Well this is exciting 
Thanks for the read.
Only problem right now for Halifax is the NDP Provincial government and the selfish old bunch in the South End of Halifax. Doing the leg work now and making it a provincial promise in the next election might seal the deal.
There is a huge difference now then there was in the past when the discussion of a stadium and a team in the Atlantic Region in particular the HRM where the the Stadium and team would most likely be placed. In the past it was just the people, govt, and Business Community going it alone as everyone else involved with the CFL just sat back and wathced.
Fast forward to 2013 post 100th Grey Cup and this has not just become about the Atlantiv Region anymore. I have no doubt that a team in the Atlantic Region will get solid if not great support from football and sports fans in the Region.
Now they have the Support of the entire CFL front office behind this, CFL national Sponsors, all of the other CFL owners, and TSN, the Network who has made the CFL a top rated sport on TV, chomping at the bit to get a whole other Region of fans reason to tune into TSN each week to watch some CFL action.
A real stroke of genius when TSN decided to place all of Montreal's home games as well as all of the playoffs and Grey Cup as well as at least about a game a week other than a Montreal game on TSN2. Sure most the 3 million plus in Montreal were aware of the Als and when they moved to McGill campus there was interest but as for the rest of the 4 million plus population of mostly French Language first speakers were not really that interested. Taking the popularity of football in Quebec City and then into Sherbrooke there were regional fans for the University level heading into the 21st Century but now they have every Als game on TV in French on RDS and now there is a whole Province of football fans not just watching the Als but also watching there University players from Laval and Sherby succeeding in the pros.
The 2.3 million population of all of NB, NS, PEI, and New Foundland may not be able to get to a game in the HRM on a regular basis but they can all turn there TV on and tune in to TSN.
This Stadium and Expansion will happen sooner than later driven by two very powerful entities that were not so involved with the CFL in the past TV and National Corporate Sponsors. There is a untapped Region of 2 plus million in population.
This is a true team effort by all involved with the CFL
Really hope that the franchise is awarded to Halifax. Would be nice to be able to go catch a CFL game when I go back home to Nova Scotia to visit.
Moncton is far ahead with the partial stadium and the most important factor the political will.
However after this years TD Atlantic, it's time to put up or shut up.
Halifax from everything that we from the outside hear, had a glorious chance with the Commonwealth situation, but they bailed.
Even with a new mayor, there is no political will.
Of course from the need of a 10th team, I guess it does not matter which city.
If not Atlantic, give QC one last chance and if not, head west young man as the saying goes with a stop in Saskatoon.
The HRM is the goal of Cohon for sure.
Moncton building having a stadium built to hold 20K worked right into the CFLs hands. Using Moncton as a way to get to Halifax.
Until that time the best place and biggest to play a game was the lod now worn down Huskir stadium on the SMU campus.
TSN tried to even get the CIS eastern semi final in Moncton in the years in which the AUS would play host to the game. The problem was that the game was played on a friday night and only a small crowd was able to make the game allowing who ever was in charge from the AUS or CIS end to get out of the deal. If the Game were to have been played on a staurday it could have drawn a much larger crowd.
The plan would be to have the Atlantic Region team to have there training camp in diffeerent campuses throughout the Region. Not only was a new stadium and sports facility built in Moncton but STFX has also built a modern new sports venue. Also new field turf at UNB in 2009.
So we are beginning to hear about a well thought out plan for an expansion franchise. Both BC and Montreal hold there training camp a couple of hours out of the city.
Cohonâs recent enthusiasm for expansion into the maritimes seems to have come from his meeting with Halifaxâs mayor. There isnât much reason to be enthusiastic about Moncton right now. There are still many unsold seats for Touchdown Atlantic 3, and neither the city nor the province can be bothered to find out if, and how much it would cost, to expand Monctonâs stadium to CFL standards.
Cohonâs talk right now about city building and development, and about a team being placed in one city and playing an occasional home game in another city, strongly suggests a new stadium in Halifax at a location like Shannon Park, and a game in Moncton with their stadium set up as it is for Touchdown Atlantic.
