Let's go to The Ex: New stadium for Toronto?

[Jarrek]

Let's go to The Ex

The dream to finally have a new 30,000-seat outdoor stadium is about to become a reality for the Toronto Argonauts.

(posted May. 27, 5:21PM EDT)

The Toronto Argonauts are poised to return to their old stomping grounds, Sportsnet has learned.

According to several sources in the Canadian Football League, the Argos are close to an agreement with the City of Toronto that would result in the construction of a new outdoor stadium on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition -- which is exactly where the team played its home games from 1959 through 1988.

Sources say the stadium will hold about 30,000 seats and will cost about $35-million. The Argos' partners in the project will include the City of Toronto and there's a chance they could ultimately include the Canadian Soccer Association, although the CSA is not in the ownership group at this time. The sources said the Argos hope the facility will be finished in time for the 2004 season, although 2005 seems more likely.

There's also hope that a private company or businessman will supply several million dollars to have the stadium named after it. If no firm or individual step forth, however, the stadium very likely will have the same name it used to have -- Exhibition Stadium.

The Argos, of course, moved out of Exhibition Stadium to become tenants of the SkyDome, but attendance figures have been relatively poor at the dome, and the club's owners have lost megamillions. Exhibition Stadium, meanwhile, was without tenants for about a decade and was simply torn away a couple of years ago.

"The Argos' biggest problem has been the SkyDome," a CFL source told Sportsnet. "It's too big, for one thing, and it's just not a good place for football. A new outdoor stadium with 30,000 seats or so should do them a world of good."

Argos owner Sherwood Schwarz is counting on it. In fact, sources say the New York entrepreneur has threatened to bail out on the CFL if a new stadium deal is not worked out.

"I've been around for almost three years and I expect to be around a lot longer," Schwarz told me on Tuesday. "Things are financially okay, and I expect them to improve."

They'd better. A number of suppliers, after all, have either not been paid or have been late in getting paid by the Argos in the off-season, and Sportsnet has learned that the club has received a number of complaints.

Most of the complaints have come from suppliers who provided merchandise and/or services for the game date last season in which boxing legend Muhammad Ali was honored by the Argos at the SkyDome.

"There have been a few who were involved in the production of the (Muhammad Ali tribute) who may not have received their money yet, or were late in getting their money," Argos spokesman Dave Haggith said. "But it was explained to them that, in the CFL, off-seasons can be lean because of no ticket revenue coming in. Money doesn't flow as freely, unfortunately. But it's just a matter of the season getting started, and everyone will be taken care of, if they haven't been already."

The season for the Argos -- at least the exhibition season -- starts next Thursday, when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit them at the SkyDome.

The question is whether the Ali tribute and other such events last season were worthwhile for the Argos. Haggith insists that, while they were costly, they were indeed worth the investment.

"The Argos needed to recapture some attention and some headlines, and we did," Haggith said. "This year, we have other forms of marketing we are introducing and we believe we'll be able to sustain these marketing projects for a long time."

But this season, it will be primarily football that the Argos will sell. The man who was responsible for the sideshows last season, marketing guru Garth Drabinsky, no longer works for the club.

The Argos, at this point, are also without a radio deal. And they're still without Damon Allen, too.

Sources said Tuesday that the Argos may be changing their minds about acquiring the leading passer in CFL history. They've been talking with the Lions about trading for Allen, who has been supplanted in B.C. by Dave Dickenson -- but Allen cmes with a price tag of somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 a season, and sources speculate that such a salary may be too costly for Schwarz and the Argos as long as they are still based at the SkyDome.

Haggith refused to comment on the stadium issue, but a CFL source said: "I'm sure the financial picture will change for the Argos once that new stadium deal is done. Right now, it's obvious that money is tight for Schwarz. He's lost an awful lot in the past few seasons and you can't expect a lot of money to come in in 2003, while the team is still at the SkyDome."

Schwarz swore up and down that he's optimistic about this season.

"The whole feeling about the Argos seems to have turned," the owner said. "The people of Toronto seem to be much more receptive to us now, ever since Michael (Clemons) came back to be our coach last year. The team turned and the Argos' fortunes changed drastically."

What about the Argos' season-ticket base for 2003? "You'll have to ask (club president) Dan Ferrone about that," Schwarz said.

What about the absence of a radio deal? "You'll have to ask Dan Ferrone about that," Schwarz said.

What about Sportsnet's information about a new stadium on the CNE grounds? "You'll have to ask Dan Ferrone about that," Schwarz said.

And, you guessed it, Ferrone wasn't available to comment on Monday and Tuesday.

[Gian-Luca]

This is pretty significant National team news & really good news if it actually happens - why not put this in the Canadian national team news section?

"All them rock & roll writers are the worst kind of sleaze, selling punk like some new kind of English disease. Is that the wave of the future? Awww spare me please!" Frank Zappa, Joe's Garage (1979).

