RealGooner Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Can anyone confirm that the stadium will be using grass and not Field Turf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 I can't confirm, but I wouldn't be surprised that even without the Argos it might be field turf. Then again, there's that bubble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Free kick Perhaps this is valid point. Any time federal money is committed for projects of this nature, there will always be detracter who will ask the same questions. But what I find a little bothersome is that these questions are raised only for when it involves projects for Toronto. It used to that is was Montreal who was the recipiant these kind of sentiments from people accross Canada. But seldom if ever, do we hear this kind of talk about $$$ going to other regions in Canada, Why is that? Do we hear that many people asking the same questions ( for example) about the Federal $$$ that are comitted to projects such as the 2010 winter olympics? Afterall the Fed $$$ for this project are a drop in the bucket compared to the 2010 winter olympics. Plus, as I understand it, these $$ were already committed for Toronto years ago to be used for infrastructure. It wouldn't be a question if MLSE wasn't involved. Hard to justify to the public a facility built for a company that can easily foot the bill itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 This link was provided by the same fellow on bigsoccer than I quoted from earlier, which refers to the general plans for Downsview. It might help to stem the tide of indignation from outside of Toronto about government money going towards a stadium that a professional team will use. http://www.cscontario.ca/english/achieve/ACHIEVECurrent.pdf#search='National%20Institute%20Sport%20Downsview' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Can't see how pro sports stadium would have anything to do with a National Training Centre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 It's part of the facilities. The fact that a pro team will use it as well for 1% of the time is really irrelevant. And if they have a bubble for winter use, I assume it would have to be some sort of artificial turf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Well the pro sports team would be the major tenant of the stadium which is part of the facility (or they aren't coming), so I wouldn't say it was irrelevant, but nevertheless its not just for them (if the link is to be believed of course). That's leaving aside usage of the facility by the national teams (men & women). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Downsview Stadium Project Confirmed Dead November 15, 2005 JENNY COX SPORTS REPORTER, Toronto Sun The project to have Downsview Park chosen as the site for a 20,000-seat soccer stadium, and its main tenants a potential Canada's first Major League Soccer franchise, has been officially dismantled with the announcement of the federal government that Downsview has been chosen as the greater Toronto area evacuation site for the expected avian flu epidemic. Joe Volpe, the federal minister closest to the issue, said yesterday that a number of venues had been considered since the it was determined that the Rodgers Centre (formerly known as “The Skydome”) was inadequate for the medical crisis’s needs, including sites in Hamilton, Vaughan, Oakville and Mississauga, but that Downsview was the only site that met all the criteria. "Downsview is in the geographic centre of Toronto," Volpe said. "It is in the city of Toronto. It's in the 416 area code. We learned from the New Orleans disaster that a downtown sports facility just doesn’t work as an evacuation centre." “However, we remain committed to contribute to the building of a groundbreaking soccer showcase somewhere in the greater Toronto area”, added the minister. A visibly shaken Kevan Pipe, Executive Director of the Canadian Soccer Association, has admitted that this latest setback is a disappointment, but has said that his organization has already began initial plans for an alternative. “We already have discussed the possibility of renovating Lamport Stadium with potential partners, including Ryerson Technical University, the Six Nations Reserve, respected Vaughn businessman Italo Ferrari, and the infamous Donald Trump. Our researchers have discovered that Lamport is in fact sitting on an old Mohawk land grant, and we hope that the issue of ownership will be settled in the Mohawk’s favour soon so that we will not have to await the conclusion of the lands claim case recently filed in Federal Court. We believe that the joint casino and stadium project is sound and that shovels can be put in the ground no later than next April, so that a 15,000 seat stadium can be completed in time to host the World Youth Cup tournament set to commence in Canada for June, 2007.” “We have a firm commitment form the province for their long-standing 8 million dollar contribution, and understand that the 27 million from the federal government will still be there.” "We're very happy with the way things have been evolving," Pipe offered. "We are focusing our efforts on Lamport Stadium for a whole bunch of good reasons." “We promise to make a firm announcement within days of November 31”, Pipe added. The CSA is committed to co-hosting the 2007 FIFA world youth soccer tournament with Toronto and Edmonton, but FIFA only requires a minimum 10,000-seat venue for the event. The stadium would also strengthen Canada's bid for the 2011 Women's World Cup, Pipe said. But the anchor tenant of the site would be the city's pro soccer expansion franchise, and a renovated Lamport stadium is an intrinsic part of any deal. Major League Soccer is still looking for two new teams for the 2007 season, and league officials have visited the city and spoken with both the association and Maple Leaf Sports, league spokesman Dan