mr.x
May 22nd, 2005, 10:01 AM
Campbell open to replacing B.C. Place
Stadium may be torn down after 2010 Olympics are overBy GRANT KERR
Friday, May 20, 2005 Page S7
VANCOUVER -- B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell easily caught a football lobbed his way by the Grey Cup festival chairman yesterday and didn't drop the ball when the idea of a possible new sports stadium was broached.
Campbell indicated he would gladly consider a new stadium after the 2010 Olympics, when the domed B.C. Place Stadium may be demolished. It is to be used for opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Games.
The Premier and his Liberal government were re-elected Tuesday, with the next provincial general election scheduled for 2009.
B.C. Place opened in 1983 as a state-of-the-art indoor facility and has been home field for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. The 2005 Grey Cup game will be staged at B.C. Place on Nov. 27.
The Lions are extending their leasing arrangement with B.C. Pavilion Corp., a Crown corporation that operates B.C. Place, through the 2010 season.
The Vancouver Whitecaps played soccer at B.C. Place after it opened, but now perform outdoors at the smaller Swangard Stadium in suburban Burnaby. Ownership is anxious to develop another stadium with about 15,000 seats.
Organizers for this year's Grey Cup already have sold more than 33,000 tickets for the CFL championship game, mostly to Lions season-ticket holders, event general manager Scott Ackles said, with sales to the general public to begin tomorrow.
Because of high real-estate values in the downtown area, especially in trendy Yaletown next to the stadium, there have been suggestions that B.C. Place would be torn down and the property sold following the Olympics.
"If we need to do better for both the football club and the soccer club, we'll look at doing that," Campbell said after attending a news conference called to announce five premium sponsors of the Grey Cup festival that's been dubbed Party on the Pacific.
"The soccer team [and] the football team have been saying maybe it's time to renovate, improve or build a new stadium," Campbell added. "The CFL is great community entertainment."
The Lions played outdoors at Empire Stadium from 1954 to 1982, often in showery conditions. Since moving indoors to B.C. Place, it has rarely rained during CFL games. B.C. Place seats 59,400 for football games.
B.C. team president Bob Ackles would like the Lions to remain at B.C. Place for the foreseeable future.
A new artificial field surface will be installed before the first Lions game next month. B.C. Pavilion purchased the FieldTurf from Olympic Stadium in Montreal for about $1-million and will levy a $1 surcharge on every Lions ticket to help pay for it.
"I talked with the government when I first came back to town [in 2002] and was told the recommendation was to take the stadium down," Ackles said. "Unlike some people, I think this is a heck of a stadium. It hasn't got a bad seat.
"It needs some upgrades in the concessions and in the sound system. I'm sure that's going to happen before the Olympics."
John Les, provincial Minister of Small Business and Economic Development, indicated the government is aware of discussions concerning possible redevelopment of the stadium property.
"But there is absolutely nothing in terms of any firm plans at this point," Les said. "There is no consensus that has developed around that whole topic. But it should be interesting to see how things unfold between now and the Olympics.
"Beyond that, it's an interesting question that, collectively, the people in the sports and development community will have to look at to see what the options are."
Les remembers attending CFL games at Empire Stadium in the Vancouver East End and often sitting in the rain. He finds it ironic that some people now want to sit outdoors at football games because B.C. Place can be hot and humid during midsummer games.
"Clearly, from a real-estate perspective, the land at B.C. Place is a pretty pricey piece of real estate," Les added. "Demolition costs, however, are substantial, too. And then you have to replace the site and facility.
"There are a whole lot of factors there that I have not wrapped my head around and neither have many others involved in this."
Last week in Toronto, plans for a new outdoor stadium at York University were scrapped after the Toronto Argonauts pulled out of the project, electing to remain indoors at the Rogers Centre downtown.
Soccer Canada wanted the proposed stadium to be the focal point of the world under-20 youth championship in 2007. That focus now shifts to Edmonton and the natural grass of Commonwealth Stadium.
Some of the under-20 games will be played in the Vancouver area and Victoria. Swangard Stadium barely seats 6,000 and that's why Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot is eager to develop a larger stadium for soccer.
Meantime, Ackles and his staff have another 26,000 tickets to sell in order to reach a sellout for the next Grey Cup. The Lions participated in the 2004 Grey Cup in Ottawa, losing to the Argonauts.
B.C. Place has proved to be a multipurpose facility and usually has about 200 event days a year, dominated by trade and consumer shows.
It was the first covered stadium in Canada and has an air-supported dome. The roof is 10.25 acres of Teflon-covered fibreglass.
This year's Grey Cup festivities will include the resumption of the Grey Cup parade in downtown Vancouver. It will be televised nationally, organizers said.
The content of the halftime show during the championship game has not been disclosed, but it's likely to be a popular Canadian singer with appeal to young fans.
The premium sponsors of the Grey Cup festival will be Save-On-Foods, Sports Action lottery, Bank of Nova Scotia, Molson Canada and the Vancouver Sun, Grey Cup committee chairman Dennis Skulsky said.
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This is awesome news! Definetely "colossal" according to another article in the Sun when the Premier wants to do it.
