If Halifax gets the Commonwealth bid ...

CFL Talk
1

So, if Halifax wins asCanada's bid city for the 2014 (I think) Commonwealth games, they should be able to get a decent-sized stadium (with government money). If this stadium becomes a reality, do you think that's the last hurdle before finding an owner? Personally, I do. The biggest expense is taken care of ... The knock I hear against Halifax the most is that it has no stadium. Well ...

Here's hoping Halifax wins that bid! (Admittedly the CFL should stabilize Ottawa before expanding, but I think that will be done, and with the stadium problem solved ... )

2

Obviously this stadium would be built before the Common Wealth Games were to arrive. Could that mean a possible team would be in place before 2014?

3

I hope Halifax does get it. Lets find out on the 15th.

4

Here is hoping! but according to 3nd, Scotiabank is planing to put in the money to build a stadium.

HERE IS TO THE ATLANTIC SCHOONERS OR THUNDER!

5

That'd be cool. As long as the team isn't the schooners! Thunder would be good though.

6

What about Halifax Admirals? Thunder would be an awful name ...

And Tom Wright has said he wants the 10th team by the end of the decade. That's a reasonable goal ...

I know that the Saddledome was finished 5 years before the Olympics came to Calgary, I don't think it's unreasonable for the same for Halifax.

7

I think they'd probably start building as soon as the city is picked, if it is. Unfortunately, Dec. 15th (?) is only to choose the Canadian bid city, the final selection (including other countries) is not for another year or so.

There are already some plans for the stadium, which would have a minimum capacity of 25,000 and an expanded capacity of, I think, 45,000.

8

I think that Halifax just needs to win the Canadian bid in order to start work on a stadium, correct? It can't hurt either way ... if Halifax knows that they have a good shot at hosting the games, they'll know that a stadium will only help their bid, and so should be more eager to build one.
25,000-45,000 sounds pretty good to me ... perhaps a little on the small side, but if it's expandable, that's what counts!
I can't wait ... I really, really hope Halifax wins this bid.

9

Halifax need a minimum of 30,000 seats, no less and maybe 15,000 more for the GC should they host it.

10

They should build the stadium so it can be expanded later if they want to. They made that mistake with the Metro Centre (hockey arena for the Mooseheads.) They built it downtown and they can't expand it if they wanted to.

11

Here here....I will be ready to support a team if the CW bid is final.

12

well....thursday, we all better cross our fingers for halifax's bid.

i hear Molsons breweries are willing to pay big bucks to sponsor the CFL ...IF they have a 10 team coast-to-coast league....

so we'll have a 3.8 million hard-cap ( thanks, in part, to the Gliebs ), which will help get the tenth team into the league sooner ( if halifax wins the bid ). which will then get the Big bucks from Molson and other sponsors. THEN the new TV deal should pull in some NICE $$$....

so the leagues stars are out there just waiting to be aligned!

13

leats hope so. GO HALIFAX!

14

If Halifax can upset Hamilton and win the bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, I think that the new stadium would be built in 2008 and the new team would begin play in 2009. The international winner will be chosen in the fall of 2007 and Canada should win. The other contenders are Glasgow(Scotland) and Nigeria. Glasgow will be hurt by the fact that the 2002 games were in Manchester and both cities are in the U.K. Nigeria is a poor country and it is questionable if they have the facilities to stage the games. Nigeria is also an islamic country which could create security concerns for British, Australian, and Canadian athletes. Another thing in Canada's favour is the controversy surrounding the awarding of the 2010 games when India paid some of the African sports federations in exchange for their support.

15

We all agree the immediate need for a 10th team and hopefully how Halifax should be same. But, waiting for possibly 3-4-5 years is too long. Two years tops as league scheduling balance is top priority.

16
[url=http://story.vancouverstar.com/p.x/ct/9/id/d968b2977461d35e/cid/71df8d33cd2a30df]http://story.vancouverstar.com/p.x/ct/9 ... 33cd2a30df[/url]

Halifax presented its plan on Saturday to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games to Canada's Bid Review Committee.

The presentation was part of the competition to decide who will represent Canada in the bid to host games.

Halifax's tactic was to show the committee it can win the overall bid to host the games.

"They need to see we have the capability to win the international bid when we go up against Scotland and Nigeria," Will Njoku of Halifax's Commonwealth Bid Committee told CTV News reporter Jonathan MacInnis.

"They need to see that we're prepared. We need to show them visually and give them the confidence to make a decision and have that decision be Halifax."

The Bid Review Committee refused to comment yesterday on Halifax's presentation.

Scotland and Nigeria are the other countries bidding to host the Commonwealth Games, which are the world's third largest multi-sport event.

The competition comprises 10 days of sporting and cultural events. Organizers expect 6,900 athletes and officials from around the world to participate. One million spectators are also expected to attend the games.

The city plans on creating a 100-acre Commonwealth Park, which will include a stadium, Athletes' Village and an aquatics centre. Halifax had to show the team the city is capable of building these facilities.

"We have a lot of professionals from different areas. "They're going to bring their expertise to show the committee that we're prepared as a team, as a city to do what they think we can do," Njoku said.

It will cost millions of dollars to host the games, but Halifax expects the economic benefits to the city will be over $2 billion. Supporters of the city's bid also anticipate the benefits of hosting the games will be long-lasting because the facilities that will be built will lend themselves to landing a CFL team in the future.
The other Canadian cities competing against Halifax are Ottawa, Hamilton and the municipality of York Region.

The winner of the bid to represent Canada will be announced Thursday.

17

Yeah, unfortunatly they were supposed to get in Halifax friday night but they had to wait because there was a snow storm here (in Halifax). The local paper said they got in saturday afternoon.
Hope it doesn't affect anything. I dont think it will.

18

aw, snowstorms happen all the time, no worries!

there even was one that grounded Air Force One last year with G.W.B. on broad.

19

I think we can all agree that the sooner, the better for a Halifax team ... but I'd rather wait for a successful team than rush into an unsuccessful one.

Is Hamilton really favoured over Halifax? I don't know either way ... but I hope Halifax wins it so they can get their stadium!

20

I hope the stadium is big. at least 35 000. It might end up being bigger for the event of the Commonwealth Games.