Courtemanche said in an interview from New York. "Toronto is at the top of our list when it comes to cities or markets we're looking to for 2007," he said, reading wearily from photocopied prior announcements. "We think the addition of a Canadian team ... would be a great addition for Canadian soccer and for Major League Soccer." Peddie said his company, the dominant force in Toronto professional sports, is optimistic about bringing a pro soccer club into the fold, even with the downgraded capacity the Lamport project would entail. Canada men’s team coach Frank Yallop, contacted by telephone on his flight to Wednesday’s friendly in Luxembourg, has termed the developments “disappointing, yet promising at the same time.” SIDELINE THROW-INS: The Men’s National Soccer team finally arrived in Luxembourg last night for Wednesday’s friendly match after a two day delay following discovery that they had actually landed in Leichenstein by mistake on Sunday. The mistake wasn’t discovered until CSA staff accompanying the team found out that they didn’t have reservations for the Vaduz Budget Inn. “It’s a natural mistake given the fact that the countries’ names sound so similar,” said team manager Morgan Quarry.”…Among those disembarking tiredly at Luxembourg’s International Airport, was an exhausted Iain Hume, sporting a new red-coloured barnet with a triple mohawk. “It’s to celebrate me being top scorer in the Championship with me 25 goals even whilst missing the first month of Leicester’s season.” Starlet Hume would not, however, comment on the rumors having him going to Chelsea in the January window…Veteran Charmaine Hooper confirmed the rumours that she is again expecting, this time triplets. However, she has reiterated that this makes her even more determined than ever to contribute to the qualifying run for the 2007 Women’s World Cup in China (rumoured to be moved to the USA due to the avian flu outbreak there)…Toronto Lynx co-owner Bruno Hartrell has refused to disclose the amount of the fees received for last week’s one-way block-buster trade sending 12 of his club’s most promising players to the Montreal Impact. “It’s confidential, but I can assure those Lynx fans left that I will have enough to continue reaching into my pocket when the need arises. We will still be providing Canadian pro soccer at it’s finest!!!”, assured a smiling Hartrell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealGooner Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca It might help to stem the tide of indignation from outside of Toronto about government money going towards a stadium that a professional team will use. Dont bother trying. You'll never please the detractors G-L so who cares what they think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by beachesl “We promise to make a firm announcement within days of November 31”, Pipe added. Yeah!!! On my birthday!!! Cool. I guess it's the CSA's birthday present to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 The April 2007 opening puts things on a pretty tight schedule. One labour disruption or bureaucratic delay and the venue could very well not be ready for July and the WYC. If I was Pipe I would make sure there's a backup plan for WYC venues just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca Well the pro sports team would be the major tenant of the stadium which is part of the facility (or they aren't coming), so I wouldn't say it was irrelevant, but nevertheless its not just for them (if the link is to be believed of course). That's leaving aside usage of the facility by the national teams (men & women). I was just trying to help you stem the indignation from the rest of the country by pointing out that in actual use, an MLS team would be a small part of that. There's a whole sports complex thing that supposed to be built at Downsview. I have some links somewhere but can't find them. But wait until all the regular clowns (McCowan, Perkins et al) start their bs about building the Leafs a stadium. If we really want to stop the indignation, we should just cut off the tap so the rest of the country can starve, and that includes Alberta. [}] Besides, whoever said the Leafs will actually own an MLS team? Somebody else could pop-up when the Leafs realize they can't make any money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 I think beachesl has way too much time on his hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by beachesl Toronto Lynx co-owner Bruno Hartrell has refused to disclose the amount of the fees received for last week’s one-way block-buster trade sending 12 of his club’s most promising players to the Montreal Impact. The most un-realistic part of the article - the Lynx having more than 12 promising players under the current ownership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 You naughty boy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 HAAHAHAH dude that was great you had me going for a second until the end about the Luxembourg game...since they are playing today. That article just made my year. Its funny though that I could easily see Kevan Pipe saying, “We promise to make a firm announcement within days of November 31”, Pipe added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie Monster Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Elias was absolutely right in his analysis of the article. Waaaay too much coulda, woulda, shoulda, and "we're gonna". "We are focusing on Downsview" really means "Negotiations for the CNE site have gone nowhere." Is this deal any closer to getting done? No, this article just tells me that the CNE is off the table, and no longer an option. I can tell you from extensive government experience that if this stadium were a done deal, the CSA would be contractually obligated to keep its yap shut until a joint news conference could be organized which included the feds and the province. A federal gov't