We always hear the rumours about a franchise being awarded to cities like Moncton and Halifax, but why has Quebec City never had a team or, as far as I can remember, ever been involved in a legitimate rumour linking the city to a CFL team?
As Canada's 7th largest metropolitan area, ahead of CFL cities like WInnipeg, Hamilton and Regina, with a population of over 765,000 it seems only logical that Quebec City would have a CFL team. Considering the large college/university football following in the city it's clear that the love of Canadian football is there, but what is missing? It can't be a lack of people with money to own the team. Major corporations headquartered or deeply rooted in the area like Quebecor, Desjardins Group and a large group of technological and engineering companies can surely afford a team and, with adequate funding from the government, could easily build a capable stadium as well. Through this the CFL could broaden their audience by reaching Canada's major French-speaking population, while at the same time creating an instant heated rivalry between the two teams in Quebec and, to a lesser extent, with Ottawa.
Adding Quebec City would also even out the Conferences (allowing Winnipeg back to the West) without adding a minor/small market on the east coast like Moncton:
East:
Toronto
Montreal
Hamilton
Ottawa
Quebec City
West:
BC
Calgary
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Saskatchewan
Why hasn't this been done and why isn't it in the process of happening? The league is continuously re-trying markets that have failed at one time or another, but a major city that seems to love football has never had a chance.
Many people have said numerous times "Why does the cfl keep goin back to ottowa??!!! They al;ready failed like, eight tymes!!!11 LOL!!!!11".
Here's why:
Potential owners keep trying to put a team in Ottawa. Oh, perhaps not the greatest ownership prospect at all times (D'Angelo, Palmer), but that's why you keep hearing it.
Ottawa had a place in which a team could play. When they ceased to have place in which a team could play, they began working towards building a new place in which a team could play.
No one has stepped up and said "I want to bring a team to Quebec City". Or at least no one that has actually taken the bull by the horns to take the necessary steps after saying so. Just because you have money doesn't mean you're interseted in sports team ownership.
Even if someone had, that person would not have a suitable stadium in which to play. It's easy to suggest that we can "just" expand Laval's stadium capacity but it requires a little more work to actually accomplish, if it's even possible.
You can argue that the league could look for owners, but the league is not in the stadium-building business. That there are not teams in QC or Halifax (or Moncton, friggin' Whitehorse, whatever) is that they are not actually capable of hosting one. And that is not a failure of the league; it is up to those places to make themselves CFL-capable.
Good Lord...Let's try that last paragraph again... :oops:
"You can argue that the league could look for owners, but the league is not in the stadium-building business. The reason that there are no teams in QC or Halifax (or Moncton, friggin' Whitehorse, whatever) is that those places are not actually capable of hosting one. And that is not a failure of the league; it is up to those places to make themselves CFL-capable."
Rumours all over the place that the NHL will be making an expansion franchise available in QC, once their deal with the players is done. Which makes a lot of sense at 500 million a piece, (Toronto and Quebec City) That's one billion split between the owners that the players don't get a cut from. Now I'm really curious to know who in QC is going to pony up 500 million plus the startup costs to own a team in a small market like that. I have a feeling their Peladeau is going to do some back pedaling... Might make business sense in Toronto MAYBE but in QC the guy is going to lose his shirt and his main business pulling that trigger.
That's because they don't want one. They took the land that was being proposed by a local investor for a CFL stadium and are building a hockey rink on it for 550 million dollars of tax payers money when our roads our undriveable and hospitals and schools falling appart. They mayor and his backers have gone OUT OF THEIR WAY to make sure there is never a CFL franchise in QC.
you may be correct HfxTC, although if QC constructs an arena with a $400-450 million subsidized price tag, you can bet the house that the City will be actively, aggressively and with utter trepidation, search for partners/investors to accrue an NHL team.
Taxpayers and budgetary deficits and constraints as they are within all governing levels, will not take too kindly to another white elephant trumpeting it's empty horn, ala Copps.
BTW Smitty, 3 or 4 years ago there was a group, led by a QC lawyer/politician and fashion designer (odd combo I know) who placed 20 million in escrow as a show of good faith and commitment to the CFL, for purposes of bringing a franchise to Quebec City.
The concept was to partner with Laval and re-construct PEPS Stadium into a CFL standard facility, although the University President/Rector refuted the offer, and so here we are without any potential prospects. (that we are aware of)
Don't forget that last year the McCains said there was no corporate interest in a franchise in Atlantic Canada, yet. There is no money to be made, can't blame them.
CRF, the President of Laval did not want to expand the stadium due to fear that fans would stop attending CIS games in favor of professional games.
IMO, the buzz of a QC CFL team would only enhance overall interest in local and provincial football as well.
Seems a trite petty, as PEPS Stadium could have accrued substantial upgrades and amenities for the indigenous University football program.
Laval's (and QC) loss I gather.
Very simple. Tanguay a local QC businessman ponied up over 500 000.00 of his own money to bring a CIS team to UL. The school and him share in the take on the UL ticket money. keep in mind that the team draws anywhere from 10 000 to 20 000 a game. You can assume that he is not interested in sharing the spotlight with any CFL team and the the prospect of losing their benefactor probably does not entice the University either. Simply put QC rather be a big fish in a tiny pond.
Eventually I'm sure Laval and QC will want to upgrade Peps Stadium and make it classier but I don't think there is the interest in doing anything football wise in QC that's going to cost too much money. They are putting all their cards in the NHL thing and that's fine, their perogative. And Peps doesn't really get much if any national exposure except for the odd Vanier Cup so I don't think they care that much there.
Its a damn shame. I'm like Tangleweb. I think it would just grow the game. Maybe one day. They dream of Olympic games, if they ever get it. They will need to build a stadium and they will want taxpayer money...
I think they probably figure they won't ever get it because the Laurentian mountains, think that's the mountains around there, aren't high enough for the skiing.
I've never heard of any potential owner that is interested in a CFL franchise for Quebec. You can quote all you want about population, incomes of the locals, how many Quebec companies there are. But the only way a CFL franchise goes into a city is if an owner or owners see a way to make money. No one has ever expressed interest in bringing a CFL franchise to QC. In Ottawa it was all about a group of businessmen that saw an opportunity to develop Lansdowne Park and bring in a soccer and football team.
You can have a big population, a big stadium but that doesn't mean you get a CFL franchise.