bmiller said:
Ah, a hybrid surface. This must be something fairly new. Never heard of it before, because i never payed much attention to it. That would be much more durable for the Argos to play on. As it's already used by a couple of NFL clubs and lots of
soccer clubs, i can see the Jays installing this in Rogers center for baseball.
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really no need for it for baseball.....baseball diamonds (which aren't used for much of anything else) are not subject to too much wear and tear.

There is a little soccer park in England that you might have heard of called Wembley that uses hybrid surface.

Anway, if anyone is interested in viewing the groundbreaking......http://www.torontofc.ca/live 3pm
 
Most of the big teams in England play on a hybrid surface now. Doesn't turn the field into mud on wet days
 
acornman said:
Most of the big teams in England play on a hybrid surface now. Doesn't turn the field into mud on wet days
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True...but even the best of the current all grass fields deliver that these days. This past Sunday was a case in point......torrential rain in toronto until about 2 hours before kickoff.....the drainage on these new fields is so good that they were watering the pitch before the match and at half time.....the pitch looked glorious and did not cut up at all.

What the hybrid really delivers is a more consistent durability to heavy use.
 
Any word on how they will modify the field for football use? Will need additional locker rooms and coaching space, but the biggest requirement is deeper end zones. A regulation CFL field is 65x150 yards (with end zones), BMO Field's current pitch is 75x115 yards and FIFA regs are (50-100)x(100-130). The renderings show a bit of free space at the north end, but it looks to be well short of 35 yards. Would also move the football pitch off centre if there isn't corresponding space at the south end. Will Phase II push the north and south grandstands out if the Argos come over?
 
As of right now, BMO won't be made to accommodate the CFL.

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=453230

The plan was apparently to make the north stands movable (at a cost of $30 million), so you could fit a CFL field in, and you'd end up with something like 30K for soccer, 25K for the Argos. However, this plan seemed to be contingent on MLSE buying the Argos, and is dead now that it seems MLSE has lost interest.

Supposedly (as you can read in the link) MLSE was only interested in buying the Argos because they believed that the NFL would need assurances that the Argos or CFL wouldn't be killed by a Toronto NFL team. So when the Bills came up for sale, they intended to buy the Argos to assuage those fears. But now that the Bills have been bought by Buffalonian Terry Pegula and not Bon Jovi/Tanenbaum/Rogers, no NFL team seems to be on the horizon. So no need anymore.

animatronic said:
Any word on how they will modify the field for football use? Will need additional locker rooms and coaching space, but the biggest requirement is deeper end zones. A regulation CFL field is 65x150 yards (with end zones), BMO Field's current pitch is 75x115 yards and FIFA regs are (50-100)x(100-130). The renderings show a bit of free space at the north end, but it looks to be well short of 35 yards. Would also move the football pitch off centre if there isn't corresponding space at the south end. Will Phase II push the north and south grandstands out if the Argos come over?
Click to expand...
 
Here's what is happening in each phase. Any work required for the CFL would happen in Phase 3

Phase I

- Additional 8,400 seats with additional washrooms and concession stands
- 12 new executive suites, 2 party suites and a loge box
- New full service kitchen for restaurants, suites and clubs
- Two new private clubs:
- West Grandstand, Event Level – 230 patrons
- East Grandstand, Event Level – 420 patrons
- Expansion of Rogers Club – current capacity of 500 is increased to 750 with upgraded look and feel, improved food and beverage and washroom facilities
- New larger full HD videoboard replacing existing north videoboard
- New concourse (2nd level) around south end of stadium allowing for one continuous concourse (at the upper concourse level)
- Budget of $65M
- Completion May 1, 2015

Phase II

- Addition of full size canopy covering all seats with exception of North Grandstand
- New sound and lighting system
- Budget of $40M
- Completion May 1, 2016
Click to expand...

Here was the phasing timelines from the City Documents back in June

5Xakyfp.jpg
 
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JMSRead said:
As of right now, BMO won't be made to accommodate the CFL.

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=453230

The plan was apparently to make the north stands movable (at a cost of $30 million), so you could fit a CFL field in, and you'd end up with something like 30K for soccer, 25K for the Argos. However, this plan seemed to be contingent on MLSE buying the Argos, and is dead now that it seems MLSE has lost interest.

Supposedly (as you can read in the link) MLSE was only interested in buying the Argos because they believed that the NFL would need assurances that the Argos or CFL wouldn't be killed by a Toronto NFL team. So when the Bills came up for sale, they intended to buy the Argos to assuage those fears. But now that the Bills have been bought by Buffalonian Terry Pegula and not Bon Jovi/Tanenbaum/Rogers, no NFL team seems to be on the horizon. So no need anymore.
Click to expand...

Configuring for CFL involves both the south and north ends........permanent seating that is pushed about 20 yards at both ends with retractable seating in the lower parts of that which pull out for soccer configuration....these seats that are not used/visible during CFL games is the primary reason that the capacity is lower for CFL than it is for MLS.
 
I was hoping the Argos would be completely out of the picture but by the looks of it they are still in the long term plans.
 
acornman said:
I was hoping the Argos would be completely out of the picture but by the looks of it they are still in the long term plans.
Click to expand...

They are in Mark Grimes' plans.....as for MLSE they are dangled out there for the provincial and federal money. Phase III (they say) does not happen without $20 million from the upper tiers. The province are considering it...the feds have said absolutely not.
 
This project has already started in a light way....but it can really get going now as there is no chance the stadium will be needed again this year.
 
TOareaFan said:
This project has already started in a light way....but it can really get going now as there is no chance the stadium will be needed again this year.
Click to expand...
There's still at least one more event scheduled at BMO Field this year. The League 1 finals.
 
nfitz said:
There's still at least one more event scheduled at BMO Field this year. The League 1 finals.
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geez, man.....I was trying to find the silver lining in the miserable second half of the season.....I had decided unimpeded construction was it.....you stole my joy!
 
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