News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
 9.6K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 41K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
 5.4K     0 

Only as a legacy build as part of an international event and partnered with 7 Nations for Federal dollars. I don't think you can build one for under $400 million and that doesn't make any sense.
 
I'd like to get excited about this, but I know getting anything built in Canada is near impossible:
No federal involvement unless they want to move a stream or an endangered species is there in a significant way. The last all season resort proposal that wasn't blocked by the province (like Spray Lakes was), Castle, was blocked by the municipality.
 
I think the best chance we have will be when Cavalry FC needs a new stadium in the future. The southerns have the Canada Ring penned as the spot for their next stadium, but if CSEC can interest them in a decent stadium central in the city they might jump on and help fund it.
 
It would be very easy to modify the infield at the Stampede Grandstand to fit a CFL field and save a whole bunch of money. Having everything at Stampede park would also make Calgary an awesome Grey Cup site for the future. Stampede can still have it 2 weeks a year monster-jam style.
 
I'll probably take some flack for this, but I'm not sure it makes sense to build a new stadium these days. Even to build a nice compact stadium like they have in Winnipeg or Ottawa would likely cost upwards of $500 million, and to do a retrofit type reno like Hamilton would be probably something upward of $250 million. The retrofit might make sense, but $500 million for a venue that gets used 8-10 times a year is a an awful lot.

Not that I wouldn't love to to have something like the Winnipeg or Ottawa stadium, but it's a steep ask given the attendance and the amount of days of use season. I'd like to see a smaller ~20-25,000 seat stadium built in a more central location that could host both the Stamps and the Cavalry.
The elephant in the room is the CFL. While overall attendance for the league has been up slightly of late, it has dropped over the years and I feel like there’s no will to spend $400 mil on a stadium when people aren’t certain about the league’s future.
 
The elephant in the room is the CFL. While overall attendance for the league has been up slightly of late, it has dropped over the years and I feel like there’s no will to spend $400 mil on a stadium when people aren’t certain about the league’s future.
I hate to say it but you’re right. It’s a lot of money to invest if you’re not sure about the CFL’s future.
Either way a small stadium in the $200-$250 million range should be feasible though.
 
Forget about the CFL, it has been constantly dying for decades but those predictions never come to pass. Smaller, sure. The US expansion era was by far the worst era but I feel like it is remembered so fondly. Its succeeding in big markets like Montreal, Toronto, and BC. That matters. We don't need something capable of hosting the World Cup final, if the Grey Cup really does bring 50 Million in economic benefit the one in 2026 is pretty much a down payment on a new stadium. Especially considering you'd be guaranteed a Grey Cup early in the new stadium's life.

One thing that needs to be considered is building a stadium with good bones that can be easily upgraded. Commonwealth in Edmonton is huge but because of its size the cost to renovate it is the cost of a new stadium. In that sense it is a blessing CalgaryNEXT didn't happen. Updating a fieldhouse, running track, etc, etc would've cost a lot over its lifetime.
 

Back
Top