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What you say? Read on...
Here's an excerpt:
BMO built with football in mind
DAVID NAYLOR
From Wednesday's Globe and MailAugust 12, 2008 at 10:17 PM EDT
TORONTO — Toronto Argonauts co-owner Howard Sokolowski insists the notion that BMO Field was intended to be a soccer-specific stadium is incorrect.
And there appears to be evidence to back him up.
Toronto city council minutes from the fall of 2005, at which $9.8-million of city money was committed to the complex, note that the stadium proposed for the exhibition grounds was to be "capable of a conversion to a football format."
However, the 20,000-seat stadium, built initially for the FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer tournament last year, doesn't fit a regulation CFL field, making it unusable for the Argonauts as well as amateur football teams.
Now, as the Argos are in the process of surveying fan support for a potential move from the CFL team's home, the Rogers Centre, to BMO Field, there has been considerable push-back from soccer fans and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the owner of the stadium's primary occupant, Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.
"This is not a soccer-specific stadium," Sokolowski said yesterday. "It was built for soccer, but it clearly had an understanding that it was convertible for football and to be expanded to 30,000 seats. That's what city council voted on."
Sokolowski believes Mayor David Miller is doing his best to live up to council's promise of nearly three years ago, even though the stadium would require some reconstruction to accommodate a CFL field.
Listen to more here from Toronto boss Tom Anselmi
Why's the football team acting like they own the place? They better back off cuz TFC holds this down. I'm from Chicago, I'm not even a Toronto fan, but I am TOTALLY against football at BMO.
load of chicken shit. keep american football out of BMO, and out of all SSS. this league will be dead before tickets are even bought.
XFL anyone?
CFL is actually older than the NFL.
David Naylor needs to stick to poorly running the U of T and not writing personal editorials on companies and teams owned by friends of his ...
Trying to influence a situation much?
David Naylor, the reporter from the Globe & Mail, wrote the article.
He is not the same guy as the U of T pres.
So if the Argos get into BMO, will TFC be pressured by the league to build their own SSS? I know the league has stressed the importance of having all MLS teams in soccer specific stadiums. Where would that leave Toronto FC?
I'm not a Toronto fan but this just stinks like a smelly stench.
"CFL is actually older than the NFL."
Not so, regardless of whether you consider predecessor leagues or not.
NFL = 1920 (as American Professional Football Association - became NFL in 1922)
CFL = 1956 (as Canadian Football Council - became CFL in 1958)
I can't wait for the argos to turn BMO into some frankenstein mess, that should take some wind out of KFC's faux-european sails. (I want Canadian teams out of the MLS. They should have their own league -it would increase competitive pressure on the MLS and hopefully help free us of the salary cap, draft, etc.)
This is a poorly thought out arguement if there ever was one
Facts:
1) The government kicked in 27m bacause it would be a SSS. Not a sports facility but a soccer stadium
2) The argos were originally in on the process but got a little scared once it was time to open the cheque book.
A team that can't pay for renovations is now asking the government to kick down more money because they say it's a "public facility".
So because they couldn't afford it in the first place they expect everyone to pay for it now, after the fact. Despite the fact they get free rent in their current home.
If the only Canadian team leaves the MLS, then there goes 10%, or more, of the MLS fans.
It is horrible to watch some US teams, because the fan support is bad. The Colorado and TFC game in Denver was ugly to watch, with all the empty seats.
The Argos were made in 1873.
Here's a breakdown of what Canada's National SOCCER Stadium cost to build: The city came up with $9.8 million and $10 million in donated land for a soccer stadium. The province of Ontario chipped in $8 million for a soccer stadium. MLSE's share was $8 million with $10 million coming from naming rights for a soccer stadium. The other $27 million, by far the largest contribution, came from the federal government. That money was contingent on Canada's National Soccer Stadium being a year round use facility for soccer.