john tv Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Yes we need a new stadium and owned by the MLSE group asap.40000 minimum and with a roof. Investment wise a very smart move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 ^ With a roof probably means back to artificial turf. I vote for an open standium with covered stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyranger Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 quote:Originally posted by john tv Yes we need a new stadium and owned by the MLSE group asap.40000 minimum and with a roof. Investment wise a very smart move. Yes you do, because TFC is garbage and the appeal of the "New Stadium" is quickly wearing thin, and a new stadium will be key to continuing to sell out as the Club and team are surely not... Oh wait, we are talking about pro Sports in the "Big smoke" owned by TFC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john tv Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Yes Richard I stand corrected.I meant covered stands. I can't tell you how many times I made that U turn watching the rain come down. I just don't like watching a game soaking wet or in the rain. I am very prone to colds and this is a real starter if there ever was one. Anyway that Vancouver weather is getting to me and I had the choice West or East Canada and when I found out about that rain the east won.I was escaping the continious rain in Holland. This in 1960. Back to the money grab. MLSE will be a fantastic winner in years to come and I would love to see their current cash flows,which must be tremendous and way above the Leafs in net revenues.No matter what cost that new stadium will be a cash cow. I guess when all the deals were made between the CSA,the various govenments and MLSe no one ever expected to be this succesfull.I guess the grass probably was never discussed and I also suspect they all were keeping their fingers crossed. It is also so amazing to realize that soccer only has one way to go and the many times I have spoken to non soccer fans who are so aware of the blast there is, I also know they want to join big time.I always have known what soccer is like in Toronto and to say the sky is the limit well so be it. If there is any question, go to all these various bars and just watch these kids and I may add some are not kids any longer that profile is superb. TFC is bigger than anything I have ever experienced and than some more. Soccer is so involved and reaches out so far and yes I am speaking to the converted and yes you know it all. Vancouver will be another example and Montreal will be the icing on that fantastic soccer cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whither Canada Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 quote:Originally posted by ottawaguy2009 I almost wonder if it isn't better to just to build a whole new stadium all together. Watching "Goal" last night (yes it's a little corny but a good movie nonetheless) I gained a new appreciation for European stadiums. Stadiums (as in Newcastle for example) are literally the centre pieces of major European cities' landscapes. They are the "jewel in the crown" for a city and its people. Bernabeu, Stadio Olimpico, etc. are MASSIVE icons of architecture, sport, and culture. BMO Field is a "starter" field. A parternship with the city, FieldTurf, only 20,000 seats, no proper roof, lack of acoustics (due to lack of roof), etc. It's great for a club in it's third season. But come year 10 I would hope to see TFC in a 40,000 - 60,000 seater. Toronto needs a "jewel" like in Madrid or Rome or London. A massive, modern, 60,000 seat stadium that takes up 15 city blocks. A proper, state of the art facility modelled after the best stadiums in Germany, Japan, etc. Hot water pipes underground, can keep the grass somewhat healthy during our winter season. Come May it would be full, green, and ready to go. The field would be reserved for TFC, our MNT, and perhaps a USL-1 team (it is likely Toronto would have one by 2017). BMO Field is a starter field. Leave it for the city, for the CSL teams, for a future USL-1 squad, for the youth leagues. Let's build something that will last, that will make us proud, and that will look and sound like Madrid's Bernabeau on a Saturday night. Wow, can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking? You want what? A 60,000 seat soccer-specific stadium taking up 15 city blocks in downtown Toronto? That will look and sound just like Bernabeu? Not gonna happen in the lifetime of anyone who's currently alive I'm afraid. There are any number of reasons why this will never happen, but the big one is that soccer culture, and the impetus it provides to drive the collective will to construct a stadium like the one in your dream, is ingrained in the European DNA - there is simply no competition to the sport's popularity in Europe. Whereas, here in Toronto and the rest of North America, soccer will never, ever catch up to sports like hockey, pointy-ball football, baseball, and (maybe) basketball in the imaginations of its citizens. Ever. And that's OK. I've learned to accept that and live with it. I admire your optimism and it's nice to dream big, but let's be realistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbailey62 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Whither Canada Wow, can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking? You want what? A 60,000 seat soccer-specific stadium taking up 15 city blocks in downtown Toronto? That will look and sound just like Bernabeu? Not gonna happen in the lifetime of anyone who's currently alive I'm afraid. There are any number of reasons why this will never happen, but the big one is that soccer culture, and the impetus it provides to drive the collective will to construct a stadium like the one in your dream, is ingrained in the European DNA - there is simply no competition to the sport's popularity in Europe. Whereas, here in Toronto and the rest of North America, soccer will never, ever catch up to sports like hockey, pointy-ball football, baseball, and (maybe) basketball in the imaginations of its citizens. Ever. And that's OK. I've learned to accept that and live with it. I admire your optimism and it's nice to dream big, but let's be realistic. Something like this might be a bit more realistic although perhaps a tad bigger seating perhaps 30k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottawaguy2009 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Whither Canada Wow, can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking? You want what? A 60,000 seat soccer-specific stadium taking up 15 city blocks in downtown Toronto? That will look and sound just like Bernabeu? Not gonna happen in the lifetime of anyone who's currently alive I'm afraid. There are any number of reasons why this will never happen, but the big one is that soccer culture, and the impetus it provides to drive the collective will to construct a stadium like the one in your dream, is ingrained in the European DNA - there is simply no competition to the sport's popularity in Europe. Whereas, here in Toronto and the rest of North America, soccer will never, ever catch up to sports like hockey, pointy-ball football, baseball, and (maybe) basketball in the imaginations of