Ex Board approves 1249 future empty seats

As expected, the Exhibition Place board approved MLSE's proposal to expand the north end of BMO Field by 1200 or so seats. The plan will now proceed to Toronto City Council in the New Year for a final checkmark which will probably be met with little resistance. A short while ago this would have been joyous news for TFC fans. However, thanks to the Toronto Argonauts, it is just insult to injury.

The CFL team is pursuing a move to BMO Field with an aggression that increases by the day. They are now openly telling their season ticket holders that they can get refunds or relocation if and when it happens - possibly as soon as the 2010 season. The fact that TFC, the Canadian Soccer Association and a grass pitch are the main tenants is merely an afterthought.

The CFL meanwhile is rapidly pushing through a feasibility study regarding Argos-to-BMO. While terms like "tentative" and "far from certain" are thrown about, many TFC fans can feel the CFL's desperation to save the floundering Boatmen. Even if it means making a mockery of the standard CFL surface, you can't help but feel that the league will shoehorn the Argos into BMO in a lame attempt to "save" the team.

TFC supporters can expect no help from the municipal government as they will take whatever option gets them a quick buck. Sadly, this is very short-sighted. The day the Argos and their turf-tearing cleats attached to 300 pound linebackers show up at BMO, the soccer set in Toronto can kiss all of the massive strides the sport has taken here good-bye.

There will be no future World Cup Qualifiers or international friendlies, no more big time Real Madrid-esque matches and worst of all Toronto FC will enter a slide that it may never come out of. Why? Because the CFL will destroy the pitch both physically and visually to the point where real football can no longer co-exist at an elite level.

The international teams and high level club teams will refuse to play on a ripped up, crater-filled pitch and it won't be long before MLS players opt not to play for TFC because of the risk of injury. The fans meanwhile will leave bit by bit. Purist fans will not watch any club play on gridiron lines with giant Wendy's and Rona ads emblazoned across the field. And before you think that they will scrub out the lines - think again. The close schedules of TFC and the Argos but mainly the cost attached will see that this doesn't ever happen.

In the end, the city may well agree to allow the north end to be expanded but it is what is on the field that will inevitably decide the success of the young stadium. We just hope that these decision makers have to face the music in a few years time when TFC are drawing tiny crowds as they play on gridiron and the Argos eventually start talking of moving to a bigger stadium.

Meanwhile, the revenue from a host of FIFA matches will have disappeared to Montreal and Edmonton and as TFC slides into oblivion, right-wing meatheads will cackle "see, soccer just can't work here". We can wish that this is a "far from certain" nightmare scenario but barring major protests or MLSE flexing some serious muscle it suddenly feels very imminent.

Waters around Boatmen story grow murkier

The Argos-to-BMO Field story is truly becoming an annoyance. Just when fans of either TFC or indeed the Argos think they know which way the wind is blowing, something shifts. Everyday that goes by seems to generate a new rumour and a resolution seems more distant.

The North End expansion proposed by MLSE is due to go before the Exhibition Place Board on Friday but little more has been said about it. Even if it passes the Ex hurdle, City Hall will be another unknown until January. It is still a plan in its early stages and who knows if it would even be enough to stop the gridiron from moving in.

The CFL is rapidly pursuing its study on the feasibility of the Argos playing at BMO by 2010 and that will be due in late December. One feels that the CFL is so insanely desperate to save the floundering Argos that they will indeed be willing to damage their league's integrity by allowing one of its' storied franchises to play on a much shorter field than the rest of the league.

The Argos to BMO move seems far more rooted in the Argos' ownership's attempt to add to the value of the club in their quest to sell the team and not in their fans' best interest. In fact, ask most Argos fans about the idea and they are lukewarm at best. If the idea is indeed rooted in a greedy powerplay then it will inevitably be a failure and sadly one that sucks TFC down with it.

The CFL club's ownership is another giant looming question mark. Current owners David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski seem desperate to offload the club with BC Lions owner David Braley seeming to be the only party interested. Whether Braley, an ardent CFL backer, would be willing to let the Argos play a bastardized version of the game is anyone's guess. That is of course if he really is the only other party interested.

