Johnnyranger Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 There are systems out there currently being used in certain parts of Europe where they have a hybrid system of the In Fill turf supporting real grass. It is something that has been done before. That being said I cannot see any organic playing surfaces in a facility like BC Place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 What renderings for the CFL? The page only shows the soccer look. So those huge drapes are going to be retracted for football games? I'd like to see how that process is supposed to work. And where all those drapes are going to be stored. That is a huge amount of area. Looks like a really high kick may hit that lower part... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Bill What renderings for the CFL? The page only shows the soccer look. So those huge drapes are going to be retracted for football games? I'd like to see how that process is supposed to work. And where all those drapes are going to be stored. That is a huge amount of area. Looks like a really high kick may hit that lower part... You are worried about how to store the drapes. Me too. It keeps me up at night. I have had to go into counselling for my anxiety about it. All that textile, textile on the end zones, textile up above, suffocating really. Makes you want to spend the rest of your days at Wreck Beach where there is no textile to be seen. But how are they ever going to find a place to store those drapes, that is what really worries me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 The thing looks stupid also. It will be a pain in the ass to retract, store and then deploy the lower roof every time they switch from a Caps game to a Lions game and vice versa. All of this fussing around for a soccer team that draws 5000 at Swangard? Come on. The Lions don't need this crapp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiddy Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Bill your right. Now go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smiddy Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I think that terrace everyone is talking about is really a disco floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie Monster Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Bill What renderings for the CFL? The page only shows the soccer look. Hey mongoloid: Now go choke and die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveBeau Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S. You are worried about how to store the drapes. Me too. It keeps me up at night. I have had to go into counselling for my anxiety about it. All that textile, textile on the end zones, textile up above, suffocating really. Makes you want to spend the rest of your days at Wreck Beach where there is no textile to be seen. But how are they ever going to find a place to store those drapes, that is what really worries me. I was in a pretty foul mood until i read that...LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyranger Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Johnnie Monster Hey mongoloid: Now go choke and die. post of the year! Love it JoMo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
An Observer Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 God...i cannot believe how cynical you guys are on the west coast....sure, there are things that can be improved/changed and lets hope BC place and whitecaps consults the fans before finalising the details so the small things can be worked out. But personally.... the idea of adding a lower sub roof is an excellent one. Filling in a few rows on the sides and adding some seats behind the goals....you instantly have an intimate 22,000 seat venue within a cavernous 60,000 dome. Its pretty ingenious if they can pull it off and far superior to a great majority of the venues currently on offer in the MLS (or around the world in similar quality leagues). Call me a sissy, but I personally might prefer to watch a soccer match in full capacity crowd of 22,000 in this place than in BMO field with no roof or protection from the elements (especially on a hot summer day, or cold novemeber day, or wet may day). Once they have this in place, the main reason to move out will not be because of the venue being poor but to have your own venue own the income streams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 ^ I am actually worried about the Whitecaps becoming satisfied with this venue and never wanting to move out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 ^ Doubt that will happen, they will want to control the facility and take revenues from rentals and concessions rather than pay rent etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piltdownman Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 For those wondering about the Lions Current Situation at BC Place: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/lions/story.html?id=aa37a491-7c78-4290-af27-3a200afdc0a4 Home playoff a matter of pride AND profit Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun Published: Friday, October 31, 2008 Win or lose Saturday afternoon, the B.C. Lions are still in the playoffs. But a mini pot of gold awaits the club next weekend if Cam Wake and company can knock off the Stamps and host the CFL West semifinal at BC Place. The size of the pot depends largely on game attendance, but a conservative estimate puts game profits in the $400,000-to-$500,000 range, maybe more. The community-owned Saskatchewan Roughriders reported a $785,000 profit on more than $1.5 million in revenues generated last year when they hosted the semifinal in front