This will make a great stadium for the Argos when completed.

Proposed Stadium For Toronto FC

Not.

Why not? I agree it should be bigger but hell…it’d work.

And the money for this is comming from where???

It's not big enough and as it turns out, the team made a good move in not building the 25,000 seats. The team is currently averaging 27,870 and this number is expected to increase the last few games of the season and like last year if we had the Eastern Final expect another 40,000+.
The other major reason is the involvement of MLSE. Anyone connected to this operation is jinxed.

I don't think its big enough. Keep playing at the Rogers Centre.

Apparently the plans allow for easy expansion up to 30 000 seats.

This may be the perfect size for regular season games in the East.
Also, the stadium is being designed to accommodate CFL football.
Why? Well, there is no guarantee that a professional soccer team will survive.

The Argos, on the other hand, would fill a 30 000 seat stadium no problem.

The Argos would be a sure sell in a nice stadium with great sitelines for football.

They would provide some revenue certainty.

In fact, limiting the seat number would create a demand for tickets which would allow owners to raise the ticket price.

It wouldn’t surprise me if MLSE buys the Argonauts, relocates them to the new stadium, and uses revenue generated from Argo games to help prop up the soccer team, in much the same way as the Leafs are used to prop up the Raptors.

For example, if you want season tickets for the Argonauts, at a reasonable price, you may be required to purchase season tickets for the soccer team.

27 million will come from the Bank of Montreal, who purchased the stadium naming rights for 10 years.

Toronto FC to play on BMO Field

The stadium will be called BMO Field.

Kinda weird.

Welcome to the Bank of Montreal Field in Toronto.

Construction Photos

Here are some updated pictures from the official Toronto FC site. link

It looks like the current plan will be for a stadium with a 20 000 seat capacity.

I agree that 20 000 is a bit small for the Argos, but the small stadium works well in Montreal for regular season games.

Again, they could just raise ticket prices.

http://web.mlsnet.com/t280/imgs/stadium/2006/north_rendering.jpg

http://web.mlsnet.com/t280/imgs/stadium/2006/south_rendering.jpg

didn't they just sign an extending lease with Rogers Centre? They would still have to play their playoff games there too.

lol

Maybe that’s why MLSE is getting together with Ted Rogers on trying to bring in an NFL franchise.

“Listen Ted, since we’re bringing in an NFL team, you really don’t need those Argonauts as tenants in the Rogers Centre anymore, now do you…”

…s.u.cker punch.

i dont get it. why would the argos have to move to the small stadium if an NFL franchise comes to Toronto? i would think either the argos would disband completely or stay at Rogers as per the agreement.

keep at rogers, Montreal is going to 25,000 seats, and 30,000 aor 35,000 after that, if that doesn't tell you that the Argos should downsize as well, I don't know what does.

What I am suggesting, sarcastically, is that MLSE wants to convince Rogers that an NFL franchise is a possibility and then negotiate a way to steal the Argonauts away from the Rogers Centre to BMO field.

Toronto's not getting an NFL team.

I agree that 20 000 seats is not enough for the Argonauts, but, if MLSE had them as tenants at BMO field (or even better, if they owned the team), they would expand the stadium to 30 000.

The Argonauts don't have to move anywhere. It's the other way around. It's MLSE that would love to have them at BMO field so that they would have a definate amount of money coming in to pay for this new stadium. Building a new stadium for soccer is still a big gamble. Several soccer teams have come and gone in Toronto. There's no guarantee that Toronto FC will be any different.

If you look at the picture, it looks like the one end zone has no bleachers. 10 000 seats could be added here.

Or, add a second level of bleachers on the side that only has the single level of bleachers.

This stadium reminds me of IWS. There are seats on three sides of the field and a big screen in the other end zone.

well that we agree on, NFL in Toronto is a pipe dream for those who don't know good football is already in that city.

There is one problem with this stadium.

It's located down by the lake.

I understand that the old Exhibition Stadium was a cold place even on nice days because of the lake effect.

Like I have said before, MLSE is bad news. The city signed a deal with the devil as most of the money came from the taxpayers, with only I believe $8M of the odd $60M. But get this, the naming rights money, the reported $27M over ten years went to MLSE.
The city got raped in this deal and just today signed another stupid deal with the same MLSE in building 4 local arenas in a pad concept which would all come from taxpayers like us and used as a "flag ship" practise facilities for the Leafs. And guess who manages the place and runs it like a business, your friends at MLSE.
Just outside of Toronto another nearby city, Oshawa sold out with taxpayer dollars over 50M and built its Junior A team, the Generals a brand new arena downtown. You would never guess who is running the place, MLSE. They are getting around and frankly the people with brains and who are able to make conscious decisions are starting to see through this maze. In fact, a local writer for the Toronto Star has been going to town on each of these taxpayer abuse of and the deals going down.
Oh yes, as for the soccer team this won't last more then 2-3 years. It has been tried in this city for well over thirty plus years and it does not work. In fact, anywhere in NA.

agreed, and I thought that most people in Toronto didn’t like Ex stadium so much that they called it “The Mistake by the Lake” maybe that’s talking about a different stadium, but I have read about that before.

You are correct KK. Although it served its purpose, the wind, fog and birds off the lake were a nuisance.
Hence the name which was unofficial had stuck big time.