news release would then be sent out on their letterhead with the CSA, the province of Ontario and the city of Toronto given second-tier billing. The CSA and province of Ontario would be discouraged from issuing their own releases as the feds would insist on consistent, unified messaging. After an announcement like this is cleared, the local MPs and MLAs in the area are given permission to put out their own spin on the community benefits. So note that: No official news conference has been held. No news conference whas been scheduled. No info posted on the CSA site. No low-level politicians are leaping into the limelight to take credit (they ALWAYS do). We ain't any closer to building this sucker... we've just got less time and one less possible location to make it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 I am not against federal spending on sport facilities. In fact I am all for it. But if there is also a need for such a facility in Montreal and Vancouver, then the federal funding should be there too. Those cities, along with a proven Edmonton, are solid markets. The Olympic question is not entirely valid, Toronto was trying for the games and it seems even came close, and if they had won it would have been great for facilities there. The point for me, then, is that I don't understand how the CSA can come out and say where they want a stadium to be built for the national team, so that any committment for federal funds to the CSA is tied to the city that particular organization chooses. Should they not be vouching for every potential venue for the 2007 Youth Cup -and perhaps others left out- and ensuring that the federal funds are there in each case to upgrade or even build stadiums that are up to par for that event and future uses? And fit that all into Yallop's idea, still not revoked, that Vancouver is the base for the national team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 There are no other reports on any other news websites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Can't argue with Johnnie Monster, especially since in his words, I am "absolutely right". The only question is why would anybody leak this? And why would the Star put in on the front page? Not the sports front page, but the front page of the newspaper, and the story starts above the fold. (Amusingly, right beside a photo of our separtist governor-general. You gotta love this country.) But seriously, I would think the Star would have checked the story and made sure it's more than just a fluff piece to put on the front page. I don't believe any of the other announcements made the cover. Although it seems like a slow news day. Obviously it's not a "done deal". Cause as we've seen in the past, "done deals" actually mean a lot when the CSA is involved. <really need rolling eye thingy> So what's the point of this story? Nobody gains anything. We all know what everybody's reaction will be, from the last 37 stadium announcements. This reporter was the one at the Lynx match on Monday, and if I'm not mistaken, the first article she's every written about the Lynx. Nor do I think is she a sports reporter. So maybe there is something to the story. And yes, the CSA should have gone after a lot more money from the federal government for all 6 stadiums (and even more) for this tournament. This is bigger than the Winter Olympics. Plus the potential of hosting the 2011 Women's World Cup, and dare I say even other bigger international competitions (hey, we all have fantasies). But let's start with 1 stadium first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by DoyleG There are no other reports on any other news websites. It was an actual article written by a Toronto Star reporter. It was not a press release or a CP article. Other media can not just copy and paste like we do here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 I haven't seen them, but I have heard of reports saying the same thing on Global and The Score. I don't think anyone was under the illusion that these comments from Pipe came from a news conference. Its a case of a Star reporter getting the scoop on something ahead of other journalists and breaking the news. Pipe had kept his yap shut tight between this story and the York U debacle as he admitted they had been burned in the past, so unless he's contracted Mad Cow disease or gone insane I suspect there is some significant progress here. Of course, there are those who will claim that Pipe was already insane to begin with, but I don't think they need to speak up. Jennifer Quinn is a sports reporter, by the way. She has covered the Raptors in the past. She has never covered soccer before until now, however. If she's writing out of her rear end and this story isn't true or misleading, I expect we will be hearing denials or retractions any second now. And its a minor point, but the lack of info on the CSA site means dick. They didn't even have any info on their site about the Spain match just prior to it happening, yet it still was played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 A quick Google search using "Toronto+soccer+stadium" brought up the follow piece of news from June of this year. This could be an indication of some of the un-named partners? and the $$$ might now add up. http://www.catholicregister.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=11&page_id=994 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Elias It was an actual article written by a Toronto Star reporter. It was not a press release or a CP article. Other media can not just copy and paste like we do here. The last time the Star commented on MLS, TSN picked up on it and posted an article on it's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealGooner Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 Keep grasping Doyle...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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