bid for stadium takes step in right direction

At the end of it all, as they say, what really makes for a great stadium experience? Sightlines, yes, important but it's like anything else, it's the people. What's the use of going into a brand new hospital for an operation if the surgeon is a total jerk and the staff nurses, porters, anyone else the patient comes in contact with are jerks? You get a new hip or knee but come out feeling crappy because the people treated you like poop.

New stadium in a different part of town, or different town, old stadium whatever, it's the people even if the sightlines aren't the absolute perfect ones. Look at the Superdome, the sidelines are a million miles from the field it looks like but after katrina and people gathering together to rebuild the city, I bet the feeling inside there for Saints games with the fans is awesome.

I'm not sure why anyone would think that a southern Ontario bid would guaranty a stadium for Hamilton. The stadium could be put anywhere from Niagara Falls to Oshawa. The folks from all the other communities will have their wish lists as well. I'm not convinced that the Canadian Pan Am group will want to have Hamilton as its back drop for the new stadium. Good luck with this one.

The only way they are going to justify a new stadium for the PanAm games is to build it with a track specifically built for Athletics.
How could Ivor Wynne be modernized and reconfigured for the Pan Am games Athletics with an eight lane track?? can’t be done.

The three levels of government are not going to approve a stadium that is designed for the home of the Hamilton Tiger Cats!!
So get used to it.

I’ve gotten used to it.

For the longest time I wanted to keep IWS and spend money on it to keep it functional.

However, I’ve slowly changed my mind and realized that sooner or later it has to replaced. Sad, yes. I love IWS.

The only way we’ll get a new stadium is through the fianancial support of multiple levels of gov’t. That’ would never happend for money to keep IWS and the city alone cannot afford it.

I’m also with synthcat, in that PanAm games and such are a waste of money, but if that money is going to be spent elsewhere, why not here on Hamilton creating a nice sports infratstructure?

Personally I’d rather they spend that money on roads, sewers, downtown revitalization, healthcare and such.

(shrug)

The Feds aren’t that stupid. Why would they award the stadium to a city that would have no use for it after this 2 week event when they could give it to a city where it could be in use for another century. Oh and by the way yes other cities do have their wish lists. Mississauga is getting a new aquatic centre, and Niagara Falls is asking for a new indoor facility/arena to benefit their hockey team. I doubt they would give Toronto their 3rd publically funded stadium in 20 years, besides what do they need another undersized stadium for? Unless the feds are blind, the stadium goes to Hamilton.

Oh dear…unless this is the plan for the Argos to get their own facility…Ouch! haha

The Feds will Spend the Money Upgrading BMO Field for The Argos.
They'll add a Track to it .

Why Build in a new Stadium in Hamilton
When BMO Field would needs a just a Upgrade.
for a Games Bid..

Can it accomodate a track?

I hope not. I can certainly see Toronto being spoiled by the province and Feds yat again.

Oh boy…

i can't believe that some fans want to level IWS.

I have been to most CFL stadums and can say without a second's hesitation that IWS is the best stadium for watching football in the league. The size is ideal, the sightlines incredible. Where else can you sit in a pro fooball stadium and be able to hear the player's conversations? Stand in back of the endzones are catch FGs during warm up?

don't tell me that it is falling apart...There isn't anything wrong that can't be fixed...and I'm telling you this as a licensed professional. The steel can be twinned or reinforced, the concrete repaired. The batrooms redone, the common areas brightened, Seats can be installed, all this a a fraction of the cost of building a new venue.

I don't live in Hamilton, so maybe I don't have a say...but since I attend 4-6 games a year for the past eight years I think I have earned the right to P*** and moan.

For A Chance we agree on Something als4ever

If they could rebuild Molson stadium (120 years old). I'm sure they can upgrade IWS.

Look at every new venue that has been built over the last 20 years and they all regret it. People miss Boston Garden and the Montreal Forum and there are a bunch of ball parks that have been leveled and after the novelty of a new building evaporates, you are left with massive buildings plastered with advertising. Expensive parking lots. Further away from the game and big ticket hikes.

IWS could be rebuilt/upgraded in 3 stages for probably 50 million and you would have new facilites for everyone and wouldn't lose anything.