Despite vehement objections to the idea, TFC owners and old man Monopoly-style tycoons, MLSE, have been whispered to be interested. MLSE head honcho/ gazillionaire Larry Tanenbaum spent much of the Grey Cup week palling around with the CFL Board of Directors. It may be harmless association but indeed pricked up the ears of a few locals, especially those fearful of a new BMO tenant.

Quite possibly nothing is going on between the Argos and MLSE... but never say never. Could the Bay Street Bankers have their eye on the pigskin as a pre-cursor to an NFL purchase? Getting a new football (gridiron not real) stadium would be a lot easier with the goodwill of politicians who may see MLSE as a saviour of the dear old Double Blue wouldn't it? Pie in the sky maybe - but until this is finally settled, anything is possible. In the meantime TFC supporters' dreams of a stable future are being held hostage.

ARGO-NOTS

There has been much said recently about the proposed Argos move to BMO Field, but sometimes it is the things that are unsaid that prove to be the most curious. Many in the mainstream media will throw out the notion of the CFL moving into “The National Soccer Stadium” as a simple moving of house, west down Lakeshore Blvd. However, when you take the time to really break down the idea, you quickly come to realize there is a lot that has not been widely discussed, at least not in public. As any TFC supporter who has called the club’s head office for more information knows, a pretty tight corporate style script has emerged from Bay Street. I have no inside knowledge to claim that there is more to this than meets the eye but what does strike me as odd is the lack of apparent information or investigation into a project that is far bigger than is being let on. With that, the following talking points have come to mind. Many of these have already appeared on the numerous TFC forums, but maybe one or two of them will make you wonder if we are dealing with ignorance or something more sinister.

THE SIZE AND COST OF EXPANSION: The Argos claim to have an average attendance of over 30,000. The simple addition of a north stand would only add an approximate 4,000 to 5,000 seats to BMO. It seems strange that a team that depends on gate receipts so heavily would be happy to drop 5,000 seats. In order to get closer to 30K, an upper deck on the east side would be necessary, add to that an increase in wanted private boxes and other amenities to be discussed later and the budget has already skyrocketed. Now I am not any kind of architect, but anyone with common sense knows that this could not fall into the much heard $10-$20 Million Dollar price tag that’s being thrown around. It would surely be much higher.

EXPANSION LOCATION: The main fact of CFL-to-BMO expansion is the necessity to extend the stadium by CFL end zones to the north and the south. For arguments sake we will believe the movable stands malarkey being talked about for now. However, even if the stands are pulled right back for Argos games, you must still add the need for the concourses, the facilities such as washrooms and the entrance gates. I don’t have a long enough ruler but it sounds like the north end will be on the doorstep of the Food Building and the south end will be in the middle of Princes’ Blvd. This has yet to be explained satisfactorily to me and leaves me scratching my head. Of course this is based on the next mysterious promise…

THE MOVABLE STANDS: Forgive me for being a cynic but this sounds like one of those plans that get scrapped late in construction due to “budget restrictions”. Movable seats on a mechanized track system is no small project. There are issues with this that I see as problematic. If the stands are only there for the MLS set-up then will they simply collapse into a flat wall during the CFL? If that were the case the Argos would only have about a 16K attendance so that is unlikely. The idea would be non-folding stands, north and south but that only makes further problems. Take the TFC pitch as it is right now; add a CFL end zone on either side and then concourses and gates behind that. If you have been to BMO you can imagine this would put the north end well on it’s way to catching a GO Train. The only way to accommodate concourses would be to build them within the stands. Stands can be moved on a track – concourses, washrooms and food stands cannot. What does that mean to this untrained eye? The stands would have to be permanent and TFC fans would have an end zone between them and the goals. Impossible you say? I hope for our sake you are right.

THE ARGOS LEASE AT ROGERS CENTRE: This point has never made a lot of sense to me. Why would a seemingly cash-strapped franchise like the Argos move away from the Artist formerly known as SkyDome where it has its facilities in place and pays absolutely no rent? It is true that they don’t receive a penny in stadium revenue but what makes you think that BMO’s landlords “The Mighty MLSE” will give them a better deal. If there is one thing Torontonians know about MLSE is that they enjoy their money and are not too big on sharing. In essence the Argos would be moving from one landlord who charges them no rent to one who would and they still would not share revenue. Meanwhile, it would be surprising if Uncle Ted’s Removable Roof Ballpark would want to lose the Argos and their 15 or so home dates. Yes they are aiming for the NFL but that is a while away and that white elephant still needs tenants. The optimist in me has always hoped this whole rumour was an Argos’ shakedown for a better deal at Rogers Centre.

