Do you think CFL fans from across Canada would be willing to pay an extra buck or two for tickets, or donate at kiosks, or 50/50 draws, etc, to help get a Stadium built in the Maritimes?
Considering over 2 million fans fill the seats every year, if an extra dollar was added to the price of tickets over a period of time (likely years) a significant amount of money could be accumulated. I know I wouldn't mind paying a little extra, or dropping a few loonies & twonies into a giant piggy bank if I knew that money was going to grow the league I love.
I don't expect the full cost of building a stadium to be paid for by donations, but if $20,000,000 could be saved to assist private ownership & municipal/provincial funding, I bet it could be done.
The thing is look around the league Toronto needs a new stadium then you have Calgary and Sask plus Edmonton while most want to see a stadium out east there are a good number of markets that need upgrades or new stadiums as well.
I personally would pay it if forced, I would not if it was an option.
I have no desire to fund social infrastructure in other regions, just as I have no desire for the feds to.
I hope that they can get a fabulous facility, and I would indeed attend a game(s) there, but building regional facilities is a regional responsibility.
Fans that just saw their cities put up new or renovate stadiums w/o funding would be bitter. If regional funding for facilities is unavailable, then the market gets no team...pay to play. They can get a loan and add a gameday tax to their own tickets...same as other cities have done to fund stadiums.
I think this would be a great idea. If there was a website set up for donations, each CFL game donation tables set up, you might be surprised how much this could raise. I for one would donate to this project
It is up to the league to invest in its product. if the league put half the GC profits in an account for five to ten years they would have 50 million and a very big influence.
If it was to say a fund for all markets no question it would raise alot but just for out east no in fact many will say why should we help why in many cases our city did not get any fund from around the league.
honestly, if the CFL provided funding, it would deter my interest in the league. I would in fact be turned off from any league that did this. It could kiss my money goodbye for sure.
They have better things to spend their money on than building stadiums. I believe money should be set aside as insurance in case an owner goes broke (been there right), but that is it. It sucks that infrastructure as such is so pricy…what can you do.
pay to play…no backers, no team…sorry, that is how the world spins. You want to set up some donation drive, hey, I am all for it…don’t try to sponge it off other clubs nor guilt fans into ponying up. Something online I might donate to.
A CFL franchise in the Maritimes would have to stand on it's own two feet. It's just not feasible for other CFL teams or their fans to subsidize a stadium or team in a location which is not economically viable.
I'm not so sure a national stadium lottery would be a bad idea. It could be an on-going lotto that would help provide seed money for stadium projects and upgrades all over the country, for both big and small communities.
I have no problem with fed money going into CFL stadiums. Only CFL stadiums. With the money that goes to all these weird interest groups woul;d pay for many stadiums.
A national lottery, I like that idea... That way only people who like to gamble and people who want to see a stadium built would participate, and that way tax dollars don't have to be touched. Why do you suppose this hasn't been done before?
I'm not going to participate in a lottery that will build all of its facilities in the east. Don't get me wrong, I understand the bulk of the population is in the east, so it makes sense...I just have no interest in participating. I would rather see it done on a municipal and potentially provincial levels.
Feds/Fed money should not be used for such matters either...Feds are responsible for criminal law, trade regs, national defense, monetary system, etc...the big picture so to speak.
As far as national lotteries and what not...this is entertainment...not curing cancer or helping some community in despair. if the community can not afford the entertainment/facilities they desire and nobody is stepping...well, they simply are not big enough.
Can you buy me that car? I can't afford the upfront cost, but I can afford to maintain it, and I will use it well. Sounds good right?