DoyleG Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 It was mentioned on Sportsnet that the University of Windsor is considering plans for a 20,000 seat stadium. Possibility exists of a CFL expansion team for the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 Good for Windsor. But with all these rumours of CFL expansion, Halifax, Moncton, Quebec City, London, and now Windsor has anyone heard any rumours of who's gonna buy this elusive or mythical 10 th franchise. The money people have been awful quiet on these expansion rumours. The rumours all seem to come from the CFL? The CFL seem to be shopping this around. Which city will build a stadium and then give it for free to a future franchise? But yet again good for Windsor. What's their attendance like in CIS football & soccer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T5 Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 The article concerning this stadium was in the Windsor Star on Friday March 4, by Dave Hall -------------------------------- The University of Windsor is presently building a facility to hold the Pan-Am junior track and field championships this summer. It will comprise a 2000 seat sports stadium and a berm that can accomodate a further 4000 spectators. A Michigan businessman, Bernie Glieberman, who previously owned the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1991 to 1994 is in talks with the CFL and the University concerning the expansion of the new facility at the University to allow for an expansion team to play their home games there. The facility would have to be expanded by 15,000 seats to meet the CFL requirements. All discussions are at a very preliminary stage and of course would be subject to a market analysis of the area for such a venture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianSoccerFan Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 hopefully he'd want to get rid of the track.... i don't think even cfl fans want to watch a game with a track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 If I recall correctly the current stadium in Windsor is really a piece of garbage. They have a beautiful indoor track facility, but the one outside is run down and the bleachers are as well. I think the bleachers are only on the one side, but there is alot of room to expand and add thousands of seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 CFL in Windsor ? Can the city support it? I'd put a CFL team in places like Quebec, London and Halifax first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusanBhoy Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Alex recalls correctly, the St. Denis Centre (outdoor) is sh-te. I was a Lancer from 89-93 and niether football nor FOOTBALL could draw flies (other than the homecomming - "thrill on the hill" - where two bothers would anually beat eachother senseless for the entertainment of the crowd). They do have quite a bit of space about, though I don't know if the location is logical (as I remember HuronChurch road was the main artery beside the ground, and it was a parking lot of Bridge bound tractor trailors). I do recall that the average windsorite was quite a Mishigan-phile, so a mix of native Mishigan players, and former UofM and State types, might alow the CFL to have a go at football at the UCLA of Canada. As for FOOTBALL, I remember at lot of players and interest in that area - I wonder why they wouldn't try to get involved in the 2007 bidding? I don't remember Windsor on the list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devioustrevor Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Why do you refer to Windsor as the UCLA of Canada? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 Windsor is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. Let's hope the stadium is built and capable of soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusanBhoy Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 quote:Originally posted by devioustrevor Why do you refer to Windsor as the UCLA of Canada? Ya know - southernmost - twas actually a marketing ploy in the 80's[8D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Dont or didnt Windsor compete in the NCAA in some sports? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusanBhoy Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 certainly not in football, we got beat by our girls side. The track team would have meets, both hosting US schools, and at them, but they wern't part of the NCAA per say, The Yearly National Championships were all restricted to this country. however. As I think of it, you could be thinking of Basketball, way back in the day, when the school was Assumption University, they used to go down (or up in the case of Windsor) to the states and regularly whip all opposition. This was just after WW2 however so I doubt its what your thinking of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud Mouth Soup Posted March 7, 2005 Share Posted March 7, 2005 Windsor should pick anyone BUT the Gliebermans. Two of the worst businessmen to get their hands on sports teams... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massive Attack Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 Gliebermans setting sights on Windsor By DON BRENNAN -- Ottawa Sun Not ready to give up on attempts to get back in the CFL, the Gliebermans have started knocking on another door. This one is even close to their house. Former Rough Riders owners Bernie and Lonie Glieberman have had "preliminary" discussions with city officials in Windsor about pursuing an expansion franchise, probably for the 2007 or 2008 season. The Gliebermans, who were negotiating to buy the Renegades, possess CFL ownership rights in and around their home town of Detroit. "We have interest in the Detroit-Windsor area, it's a great market with a lot of potential," Lonie Glieberman confirmed from his ski resort in upper Michigan yesterday. "But (talk) is still in the early stages." Conversations have consisted of one face-to-face meeting and four conference calls thus far, Windsor city officials acknowledged. CFL headquarters has yet to be informed of the interest, but commissioner Tom Wright has an expressed desire to add a 10th franchise. Halifax and Quebec City are also considered potential sites. STADIUM UPGRADE Loading up with a fourth Ontario team would seem a feasible option. Windsor could draw from a population of 5.5 million within a 65-km radius. The University of Windsor is finishing a new $7.5 million stadium for the 2005 Pan American Junior Championships this summer. Upgraded to an 18,000-22,000-seat stadium, the facility could become an interim home to a CFL club. The Gliebermans have also held discussions with authorities at the 80,000-seat Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, where they would sign a lease except for the fact the structure's very existence has been in doubt since the Detroit Lions left, according to one insider. Another source said that setting up in Windsor would allow the CFL to "stick a toe in the waters" of a U.S. marketplace -- as opposed to diving in recklessly as was the case with American expansion in the early 1990s. For his part, Lonie Glieberman still thinks the CFL could thrive in his homeland. He says the failed experiment of 10 years ago can be put directly on the fact the Baltimore Stallions and Memphis Mad Dogs lost concessions and signage when pushed out of their markets by the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans. "We were still drawing 17,000 in Shreveport, it's not like there was no interest," said Glieberman, who owned the Pirates after leaving Ottawa. "The CFL still did okay. "I think a lot of Americans follow and care about the CFL. Things like that just take some time." While they would fully support another move south, it's not the Gliebermans' sole intention to bring the Canadian game across the border. They would, in fact, be quite happy to purchase and operate the Renegades should they go up for sale on the open market the way Brad Watters' house did. "We think the CFL is on an upswing, as evidenced by attendance and TV ratings," Lonie said. "We think the CFL brand has lots of opportunities." Lonie says negotiations to buy into the Ottawa franchise as co-owner Bill Smith's partner stopped for reasons they did not fully comprehend. ("Business deals don't always go to completion, and I guess this is an example of that," he said.) And not, as is continuously reported elsewhere, because Joe Paopao was rehired as coach and GM. "It was nothing to do with Joe, it was the way it was handled," he said. "If they wanted to keep him, and (GM) Eric (Tillman) we would have had no problem with it ... but it was never communicated to us. "We were not in the position to say Joe was the right guy or not .... but no one ever told us they were going to rehire him and we were negotiating to buy into the team." Glieberman takes issue with comments attributed to Randy Gillies, who is Smith's equal partner. Gillies has apparently suggested rumours of the Gliebermans' return has hurt season-ticket sales -- which is interesting given the fact ownership has repeatedly said ticket sales are going well. TAKES BLAME FOR PAST "I'll take responsibility for things we did wrong when we were there .... Dexter Manley and anything else," said Glieberman, whose attendance numbers here were better than anything ever produced by the Renegades. "But for them to blame me for slow renewals ... I think those folks should look at themselves before putting the blame on owners who were there 11 years ago." http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/News/2005/03/04/950054.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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