Halifax: We'll know on Nov. 9, 2007

CFL Talk
1

Simply put, we'll know if Halifax will be an awarded a CFL expansion team on November 9th, 2007.

On that day, the winning bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games will be announced. Halifax is in the running, along with Glasgow, Scotland and Abuja, Nigeria.

If Halifax is awarded the games on November 9th, 2007, they will receive funding for a brand-new, CFL-quality stadium. Then and ONLY THEN will they receive funding for a stadium.

If they are not awarded the games, no CFL-quality stadium will be built, and Halifax will almost surely never be home to a CFL team.

While there are potential OWNERS of a team in the maritimes, the only way a stadium will be built is with Government funding.

2

GO HALIFAX!!!

but I don't think it will be the end of Halifax if the deal falls though, the dream has been alive for over 30 years, why should it die now?

3

Hopefully so for the east coast, but this 2014 is way too far away even if they build it early?

4

The real competition is from Glasgow as I highly doubt Nigeria will have the proper financial backing to host the Commonwealths. Of course, I thought the same thing about Hamilton when they lost out to India for 2010.

But the concept that a quality stadium being built hinging entirely on a successful bid for an international competition is a sad reality check in today's Canadian economic climate. If the feds are committed to the growth and development of sport in this country, then it needs to have the proper infrastructure in place to pull it off. Having a quality stadium in Halifax will be a boon to Nova Scotia and the rest of the Atlantic region; Commonwealths or not.

5

The fact that they get Games and a stadium for 2014 is no guarantee of receiving a CFL franchise.

There's far more to it than that --- like owners.

6

Here’s to Halifax CFL

7

True, with the way Braley and Wettenthal(sp?) have been acting (re: TW), there's no guarantee that they'll approve of expansion to Halifax or the reformation of Ottawa for that matter.

8

Dopn't get me wrong. I'd love to see it. But then, I've been hearing how it's been "imminent" since 1970s.

9

Well, if Tom Wright's still the commissioner in 2014, and they get the games and they build the stadium and they find the owners and the sun doesn't explode, it could happen. Here's hoping it does!

10

Here's an honest question.

If a stadium is built, would it be a domed or retractable roofed stadium to compensate for the drastic Atlantic weather patterns?

Jare

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and hopfully Hamilton will try again for 2024 or sooner, but I think their lame duck was that they had it before, the frist games if I'm not mistaken, Halifax hasn't had them before, Scotland has had it once before, could give Nova Scotia the edge.

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KK, if Hamilton was going to bid again for the Commonwealths, the most logical year to do it would be 2030 when they will be celebrating the Centennial of the first Commonwealths (then known as the "British Empire Games") at their "birthplace"... HAMILTON

13

ok, fair enough, hopefully the Cats will have a new stadium before then.

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There are plenty of people and companies that have said they would fund a team. If we get the games and then the stadium, we will most likely get a team.

If we dont get the games, we might stilll get a stadium but probably later. Once we get a new mayor and premier. Then they might get one built.

Go Halifax! WE CAN DO IT!

15

Good post. The Stadium is one part of the equation. Good owners is the other. If we get the Commonwealth games there then we are half way there. A rich owner with deep pockets that loves football would be the next step.

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Cost of either dome or retractable roof would be too pricey IMO. SkyDome hit $600 m and that was 1989.

But I imagine they’d go for a design where all the stands were protected with roofs/overhangs.

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sobrien wrote:

The fact that they get Games and a stadium for 2014 is no guarantee of receiving a CFL franchise.

There’s far more to it than that — like owners


Considering the hopeful Ottawa owners number in the double-digits, I doubt there would be any problem in finding a good owner for any CFL franchise, today.

If Halifax wins the CW Games, they will have a 25,000 seat stadium and will be the ONLY realistic expansion site in Canada.

Unfortunately a Halifax franchise would have to be wildly successful and sellout just to break even.

If Quebec City were to build a stadium, then they would be the logical first choice, but there is just no momemtum to do so there.

18

If not for Commonwealth bid, there wouldn't be any noticeable momentum in Halifax area either.

Everyone is jumping to conclusion Halifax is a lock for Atlantic team.

Moncton aren't slouches and some argue, better-positioned geographically to host CFL team.

If Halifax loses 2014 bid, eyes might turn again to Moncton.

19

For sure as said, the stadium is one part of the equation, there are multi, multi millionaires in every decent sized city in Canada but that doesn't mean they want to put any money down on a football team, even if it could be profitable. They also have to be football fans.

20

A dome could be built realtively cheap if it was just a small deck running the length of each sideline with a wall right behind each end zone. The stadium would end up being shaped like a big barn. Considering how much trouble it's been trying to get a stadium built, I doubt it would ever happen. Given the costs of building even the cheapest stadium, getting one built is more like getting 90% of the way to getting a team.