Over on the CFL talk board they have been talking about the rumblings of moving to BMO field... We all know that the TFC is opposed & we also all know that the current surface is only 75x115... Too small to even have 3 yard end-zones! So if the Argos moved there it would require a major reno project... So here's my thoughts: I am not from or all that familiar with the city of Toronto. I am an Argos fan & make the trek to the games when I can... But I don't know Toronto all that well. But is there anywhere else the Argos can play besides RC or BMO? How about Lamport?... Could it be turned into a CFL stadium that would be the Argos own? I don't know about the parking situation or any of that, but it might be worth looking into. I would suggest Varsity, but there is a road right next to it. Is there anywhere else?... Just curious.
BMO is not my favorite idea, but if a huge retrofit was done. I.E. field expanded and seats added to fit some 28-30,000 then it would be a possibly option. Although I feel this is a rushed and premature notion that is dominated by a media driven frenzy.
Lamport Stadium is in a area that has little room to expand, it is right on a street corner and near condo developments. To my knowledge it is also too small to fit in a CFL field and has a capacity of 8-9,000. I’ve worked in that are for a few years and can’t see how it could be expanded with another 20,000 seats.
Varsity Stadium is 5,000 capacity and at this point not possible to expand with out tearing it and everything around it down. There seems very little room to add around the field, certainly not enough to fit another 20,000+ seats.
That is about it for major stadium in the city, there a few smaller ones 1,500-3,000 seats but none would be viable.
Is York still in the market for a new stadium?
Maybe they could revive that idea in partnership with Rugby Canada.
I agree with this and mentioned the very same thing in another thread.
They said yesterday on TSN that the Argos ownership submitted a letter to the city stating that they would like to move to BMO... So maybe they have a reno planned out already. I will just be happy the day they get out of the RC.
It would bolster both sports and add another perfessional traning centre for York in the process.
The whole thing could be done fo about the same as what BMO cost.
And maybe even constructed somewhat better with a few more private boxes, ample parking and enhanced travelling access.
The thing is since toronto got bmo the chances of another deal much the same i can’t see going over well.With new arenas and stadiums needed around ontario and if the gov gave the argos much the same the toronto fc got i am not sure how well that would sit with the alot of people.Aslo if there is no compeition for the host city that aslo may add some probleams if there was a compeition and toro nto won as the best city that may sit a bit better with some.
Tough cheese, if FC deserves a stadium, surely a team with more than 130 years in the city deserves one. The Argos deserve a stadium a lot more than FC does.
What exactly is wrong with the Rogers Centre?
rocketsfan05,
Look at the Montreal example some years ago. They were playing at Olympic Stadium and couldn't pay people to come out to the games. Then they had a scheduling conflict...if I remember correctly U2 was playing a concert in Montreal on the same day a Als game was supposed to be held. So they moved the Als to McGill Stadium and look at them now;sold out every game since and have added a few thousand seats for this season.
Seems to me that everyone in Toronto should take this as a cue. Skydome should be reserved for when the city hosts the Grey Cup only.
My thoughts exactly!!!
Why wasn't BMO constructed large enough to accommodate a football field in the first place?
Just no fore-sight I guess. The FC guys would never want to share with someone else!
Personally I think the dome is adequate, but no more than that. Something in the Downsview area where the SARS concert was would be a good area I think. Probably not for me since Im on the Mississauga/Oakville boarder but for the majority of fans itd be at least a decent area. Or York U, but we all know what happened there 
The Dome should be used for only a few certain games just like the Big O in Montreal. Actually the Jays could use that baseball stadium in Ottawa that was built for AAA ball with no more AAA team, good investment there eh Ottawa, for most games and use the RC for the odd big game here or there. 
I don't expect that David Braley is going to be looking to move out of the Dome. Under his watch, the Lions managed to be considered successful enough to stay in BC Place without endless appeals to move out. That success has translated into major renovations underway at BC Place now.
There is no good reason to move out of the Dome at this point, primarily because there are no viable alternatives. BMO is too small (field and stands) and Lamport is no option either. Financially, it is senseless to pour money into sprucing up either location or to even consider any new building. The City of Toronto is not going to pony up any cash for an Argo stadium in light of massive cuts to their transit system expansion and the recent wave of major tax and service fee hikes. The Dome is centrally located, directly located on several transit lines, has excellent highway access and has plenty of parking nearby. There are very few locations in the city that can match that (and BMO ain't one of 'em).