REGINA - Multi-purpose stadium (33,000+)

[isaidso]

Regina, Saskatchewan is proposing to replace their open air (Canadian) football stadium with a new multi-purpose facility. The primary tenant would be the Saskatchewan Roughriders football team, the only professional sports team in the province.

Saskatchewan winning the 95th Grey Cup in Toronto back in 2007:


http://www.nationalpost.com/most_pop...n?size=404x272
http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/1...n?size=404x272

Due to the harsh climate on the Canadian prairie, a dome or stadium with a retractable roof is being proposed so that the facility can be used all year round. There are only 200,000 people in the City of Regina, so the $350 million cost of such a proposal represents a massive financial outlay for such a small population base. A stadium in this price range needs to accommodate other functions besides football.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders currently sell out Mosaic Stadium, capacity 30,945 seats, on a regular basis. The new facility would have from 33,000 to 38,000 permanent seats, but the ability to expand up to 50,000 so that the city can host large events like the Grey Cup (north America's oldest football championship).

The current home of the Roughriders: Mosaic Stadium


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_No9RcUMNZN...0898Regina.jpg

The new proposal

[KingmanIII]

The Riders and their fans deserve a new digs more than almost anyone else in the CFL, but I don't know if the money's there, especially in a relatively sparsely populated province such as Saskatchewan.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by KingmanIII

The Riders and their fans deserve a new digs more than almost anyone else in the CFL, but I don't know if the money's there, especially in a relatively sparsely populated province such as Saskatchewan.

Let's not forget that Saskatchewan is a fairly wealthy province, even taking into account the recession. Here are some per capita income figures for 2005. 4 years old, but still quite indicative of the relative wealth there:

Saskatchewan GDP (PPP) in 2005: $51,327
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...GDP_per_capita

It's certainly daunting financing a facility of this magnitude in a province of only 1 million people. I wouldn't underestimate the power of political will to get it done though. If the people want it, the politicians are going to make it a priority government expenditure.

Opinion polls suggest that the majority of citizens want this built. When asked if the $350 million cost is a deterrent, few said it was. The surprising part was that support for the stadium was fairly consistent throughout Saskatchewan rather than more concentrated in the City of Regina.

Football is a huge deal in that province and residents want a 'big league' stadium. Saskatchewan politicians are listening. After all, they do want to get re-elected.

[KingmanIII]

If it's what the people want, then by all means the legislature should make it happen.

This would be the crown jewel of the CFL if they build it.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by KingmanIII

This would be the crown jewel of the CFL if they build it.

Possibly. Hamilton, Ottawa, and Winnipeg might have something to say about that though.

[koolio]

If all the proposed CFL stadiums get built, I'd think that the stadium in Winnipeg and this would definitely rise above the others. I'm loving the layout of this stadium ... the playing field will be completely enclosed by stands ... considering how boisterous the fans in Regina can get, the stadium would easily have the most intimidating atmosphere in the league (especially if the roof is closed and all the noise is retained)

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by koolio

If all the proposed CFL stadiums get built, I'd think that the stadium in Winnipeg and this would definitely rise above the others. I'm loving the layout of this stadium ... the playing field will be completely enclosed by stands ... considering how boisterous the fans in Regina can get, the stadium would easily have the most intimidating atmosphere in the league (especially if the roof is closed and all the noise is retained)

I imagine it would instantly become one of the toughest and loudest places to play on the continent, not just Canada. I hope they go for 38,000 expandable to 50,000 instead of 33,000 expandable to 45,000. The Riders can fill it!

[Bobby3]

Could Regina support a soccer team to help fill in dates?

[isaidso]

I doubt there are enough people to support a MLS team, but perhaps soccer in some form. Regina is a smaller city than Green Bay and there are only 1,000,000 people in the entire province. Currently, there are just 2 significant sports teams in the city, the football team and a hockey team. Who knows though? Regina is the most sports focused population in Canada.