Stadium may be torn down after 2010 Olympics are overBy GRANT KERR
Friday, May 20, 2005 Page S7
VANCOUVER -- B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell easily caught a football lobbed his way by the Grey Cup festival chairman yesterday and didn't drop the ball when the idea of a possible new sports stadium was broached.
Campbell indicated he would gladly consider a new stadium after the 2010 Olympics, when the domed B.C. Place Stadium may be demolished. It is to be used for opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Games.
The Premier and his Liberal government were re-elected Tuesday, with the next provincial general election scheduled for 2009.
B.C. Place opened in 1983 as a state-of-the-art indoor facility and has been home field for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League. The 2005 Grey Cup game will be staged at B.C. Place on Nov. 27.
The Lions are extending their leasing arrangement with B.C. Pavilion Corp., a Crown corporation that operates B.C. Place, through the 2010 season.
The Vancouver Whitecaps played soccer at B.C. Place after it opened, but now perform outdoors at the smaller Swangard Stadium in suburban Burnaby. Ownership is anxious to develop another stadium with about 15,000 seats.
Organizers for this year's Grey Cup already have sold more than 33,000 tickets for the CFL championship game, mostly to Lions season-ticket holders, event general manager Scott Ackles said, with sales to the general public to begin tomorrow.
Because of high real-estate values in the downtown area, especially in trendy Yaletown next to the stadium, there have been suggestions that B.C. Place would be torn down and the property sold following the Olympics.
"If we need to do better for both the football club and the soccer club, we'll look at doing that," Campbell said after attending a news conference called to announce five premium sponsors of the Grey Cup festival that's been dubbed Party on the Pacific.
"The soccer team [and] the football team have been saying maybe it's time to renovate, improve or build a new stadium," Campbell added. "The CFL is great community entertainment."
The Lions played outdoors at Empire Stadium from 1954 to 1982, often in showery conditions. Since moving indoors to B.C. Place, it has rarely rained during CFL games. B.C. Place seats 59,400 for football games.
B.C. team president Bob Ackles would like the Lions to remain at B.C. Place for the foreseeable future.
A new artificial field surface will be installed before the first Lions game next month. B.C. Pavilion purchased the FieldTurf from Olympic Stadium in Montreal for about $1-million and will levy a $1 surcharge on every Lions ticket to help pay for it.
"I talked with the government when I first came back to town [in 2002] and was told the recommendation was to take the stadium down," Ackles said. "Unlike some people, I think this is a heck of a stadium. It hasn't got a bad seat.
"It needs some upgrades in the concessions and in the sound system. I'm sure that's going to happen before the Olympics."
John Les, provincial Minister of Small Business and Economic Development, indicated the government is aware of discussions concerning possible redevelopment of the stadium property.
"But there is absolutely nothing in terms of any firm plans at this point," Les said. "There is no consensus that has developed around that whole topic. But it should be interesting to see how things unfold between now and the Olympics.
"Beyond that, it's an interesting question that, collectively, the people in the sports and development community will have to look at to see what the options are."
Les remembers attending CFL games at Empire Stadium in the Vancouver East End and often sitting in the rain. He finds it ironic that some people now want to sit outdoors at football games because B.C. Place can be hot and humid during midsummer games.
"Clearly, from a real-estate perspective, the land at B.C. Place is a pretty pricey piece of real estate," Les added. "Demolition costs, however, are substantial, too. And then you have to replace the site and facility.
"There are a whole lot of factors there that I have not wrapped my head around and neither have many others involved in this."
Last week in Toronto, plans for a new outdoor stadium at York University were scrapped after the Toronto Argonauts pulled out of the project, electing to remain indoors at the Rogers Centre downtown.
Soccer Canada wanted the proposed stadium to be the focal point of the world under-20 youth championship in 2007. That focus now shifts to Edmonton and the natural grass of Commonwealth Stadium.
Some of the under-20 games will be played in the Vancouver area and Victoria. Swangard Stadium barely seats 6,000 and that's why Whitecaps owner Greg Kerfoot is eager to develop a larger stadium for soccer.
Meantime, Ackles and his staff have another 26,000 tickets to sell in order to reach a sellout for the next Grey Cup. The Lions participated in the 2004 Grey Cup in Ottawa, losing to the Argonauts.
B.C. Place has proved to be a multipurpose facility and usually has about 200 event days a year, dominated by trade and consumer shows.
It was the first covered stadium in Canada and has an air-supported dome. The roof is 10.25 acres of Teflon-covered fibreglass.
This year's Grey Cup festivities will include the resumption of the Grey Cup parade in downtown Vancouver. It will be televised nationally, organizers said.
The content of the halftime show during the championship game has not been disclosed, but it's likely to be a popular Canadian singer with appeal to young fans.
The premium sponsors of the Grey Cup festival will be Save-On-Foods, Sports Action lottery, Bank of Nova Scotia, Molson Canada and the Vancouver Sun, Grey Cup committee chairman Dennis Skulsky said.
-----------------------------------------------
This is awesome news! Definetely "colossal" according to another article in the Sun when the Premier wants to do it.