of a sellout crowd of about 30,000 fans at Mosaic Stadium. "It's a very positive thing to run a game and we're not likely to lose money," Lions owner David Braley said in an interview. "But it's much better to run a final than a semifinal because attendance is so much better." The Lions haven't hosted a semifinal playoff game since Braley bought the team in 1997. Five western finals at BC Place have drawn as few as 28,200 fans in 1999 to more than 55,200 in 2004. The team has also hosted two Grey Cup games under Braley's ownership - attracting 45,100 fans to the 1999 game and 59,200 to the 2005 championship. Braley feels a semifinal game at BC Place will draw about 35,000 to 40,000 fans. That's 5,000 to 10,000 more than the number who attended last year in Regina but it doesn't automatically translate into a bigger profit for the Lions. Braley noted the Roughriders get a lot of revenue from stadium concession sales, which the Lions don't get because that money flows directly to BC Place. He said the 'Riders also benefit from much cheaper rent at Mosaic Stadium, although he wouldn't say how much cheaper. (The Roughriders paid the City of Regina $200,000 to rent the stadium last season while the Lions pay BC Place a percentage of ticket sales.) Saskatchewan reported about $770,000 in expenses to host last year's playoff game but Braley said the Lions' cost would be closer to $1 million. The home team is responsible for hundreds of game-related expenses - including player compensation of $3,200 each (totaling more than $345,000), a game purchase fee paid to the league ($100,000 last year), travel and accommodation for the visiting team, stadium rental, game day staff, advertising and security. Braley said it costs about $900 for ambulance service at the game and about $2,000 to provide game film for the league and other teams. On the game revenue side, team merchandise sales and corporate suite rentals help pay the bills but it's almost all about ticket sales. If the Lions sell 40,000 tickets at an average price of $40, that's $1.6 million in revenue, minus whatever cut BC Place takes. Lions vice-president George Chayka said ticket prices would range from $35 to $80, only about $5 a ticket more than a regular season game. He said the average price would be skewed towards the lower price range because there are so many lower-priced tickets available. Chayka said game attendance might be constrained by the fact the Lions would not have a lot of time to market the event. "In the past, we clinched our position early so we had three or four weeks to sell a game," he said. "This time, we would only have a short week." But it would be a welcome, and profitable, problem to deal with - a far cry from the situation in 1996 when the team went into receivership. Former owner Bill Comrie sold the Lions to a group of 10 Vancouver businessmen early that year and things clearly didn't work out. Braley - a philanthropic, Hamilton-based auto parts magnate - stepped in to save the franchise, but it came with a cost. Former Lions president Glen Ringdal estimates Braley lost between $4 million and $5 million during his first four years as owner. Average game attendance in 1996 had sunk to just 18,600 and the club had a season ticket base of less than 6,000. "We told Mr. Braley that this thing was so far in the hole that it would be a 10-year project to turn things around and he was prepared for that in spades," Ringdal said. "When you get that far in the hole, it takes a long time for people to forgive and forget." The fans eventually came back - aided by the 2002 return of Lions executive icon Bob Ackles - but the team didn't make an operational profit until Braley's ninth season as owner in 2005. Ackles confirmed a profit that year, boosted by the team hosting the Grey Cup game. Braley acknowledges the team "squeaked by" financially from 1997 through 2004 and that things began to "level out" by 2005. It's generally agreed the team has been profitable ever since, with average game attendance of more than 34,000 this year and a season ticket base of 24,000. Braley refuses to discuss specifics when it comes to the team's annual profit or loss situation but he's confident the Lions have become one of the CFL's "premier franchises" and is encouraged by future business prospects. He said renovations planned for BC Place - including more premium seating, more corporate boxes and a retractable roof - will attract many more fans to football games. Braley also feels the team is ready to aggressively expand its merchandise selling opportunities in a similar manner as the Roughriders, who reported $5.1 million in merchandise sales last year. "Now that we have stabilized our operations, we can look at the idea of opening a store in downtown Vancouver or Burnaby or Richmond or Surrey - a place where you can sell merchandise and tickets," he said. "You can expand your business base like that once you get to a certain level or stature." Braley was rumoured to have considered selling the BC Lions two years ago for between $10 million and $15 million but nothing ever happened. He said the club is not for sale but the team's financial turnaround has clearly attracted many potential buyers who have expressed an interest in acquiring the Lions. "It's not for sale, but I have a long list [of potential buyers]," he said. "There are maybe six or eight in Vancouver, one or two in Calgary, one in Arizona, one in Florida, one in California. Do you want me to go on?" Braley said if he ever finds himself in poor health, he would evaluate the potential owners and try to find one who would support the team with the same passion he has. "You're only a caretaker for the franchise while it's in your hands because the franchise belongs to the people," he said. "Everybody forgets that because they all get carried up in making money or losing money." bconstantineau@vancouversun.