its citizens. Ever. And that's OK. I've learned to accept that and live with it. I admire your optimism and it's nice to dream big, but let's be realistic. I think that's an uninformed assessment. Soccer (football) in Canada is simply like a big open lake right now in Canada. (That's the best analogy I can think of at the moment). It's watered down, diluted, disorganized. Hundreds of thousands of youth play soccer! Every high school (just about) has a team. Nearly every university has a team. Soccer is entering American pop-culture: She's The Man (Amanda Bynes) Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto will all shortly be in the MLS together. Look at London FC's attendance (USL-1). The Victoria Highlanders have had a decent start to the season to by the sounds of it (performance, attendance). Montreal Impact went to the quarter finals of last year's Champions League. Look at the blockbusters we're having this summer in Canada alone: River Plate v. TFC River Plate v. Everton (Edmonton) River Plate v. Impact Haiti MNT v. Impact Syria MNT v. Impact Bordeaux v. Guingamp Bordeaux v. Impact TFC v. Real Madrid Come on man. 5 - 10 years. 2018 Canada will make the World Cup. The media is the main culprit now for the lack of advancement of the beautiful game in the Canadian psyche. We just need to (with the help of the media) streamline and concentrate our game. We need more infrastructure: more academies, better nationwide organization (CSA's responsibility), better transition from youth soccer to professional. We can and we will do this. merely needs to be "concentrated" and "funnelled". The psyche of the Canadian population (new Canadians and old Canadians) needs to be changed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottawaguy2009 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 ^edit: FC London = USL PDL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 "The psyche of the Canadian population (new Canadians and old Canadians) needs to be changed" I would agree, but to be truthful I would put a whole lot of other changes ahead of attitudes about soccer :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earlimus Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Whither Canada Wow, can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking? You want what? A 60,000 seat soccer-specific stadium taking up 15 city blocks in downtown Toronto? That will look and sound just like Bernabeu? Not gonna happen in the lifetime of anyone who's currently alive I'm afraid. There are any number of reasons why this will never happen, but the big one is that soccer culture, and the impetus it provides to drive the collective will to construct a stadium like the one in your dream, is ingrained in the European DNA - there is simply no competition to the sport's popularity in Europe. Whereas, here in Toronto and the rest of North America, soccer will never, ever catch up to sports like hockey, pointy-ball football, baseball, and (maybe) basketball in the imaginations of its citizens. Ever. And that's OK. I've learned to accept that and live with it. I admire your optimism and it's nice to dream big, but let's be realistic. I admire my optimism too!!! Really though, I hear everything you´re saying. However, look at history man. Baseball is on the decline. Hockey will slowly receed even here in Canada (which is truly a great tragedy, no matter how much the Leafs suck). Look at how quickly things can change, especially in an country like Canada. In 20 years from now Cricket could be bigger than baseball. Soccer has huge momentum behind it. I don´t see any reason why we should be comparing ourselves to Europe either, especially since there´s every other country in the world to use as a comparison. The facts are soccer popularity is proven in Toronto and it´s growing. We need a bigger stadium. MLSE can easily afford it. Unfortunately I´m not smoking anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 quote:Originally posted by earlimus The facts are soccer popularity is proven in Toronto and it#65533;s growing. We need a bigger stadium. MLSE can easily afford it. You should maybe draw a distinction between soccer's popularity and the popularity of MLS. TFC relative to soccer's latent potential as a spectator event is a bit like the Argos relative to an NFL team. If it were somehow possible to have an English Premiership or serie A team in the GTA, I don't think it is unreasonable to suggest that a 60,000+ seat stadium at Downsview Park would be needed in much the same way as what would happen with an NFL team. In an MLS context, I suspect 30,000 would be the upper sensible limit right now and beyond that MLSE would definitely be risking losing the season ticket culture that is in place at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earlimus Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 ^^^^ I agree. I also agree with what was written before (by Jeffery I think) that we´d be the only big stadium in the league, which would be difficult to do. However, I think that MLS´s future is secure and that it will continue to grow in certain markets (and enough markets) to support more fan attention. It will slowly get better. Also, our national team will slowly get better as well, thereby gathering more support for the national team. So we could fill this huge stadium by next year? No, probably not. But that´s not reason why the Voyaguers shouldn´t start putting the screws to MLSE and get the ball rolling on the issue. The bright light at the end of the tunnel would help put more attention on the game. One other big point I think: Toronto is perhaps the greatest city on the continent at supporting absolutely **** teams in great numbers. I mean, if the Leaf´s can still after 40+ years of mediocracy fill their arena without so much as breaking a sweat, I think that TFC could hope for a similar mindset. Let´s face it, the Raptors and Jays (usually) don´t exactly overachieve either. And before anyone says soccer isn´t the same as hockey here, I realize that, but all signs point to that it one day will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawel Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Whither Canada Wow, can I have some of whatever it is you're smoking? You want what? A 60,000 seat soccer-specific stadium taking up 15 city blocks in downtown Toronto? That will look and sound just like Bernabeu? Not gonna happen in the lifetime of anyone who's currently alive I'm afraid. There are any number of reasons why this will never happen, but the big one is that soccer culture, and the impetus it provides to drive the collective will to construct a stadium like the one in your dream, is ingrained in the European DNA - there is simply no competition to the sport's popularity in Europe. Whereas, here in Toronto and the rest of North America, soccer will never, ever catch up to sports like hockey, pointy-ball football, baseball, and (maybe) basketball in the imaginations of its citizens. Ever. And that's OK. I've learned to accept that and live with it. I admire your optimism and it's nice to dream big, but let's be realistic. Just becareful when you say never when making arguments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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