Regina CMA: 2006 population 194,971. Attendance figures for the significant Regina teams:

Saskatchewan Roughriders (2008) 269,965
Regina Pats (2007-2008) 116,126

Total attendance for major sports teams: 386,091
1.98 games each season for every Regina resident

[Alx-D]

I'd love to see a men's national team game played there. Those prairie boys love to wrap themselves up in the flag, we might actually get a pro-Canada crowd.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by Alx-D

I'd love to see a men's national team game played there. Those prairie boys love to wrap themselves up in the flag, we might actually get a pro-Canada crowd.

Southern Ontario is the only part of the country where getting a pro-Canada sports crowd isn't a given.

[isaidso]

Does any one know how many rows of seats Mosaic currently has in the main grand stands first deck? I was looking at it the other day. That thing is quite massive for one deck, possibly the largest in Canada.

[koolio]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Southern Ontario is the only part of the country where getting a pro-Canada sports crowd isn't a given.

That is unfortunately not true. The last international was held in Montreal and even there the majority of the support was for the opposition. I think it is the same story out in Vancouver. I think the Praries are the only region in this country where you can expect a pro-Canada crowd (in soccer that is).

[JYDA]

Originally Posted by koolio

That is unfortunately not true. The last international was held in Montreal and even there the majority of the support was for the opposition. I think it is the same story out in Vancouver. I think the Praries are the only region in this country where you can expect a pro-Canada crowd (in soccer that is).

ugh... don't remind me. I was at that game in Montreal. A 13,000 sell-out with 10,000 Hondurans

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by koolio

That is unfortunately not true. The last international was held in Montreal and even there the majority of the support was for the opposition. I think it is the same story out in Vancouver. I think the Praries are the only region in this country where you can expect a pro-Canada crowd (in soccer that is).

Oh dear! I didn't know that.

I guarantee that you'd get a pro-Canada crowd anywhere in Atlantic Canada, the North, and the BC Interior. Perhaps, it's just the big immigrant cities like Toronto, Hamilton, Montréal, and Vancouver where it's a problem? If you host a soccer game in one of those cities or close by, you're going to get lots of people turning out to cheer on the country of their birth.

Same thing happened with basketball in Toronto. It was a disaster in that all the games were 'away' games. All I can say is it's a good thing that hockey isn't a big sport in Italy, Portugal, China, India, South Korea, etc. We might get out national hockey teams booed at home. It's one thing when it happens in soccer, it was worse when it happened in a Canadian sport like basketball, but if it happened in hockey it would get very nasty.

Perhaps from now on, Toronto, Hamilton, Montréal, and Vancouver shouldn't be awarded international soccer or basketball events featuring our national team. Those tournaments should go to Canadian cities that support the home side.

[JYDA]

Toronto has turned the corner on that front. The qualifier against Jamaica was 75% pro-canada. Pretty good considering the massive Jamaican population in the city. The TFC effect really helps. However, I do agree it would be nice to get more proper venues in the maritimes and the prairies with grass. Those are still the safest bets for a canadian crowd.

[isaidso]

With Moncton putting the finishing touches on a new stadium with a grass field, I bet we're going to see an international soccer game down east in the not too distant future. In those parts, you're probably going to get a 99% pro-Canada crowd.

Maritimers are an intensely patriotic lot. There's immigration there too, but those populations aren't huge. The result is that immigrant groups seem to Canadianize far quicker and more fully than what seems to happen in places like Toronto.

[Alx-D]

I wish King George park in St. John's hosted more games. When we had a WCQ in 86 there Half of the away fans got confused and wound up in Saint John.

Anyhow, back on topic, this Rider's stadium looks great.

[isaidso]

Location proposed for new football stadium


http://www.leaderpost.com/sports/gol...n?size=620x400

[isaidso]

I found this online. Is it just someone's pet project, or is this a design proposal for the Saskatchewan Roughriders?


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_No9RcUMNZN...ylor-field.gif