This was posted in the Ticat forums, but maybe some interest to CFL lovers in general, so I'm posting it in the main forum. It turns out Hamilton should be getting a new stadium, whether we get the Pan Ams or not.
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/663354
This will upset many Hamiltonians who love Ivor Wynne (myself included), but most of us realize the importance of a new stadium. Ivor Wynne has a sense of wonderful nostalgia for Hamiltonians, but it is a relic and time to move on.
Wow ! Kind of Bitter sweet, no facilities are exciting but somehow they are never quite as exceptional as the old ones in terms of siteliness and proximity to the action.
im really happy for you guys. Its awesome that a new stadium will be built for Hamilton. i hope it has some box seating as well. Bob young will be happy. DO you guys like him as an owner? does he have deep pockets? enough to help with the stadium? how many seat you want?
he actually posts here? thats prett rad. but im also really gullible. i really hope they do a good job on the stadium. you guys deserve it. preobably more then anyone in the league(other then halifax) you guys deserve a new stadium. i just hope its seats 35, 000 and its not cheezy. that it has the cool stuff stadiums need to have now. Im not talkin dallas style, thats just an over compensation for something missing... Good on you guys.
Finally and thank god i hate watching games on TV in Ivor wynee i just cringe when i see a play going super fast to the sidelines because everything is so right up tight to the field and how there hasn't been more injuries is beyond me.
I love old IW - it's the best stadium for football that I've ever been to, but I'll believe there will be a new stadium when the shovels break ground. Hamilton certainly deserves a new stadium. That's for sure. The powers that be need to ensure that they do their best to capture the intimacy of IW.
This could potentially be really good news. Good to see that city hall appears to be serious about replacing the aging relic that is known as IWS. This would most likely probably enable Bob Young to finally stop losing money on the franchise, and ensure its long-term viability. This should have happened a generation ago
Same here, nothing matches the intensity or the vantage point of IWS. I would’ve settled for a renovation, screw TSN and their inability to get stupid camera angles in our stadium.
It should have been replaced years ago! The odd dug-outs make it look like an odd rectangular baseball field, and players have to watch it when they run out of bounds! They spent a lot of cash to build Copps Coliseum, to try to lure an NHL franchise to the city! It's amazing how the citys always have cash to build hockey arenas, but cringe when they hear about football, baseball, soccer, etc needing a new facility!
...and the Toronto bid is considered the front-runner. That would result in a 15,000-seat stadium, probably down by the harbourfront. Bob Young and other private investors will fork over the cash to expand it to a 30,000-seat facility suitable for the CFL.
I will miss Ivor Wynne Stadium. I've had a lot of great memories there, memories of good times spent with people no longer with us. But it is literally falling apart, and can no longer fulfil its purpose. I hope there is some way that some part of it can be preserved, perhaps as a smaller facility, with bleachers in place of the dilapidated stands, suitable for high-school or junior football games or something like that. Seeing it gone completely would tear my heart out.