[Varsity Tyler]

This was on the front page of the Star's sports section today.

http://www.waymoresports.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_=fb65c25df75835d0&pagename=waymoresports/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1052251680338&call_page=WM_Home&call_pageid=979619472127&call_pagepath=Home/Home

Cash crunch hits Argos

May. 29, 2003. 01:00 AM

CFL handout helps foundering team

Stadium proposal for Ex under fire too

Glen Colbourn

Sports Reporter

After seemingly making a series of small steps back toward financial and competitive

respectability, the Argonauts once again appear to be in a boatload of trouble.

CFL commissioner Tom Wright confirmed yesterday that the Argos had received a special

handout from the league to help alleviate a cash crunch.

"I will not quantify it for you guys ... but I can tell you we've supported them with

personnel resources and we've supported them with financial resources, too," he said on

The Fan.

Wright, named commissioner just six months ago, was forced to address the financial

health of his league's highest-profile franchise after a report said team owner Sherwood

Schwarz was short of ready cash and may not be able to fund the team through the

upcoming season.

The story said Schwarz's personal finances are tied up in a family trust and can't be

used to support the team, which has reportedly lost $10 million since he bought it in

2000.

The CFL and the Argos put out a joint news release yesterday that was short on specifics

about the team's financial troubles but which suggested the SARS outbreak has hurt

ticket sales. In the release, Schwarz did promise to soon announce "a number of major

initiatives that will entrench this historic football franchise in Toronto for years to

come."

Reached at his New York home yesterday, Schwarz said: "I think the press release speaks for itself. That's the extent of my comment right now."

Earlier, his wife of nearly 50 years, Marion, telephoned the Star to complain about

media reports on the family finances.

"I don't think the city of Toronto deserves Sherwood Schwarz," she said. "It's shameful."

But that wasn't all the bad news to beset the Argos yesterday.

Toronto Councillor Mario Silva suggested there were significant problems with the Argos'

proposal to build a new stadium at Exhibition Place.

And former star punter Hank Ilesic went public with complaints that the team owed him roughly $15,000 for marketing and coaching work.

Things had been looking up for the Argonauts.

Attendance last year increased by about 5,000 fans a game — thanks in part to an

expensive marketing campaign from former theatre impresario Garth Drabinsky, who is no

longer with the team — and the frequent front-office shuffles had settled down with Mike

(Pinball) Clemons returning as coach and CFL veteran Adam Rita being hired to help him.

On the field, top running back Michael Jenkins rejoined the club this spring to bolster a team that got within a win of the Grey Cup game last year.

But optimism was in short supply yesterday, except from the typically exuberant Clemons.

"The Toronto Argonauts are losing money? I mean, news flash! I don't think that can

really come as a surprise to anybody. Probably about 1990, I think, that's the last time

we might have made a profit."

Silva, chairman of Exhibition Place's board of governors, sounded distinctly unimpressed

with the team's plans for a 30,000-seat stadium and the sudden cancellation of a meeting

scheduled for next week.

"They want eight acres of our parking, which is like to us a helluva lot of money, $1

million a year in lost parking revenues. Plus they don't want to pay any property taxes.

"It's like, `Hello there, this deal is not starting to look so good to us any more.' We

want them there but we also want to be reasonable to the taxpayers."

Ilesic, meanwhile, said he had hired well-known sports lawyer Gord Kirke to represent his claim.

"They've been treating me like I'm garbage. They've left me hung out to dry," Ilesic

complained to Sportsnet about former teammates Clemons and Dan Ferrone, the team's president.

Ferrone, while not asked specifically about Ilesic's allegation, acknowledged that the

team's financial troubles meant bills weren't paid last year.

"It's true that Argos didn't pay off all suppliers last season but that they are now all in agreement with a plan of repayment. ...

"We are operating. The 2003 season will be there."

With files from Allan Ryan, Rick Matsumoto, Mary Ormsby and PAUL MOLONEY

[Jarrek]

Honestly I hope that the CSA plan will go through - not the argos one.

With the CSA plan we can have BOTH a good soccer stadium and a football one.

[Mimglow]

This would be great for the East.

I mean, Ottawa's Frank Clair has been officially sanctioned by FIFA for matches, Molson stadium in Montreal will be shortly, and Toronto now talking about a stadium for next summer.

Remember 2 years ago, when Edmonton was our only soccer stadium?

Mimglow, Ottawa

_________________________

Where are the weapons of mass destruction?

[Jarrek]

Still, just because they are sanctioned to hold international soccer matches, it doesn't mean that teams will come and play in them.

[Mimglow]

Well if we take Ottawa as an example, it was only recently sanctioned and we had the Senior women come play England last week in front of 18 000, and they are scheduled to play there again against Brazil on July 20th, and there is already a buzz about town for that.

It's also a fact that it will be easier to get Euro teams to come play in T.O, MTL or OTT than is for the cross-continental Edmonton or Vancouver trip.

Mimglow, Ottawa

_________________________

Where are the weapons of mass destruction?