It is unlikely that Halifax will build a stadium like Monctonâs. There either will be a CFL-calibre stadium, or there will be none. Even if St. Maryâs finishes all three stages of their new stadium, it will only have about 12k seats, and there will be virtually no room for expansion. I think that St. Maryâs will only build stage one (one sideline deck with about 6k seats), and wait to see what happens with a municipal stadium.
I also donât know how much expanding Monctonâs stadium will effect development within that city.
Cohon has been a godsend for the CFL...getting a team in the Maritmes would be his crowning glory. I hope the league can get it done for his sake!
I agree with you, but letâs hope it occurs while most of us are still upright.
Exactly everything that he has set out to do came with a strong plan and expanding to the Maritimes is the last thing on his list and has now become his top priority. second is getting a new stadium for the Argos.
He has gotten the CFL backing of Corporate sponsors, a Major Sports Network, and now strong ownership groups in the recent OSEG and the Calgary Flames who will be able to handle there teams without any help from the CFL so the priorites can be placed on these two things. The Stadiums will get a lot of help from a corporate partnerâs paying for the naming rights.
I can see TSNâs parent Co. Bell taking on the naming rights for one of the two stadiumâs.
Hamilton has taken care of that on there own as will Ottawa.
I mentioned 10 years⌠Five years to put it together and probably 8 to 10 before a team is fielded.
And thatâs a reasonable timeline. As long as it happens eventually, Iâm good with it when it is done right âŚ
Do you mean :
- 5 years of getting ducks in a row, 3 years of construction, then a team, or
- 5 years of getting ducks in a row, 2-3 years of construction, 2-3 years of an empty stadium, then a team
Once the stadium is under construction, an ownership group will appear, or the stadium will be empty forever.
Any prospective owner will want to move into the stadium while it still has the new car smell, and once it sit empty, itâll not only lose that new car smell, but will start to be regarded as a white elephant. The Als have found it hard to sell tickets in a white elephant, so it is probably prudent to avoid that if at all possible.
At the provincial level, thereâs no money and no political will to do it. The provincial government is broke, people are restless, and âI want that too!â envy between the three main cities is a constant problem. Any premier who tried to help with a stadium in Moncton and didnât also have something to hand Fredericton & Saint John would be DOA come election time. (Particularly when itâs an already unpopular premier who is cutting things people care about and talking about tax hikes, like the current one.)
I said the model is the same as Ottawaâs so the stadium would be built by the province when the owner(s) have all their deals in place to develop around it. I believe that will include Light commercial, Condos, Marina and possibly even a man made beach. Its a great location less than a minute to get on the bridge. View of downtown, shoreline and its
It would require remediation, Burrial of power lines and various other things to transform it.
The local Native band has been after the land for years because leftover from a bonfire circa 1700 was discovered close by (not on the actual site) http://spacing.ca/atlantic/2010/02/19/n ⌠nnon-park/
The city is terrified that the Native will get the land and do as they did in Truro and turn it into a âTax Free Zoneâ competing with the city.
That one piece of land is 37 hectares including 4 hectares of shoreline. The value of the land was appraised in 2010 at 3.5 million dollars by a realtor which caused much laughter with the Feds.
Boy if there ever was a pipe dream, with way too many ifs and the most important no cash and political will.
Please Moncton do not let us down.
With the Stadium Boom in Canada it opens up another Country in North America to host FIFA and Concacaf international events. Halifax and NS will be missing out on the revenue that will be pumped into other local economies in Canada for the Women's World Cup.
A Mens Gold Cup could be coming to Canada very near future.
So far only the US mostly and Mexico are the only two countries with the stadiums to host such an event. We could see Canada hosting or co hosting a lot of Gold Cups in the future now does the HRM and Nova Scotia really want to miss out on all of this revenue for their economy for a 150 million dollar stadium. Especially now that they will be able to recoup that money over time with the sale of naming rights to the stadium
Is the global recession over? From the looks and sounds of the CFL it seems like it. It sure seems to be a bad idea to divide up the CBC/TSN TV revenue over 10 teams instead of just 9...unless Canada expects the global economy to be a bull market?!
Your assumption is plain stupid. With 10 teams and extra nine games, covering an extra 3 provinces the value of the TV property goes up more than the extra cut in revenues is worth.