WHO’S GONNA PAY? Lots of people have been talking about this dreaded expansion but no one has opened their chequebook yet. Let’s look at the players. The City Of Toronto owns BMO. They have no money. Period. They can’t keep kids’ skating rinks and pools open. They can’t fund transit. We have a homeless crisis. Do we really think Mayor Miller and his councilors will vote yes to pouring millions into expansion with an election looming? Political suicide would be the description. The first time around it was to lure the U-20 World Cup here but this expansion would be only to house millionaire’s toys. There is no benefit to the city as Argos’ playoff games and Grey Cups would always return to Rogers Centre. The Argos don’t have $20 Million plus (more likely $30M plus) to spend on expansion. Their infamous pullout from the York University site seems to be proof of this. The CFL will not pour that kind of money into Toronto’s team. You could imagine the uproar from Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Calgary etc. all much stronger and more deserving CFL clubs. And finally, our pals MLSE. They like getting stadiums for very little then running them at a profit, not pouring millions into projects. That is unless…

MLSE IS NOT SO INNOCENT? Again, there is no proof of this but don’t tell me an organization of MLSE’s wealth has no say about what happens at BMO. There is no way this group of millionaires didn’t get solid deals in their contracts with the city that give them an equal say on the stadium’s affairs. All we can hope for is that the hockey-puck section of the MLSE board isn’t looking at TFC like a fatted calf and thinking that BMO will still be sold-out if it ends up looking like a CFL stadium where a soccer team sometimes plays. The only worry I have with MLSE is if there is more money to be made (by having the Argos at BMO) they will pursue it to its fullest no matter the cost to TFC supporters or to BMO Field’s…

TURF: This to me would be the straw that broke Andy Welsh’s back. Football (the real kind) purists in Toronto will never be able to accept gridiron lines on our pitch. I truly believe attendance would plummet at the first sight of yard lines. There is absolutely no proof that these lines can be FULLY erased from a pitch. Even billion-dollar Wembley Stadium had trouble getting the paint off after last year’s NFL match in London. Premier League Wigan has trouble getting rugby lines to go away. What makes anyone believe that Toronto and MLSE to be exact will find the magic potion? It cannot be compared to the Rogers Centre situation either as that stadium uses a zipper system with hundreds of individual pieces of carpet as opposed to our full pitch Field Turf. The only way to guarantee no lines is with two separate pitches and MLSE will not be forking out for that. Don’t forget, with the CFL you don’t just get yard lines but also really attractive giant Rona Hardware logos all over the field. I just heard a TFC supporter faint.

STADIUM EXTRAS: It’s not just the seats and the pitch you know. Think about the added costs of much bigger dressing rooms for a gridiron team, the new giant weight rooms to build those helmet-clad monsters and office space for the new CFL tenants. What will Paul Winsper say when the Argos mess up his awesome new facility?! Also, how long before the “Double Blue” complain about all the red seats and soccer flags? The construction costs continue to rise but the cost of killing BMO’s atmosphere is even higher.

THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD: Finally, this one has got me really confused. The facility manager or someone like that was telling the local media construction would take 8-12 months. If the south end, the north end and the curved corner stands all have to be modified, where will all those season ticket holders be sitting for most of one season? Will TFC be setting up Columbus style bleachers for every home match? That seems unlikely, yet this is just another in the (obviously) long list of unanswered questions.

Wherever the truth does lie, one thing is certain, The Yorkies and all the other great supporters groups must and will stand against this major mistake. If BMO Field loses its’ real football atmosphere it will eventually lose the support. The support is the soul of the club and without it… well that is too unbearable to even consider. We can hope that the Argos are playing a game of chicken with Rogers but let’s never take our eye off the ball. Otherwise our ball may be bouncing over a faded Rona Hardware sign.