Globe: Domed stadium for Regina?

[wyliepoon]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/regina-needs-domed-stadium-report/article1224855/

Regina needs domed stadium: report


Province says it needs more information before moving ahead of $350-million multi-purpose facility



REGINA — The Canadian Press Last updated on Monday, Jul. 20, 2009 02:05PM EDT

A report says the aging home of the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders should be replaced with a domed stadium.

The report says a new all-weather, multi-use facility in Regina to replace Mosaic Stadium could cost $350-million, plus land costs, and could take three to four years to build.

The Saskatchewan government says it needs more information before deciding whether to move ahead.

That's why the province — along with the football team, the city of Regina and the federal government — have announced they'll spend $1-million on a feasibility study to be completed by next January.

Saskatchewan Enterprise Minister Ken Cheveldayoff says until that's done, it's too early to talk about funding for any new stadium.

 

[Eastside]

Regina seems awfully small for such an expensive stadium. Other than the, what, 10 home games for the football and maybe a dozen concerts, would this thing be sitting empty?

 

[jn_12]

They're the richest franchise in the CFL. The current stadium only fits 29,000 people and they sell out every game, and demand is very high for tickets. A new stadium would fit anywhere from 6,000 to 21,000 more people. They'd sell out whatever they put in. So the bank account would grow significantly and this stadium would easily pay for itself. If there's one CFL team that can do this (and where there's a real need for it because of weather) it's Saskatchewan.

 

[Hydrogen]

Why not just a dome for Regina?


Go in the winter and you'll know what I mean.

 

[GenerationW]

The proposed stadium would also be put into the rotation to host Grey Cups on a regular basis, and those are huge money makers.

 

[Long Island Mike]

A new home for the Saskatchewan Roughriders...

Everyone: I had no idea that one of the biggest draws and most solvent teams in the CFL are the Saskatchewan Roughriders!

If it is true that local fans will support by a large margin a new stadium why not build it-is that team publically owned?

I am not a fan of taxpayer funded venues like this that make private profit with public money but if local fans overwhelmingly will support it I say "why not"?

On a related note I would like to see a CFL team in the Maritimes-Halifax perhaps?
This would make the CFL a truly national league. Would fans there support a CFL team?

How big is the fan support for the CFL in Quebec? I now recall that Montreal has had problems with its CFL franchise as has Ottawa.

I also remember the experiment of going up sort of against the NFL-that Baltimore Stallions franchise was a good one-almost winning the Grey Cup in its first year and doing so in its second but Baltimore fans wanted the NFL and got it with the Ravens - a Super Bowl champ early this decade.

One last thought: How is the CFL doing being up against "The Big Bad NFL"
here in North America?
If Toronto were to indeed get an NFL franchise where will that leave the Argonauts?

Thoughts and insight from Long Island Mike