The Alouettes play in a stadium dating back to 1918. There's no talk of building a new one just expanding it to 25,000 from 20,000 by the 2009 season.
Mosaic Stadium in Saskatchewan was first built in 1927. It had additions and renovations in 1936 and 1946 and had a second tier built in the 1970s.
Again, no talk about a new stadium, just putting more seating in the endzones.
McHahon Stadium in Calgary was built in 1960 with renovations and additions built in 1988 and 2005. No talk of building a new one in this booming city.
Ivor Wynne had 15,000 seats build in 1959 and the north stands constructed in the early '70s, bringing capacity to 30,000. It had structural upgrades in the 90's. This "80 year old stadium" tag by some, doesn't fly. Of course it could use renovations and upgrades, including putting some more backs on seats, but there is no "structural crisis". It's been maintained structurally and could be done again if needed. Why would we want a new multi-purpose stadium like a BMO Stadium (which shakes) or Commonweatlh when we have the best stadium in N.A for watching football.

Why would we want a new stadium? I love IWS as well but I live in Hamilton. Maybe a new stadium in a different location in the area can attract more people from out of town to come to Hamilton and watch the CFL. And maybe then there would be a chance for us to hold a Grey Cup again.

If these things are important though, that's the question I suppose. :?

Actually there is talk of a new 35, 000 seater in Saskatchewan in the next 5 years.

Is Ivor Wynne’s location really holding back fans from out of town coming to watch games?

I’m pretty confident that any new stadium would end up being executed terribly and significantly overbudget and end up being hated by the fans. I’m not sure why people have confidence that the new stadium would be fantastic. We can’t even renovate City Hall properly.

http://tigercatatonia.blogspot.com/

Well juer, I don't know what the answer is but if we can never hold a Grey Cup again, then why don't we just pack it in altogether with this team I say. In this new CFL, all teams are hosting the big game and any city that can't get that done doesn't deserve to have a team IMHO. There has to be a will and energy to host the Grey Cup, if Regina at 160,000 people can, what about this city of some 500,000? Yes, in Saskatchewan there is more of a city and provinical togetherness and community and provinical spirit than what any city in Ontario could ever hope for. And that is a problem but a problem that maybe could be corrected albeit difficult when we live so close to American cities with NFL teams and Toronto. A huge challenge I agree to keep going after a Hamilton/Golden Horseshoe identity. I just hope it's possible though.

I guess they will rip out the brand new FieldTurf they installed last year and put it in this so called new one. A loud minority is what that is, much like here. McMahon Stadium seats only 5,000 more than Ivor Wynne and they hosted the 2000 Grey Cup using temporary bleachers. They put in new Fieldturf 2 years ago and will be hosting the Grey Cup again next year using temparary bleachers. Renovations and upgrades is all that is needed for IWS. We will probably be getting the 2010 Grey Cup so would be nice to have it done by then.

FieldTurf can indeed be ripped out and put in a new stadium.

As a Tiger-Cat fan I have mixed feelings on the new stadium vs. upgraded IWS. But, I am leaning strongly towards new. It just makes so much more economic sense.

Yeah, you can spend tens of millions of dollars to upgrade and renovate IWS but will we have to revisit the whole issue again in 10-15-20 years? If so, it makes NO economic sense (then again, we're wasting millions at renovating our glorious City Hall so "sense" apparently doesn't play the major role one would hope it did.

I think, too, that the situation in Montreal is completely different. It's pretty much a football only stadium and they've got the Olympic Stadium to play Grey Cups in, host concerts, etc.

Think of the lost opportunities here in Hamilton...outdoor concerts, international soccer/rugby, athletics, Grey Cups, etc.

Yup, let's renovate IWS and keep it there, that way when we host a Grey Cup we can show the entire nation a nice black cloud that might hover over the stadium like the one last game that came close. Hey, now that's a real tourist promotional idea if I've ever heard one. :lol:

There's nothing wrong with 80 year old stadiums as long as they are safe, but spectators demand more in creature comforts than they built into stadiums 80 years ago.

Everything I have heard is that IWS is the best and the worst stadium in the league and needs millions of upgrades and renovations. I hope they put money into IWS, because I think that is how the taxpayer gets the biggest bang for the buck. $150 million for a new stadium with a 50 year lifespan = $3 million per year. $30 million renovation to get another 10 years out of IWS = $3 million per year.

As long as I eventually get to see a game at IWS, I'll be happy.