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mpenza Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 And what's with the pointy ball team/refs on the sidelines in that rendering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 I'm not Bill. This is Madonna speaking. Dont't mind me; my head is still spinning over the Lions knocking off the Riders in their own park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeltfc91 Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Can someone please clarify, its not going to be soccer specific right? BC Lions are playing there and they are going to have football lines on turf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 They will have the football gridiron lines on for Caps games and the soccer lines on for Lions games. The football goal posts will be strategically placed in front of the soccer nets for Caps games in order to facilitate players running into the posts and splitting their heads open. They'll be a face painting of Madonna at center field and face paintings of Premier Campbell in each end zone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Bill They will have the football gridiron lines on for Caps games and the soccer lines on for Lions games. The football goal posts will be strategically placed in front of the soccer nets for Caps games in order to facilitate players running into the posts and splitting their heads open. They'll be a face painting of Madonna at center field and face paintings of Premier Campbell in each end zone Attention Moderators: Do we really need these kinds of idiotic posts on this forum? Bill's posts are reaching a stratospheric level of stupidity. They add nothing positive to the discussion what so ever. I would really appreciate some sort of action. I can assure you that I am not the only one. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadasBest Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Just a general question with regarding the setup and the renderings. Where are the stadium lights going? They don't seem to be on any of the renderings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeltfc91 Posted November 9, 2008 Share Posted November 9, 2008 Thanks Bill, great help. Can someone actually answer my question and clarify for me. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedmonk42 Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 quote:Originally posted by An Observer God...i cannot believe how cynical you guys are on the west coast....sure, there are things that can be improved/changed and lets hope BC place and whitecaps consults the fans before finalising the details so the small things can be worked out. But personally.... the idea of adding a lower sub roof is an excellent one. Filling in a few rows on the sides and adding some seats behind the goals....you instantly have an intimate 22,000 seat venue within a cavernous 60,000 dome. Its pretty ingenious if they can pull it off and far superior to a great majority of the venues currently on offer in the MLS (or around the world in similar quality leagues). Call me a sissy, but I personally might prefer to watch a soccer match in full capacity crowd of 22,000 in this place than in BMO field with no roof or protection from the elements (especially on a hot summer day, or cold novemeber day, or wet may day). Once they have this in place, the main reason to move out will not be because of the venue being poor but to have your own venue own the income streams. 200 Million dollars for drapes? We are cynical? Build two brand new stadiums one for each team, and with the money left over purchase and staff 10 MRI machines for for a century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancouversoccerman Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 quote:Originally posted by masster Attention Moderators: Do we really need these kinds of idiotic posts on this forum? Bill's posts are reaching a stratospheric level of stupidity. They add nothing positive to the discussion what so ever. I would really appreciate some sort of action. I can assure you that I am not the only one. Thank you I'm in total agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancouversoccerman Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 quote:Originally posted by michaeltfc91 Can someone please clarify, its not going to be soccer specific right? BC Lions are playing there and they are going to have football lines on turf? And to answer the question, yes...the Lions will still be playing there, and both decks are used for football games. This configuration is Soccer-Specific. As for the lines, they've been pretty good at removing gridiron lines in the past for soccer. Seeing the CFL allows gawdy field advertising (which has been prohibited by FIFA), it's difficult to see them not removing the lines for soccer. I guess we'll know for sure the first week the Caps have a Wednesday night cup match and the Lions play on a Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeltfc91 Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 ^ Thanks, if theres no football lines, it will be fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 There cannot be CFL lines, that would stink to high heaven. Let's hope for beautiful solid green, even if fake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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