2010-2014 it never felt like the stadium was that empty, however watching on TV these last few years it feels like the stands are empty and seeing the top level tarped over just doesn’t make it feel like a real stadium anymore. I really hope new ownership realizes this and changes it up because I’d like to bring back that feel that a stadium like Mosaic, IG, or Commonwealth provides and even back in 2014 or so I would have put BC Place’s atmosphere up there with one of those other 3, but it’s nowhere near that these days and I’d rank it right next Toronto as the worst.

The rent-free qualifier is a bit of a misnomer.

“PavCo charges each game-goer a $3 per ticket facility fee.”

They might not charge the Lions rent directly (until after the threshold is reached), but they’re charging Lions fans instead.

Having said that, it still looks like a decent agreement to me.

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But PavCo also roadblocks every game day initiative that Lions want to bring in to improve the experience.

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Isn’t Pavco going to be getting naming rights for BC Place?

It was supposed to be called Telus Field at BC Place.

I believe the province at time put off that idea or cancelled it.

Interesting. Can you tell us some game day initiatives the Lions wanted but were blocked by Pavco?

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Mostly concessions. Not as in getting a share, but just getting BETTER food, BETTER service. Fans often have complained TO THE LIONS about bad food, long lines, overpriced junk, menu items out of stock and the Lions can only say “it’s out of our hands, Pavco won’t do s**t.”

That’s on top of all the strike threats that they’ve had to live under because Pavco pays their employees peanuts, and 2 or 3 times over the past 10 years or so they’ve been really close to having a game with no concessions open because pavco refuses to negotiate with the union.

Conversely if you go to a Canadians baseball game at Nat Bailey the service is fantastic. You get good food quick with a smile and a hop in the step. Why? Because the staff are employed directly buy the club, NOT the stadium. If the Lions could do that, you’d get good service and a better game day experience.

The Lions have tried. For a time in the 90s they were able to have a full on food court downstairs that was really good. Jan Carinci oversaw that and it was a huge success, but after a couple of years there was a reshuffling at Pavco and the outside contract food court was one of the first things that they struck down.

Nowadays there are a couple of contract vendors as well but it’s not nearly the same and the Lions have no say in it.

Hmmm…yeah I see .You are right with respect to the baseball group too. And the best food and time I ever had at a Lions game was in the temp stadium. Food trucks everywhere. It was great. Thanks

And that’s part of (but not only) reason they are the most successful franchise in the city on a pound for pound basis.

The Lions need to look to emulate them as much as possible

BC Place is the only CFL Stadium where you can get a Costco hotdog and a rootbeer for $1.50 from virtually across the street before the game,
So the concessions are moot

Not sure I agree with “stadium is not an issue.” I have even heard the President of the Lions (Rick LeLacheur) publicly state on radio the challenges that a 54,000 seat venue presents for the club.

It’s possible that the uber-wealthy owners of the Lions and Whitecaps could, one day, partner on an outdoor 25,000 seat venue. Doman is a builder, not to mention the fact that the BC Gov’t may decide to absolve itself of the white elephant that sits on hundreds of millions worth of real estate.

Where would you put the stadium? In Surrey, Kelowna?

Doesn’t do much for a lucrative TV deal.

Land is so valuable here, it's hard to believe the City of Vancouver would approve zoning for a stadium, unless it was part of a development with retail and restaurants around it like Ottawa. Many think Surrey would be a logical place to put a new stadium since a growing segment of the fan base is from east of the Fraser river.

I don't get your point about this affecting the TV deal. How?

TV cameras can set up anywhere. Stadium location doesn’t affect TV.

If the Whitecaps and Lions are thinking of building a stadium together it will be on the waterfront or back at Empire or they will stick to BC Place.

The reason for the stadium being a white elephant is the previous Lions owner’s inability to change his ways to embrace the idea of marketing and promoting the team.

Still believed in blackouts which is another way of saying to your fans you’re not important because you’re not at stadium.

Again for the CFL to be taken seriously, teams need to be in the larger markets instead of being out in the middle of nowhere (Glendale Coyotes situation).

The infrastructure in the lower mainland is atrocious to begin with and I am not having bsure where else you can put the stadium.

Honestly with only one TV partner, having a home game on a Thursday is not feasible for the Lions.

Saturdays from 5pm to 8pm might be more feasible for the Lions as they might be able to draw from the island and other parts of the province.