This pic is a couple of weeks old. I would imagine the lines have been painted on by now. Looks like the stadium in Ottawa is nearly ready to go. Then there's Hamilton...

 

 

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqRgvgNIAAAWGuF.jpg:large

That's a great lookin field!

Too bad it's 24,000 instead of 33,000 like ours.

I think for Ottawa that 24k is a good number.

 

Don't understand why the CFL isn't bigger in Montreal & Ottawa. I can understand Southern Ontario as they feel they are NFL material but Ottawa & Montreal clearly aren't. They should be routinely able to draw 27-30,000 every game & have bigger stadiums. 

 

 

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqRgvgNIAAAWGuF.jpg:large

That's a great lookin field!

Too bad it's 24,000 instead of 33,000 like ours.

I think for Ottawa that 24k is a good number.

 

Don't understand why the CFL isn't bigger in Montreal & Ottawa. I can understand Southern Ontario as they feel they are NFL material but Ottawa & Montreal clearly aren't. They should be routinely able to draw 27-30,000 every game & have bigger stadiums. 

 

 

Ottawa doesn't support any sports teams consistently and their CFL teams have been awful since the late 1970s.

 

I visited my friend from Ottawa last summer, and we drove by their beautiful baseball stadium and got into an argument about the quality of independent baseball.  They had two independent teams and a intercounty team since they lost their AAA team but Ottawa wouldn't support them because they weren't affiliated with MLB, even though indy ball is 50x more entertaining than having a AA team (which some people have been angling for, getting the Blue Jays affiliate) where your players move through all the time and your manager has zero control over who plays, who stays who goes.  Indy ball you can actually build a winning franchise, like the Goldeyes, and not be stuck developing players for someone else.  They wouldn't even give the indy ball teams a shot.

Ottawa is similar to Calgary in that if it isn't the NHL no one cares. 

Ottawa is similar to Calgary in that if it isn't the NHL no one cares. 

 

Ottawa is the only Canadian team that doesn't sell out all of their NHL games too.

That field should have been built three or more years ago. So sad it was held up by a bunch of idiot goofballs. Some people just need to get a life.

 

Ottawa is similar to Calgary in that if it isn't the NHL no one cares. 

 

Ottawa is the only Canadian team that doesn't sell out all of their NHL games too.

 

and if the flames stick to being a bad team you'll be seeing some empty seats in the saddledome as well. Ottawa is just a weird town for sports, they just don't seem to really get behind anything. Calgary is a band wagon town plain and simple. 

That and alot of people move there from elsewhere for government supported/funded/related jobs.

 

Ottawa has alot of commuters as well.

 

 

Ottawa is similar to Calgary in that if it isn't the NHL no one cares. 

 

Ottawa is the only Canadian team that doesn't sell out all of their NHL games too.

 

and if the flames stick to being a bad team you'll be seeing some empty seats in the saddledome as well. Ottawa is just a weird town for sports, they just don't seem to really get behind anything. Calgary is a band wagon town plain and simple. 

 

OTT supports the 67s. but yes, passion is rare there. How they got an NHL team defies logic.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqRgvgNIAAAWGuF.jpg:large

That's a great lookin field!

Too bad it's 24,000 instead of 33,000 like ours.

I think for Ottawa that 24k is a good number.

Don't understand why the CFL isn't bigger in Montreal & Ottawa. I can understand Southern Ontario as they feel they are NFL material but Ottawa & Montreal clearly aren't. They should be routinely able to draw 27-30,000 every game & have bigger stadiums.

Ottawa doesn't support any sports teams consistently and their CFL teams have been awful since the late 1970s.

I visited my friend from Ottawa last summer, and we drove by their beautiful baseball stadium and got into an argument about the quality of independent baseball. They had two independent teams and a intercounty team since they lost their AAA team but Ottawa wouldn't support them because they weren't affiliated with MLB, even though indy ball is 50x more entertaining than having a AA team (which some people have been angling for, getting the Blue Jays affiliate) where your players move through all the time and your manager has zero control over who plays, who stays who goes. Indy ball you can actually build a winning franchise, like the Goldeyes, and not be stuck developing players for someone else. They wouldn't even give the indy ball teams a shot.

I respectfully disagree with you that independent ball is more entertaining. While you are right that Indy clubs have the freedom to build their own franchise, the quality of players that affiliated ball brings to the park every night is a way bigger draw than the continuity of a bunch of hacks. With affiliated ball you have the all the best young prospects working their way up, add in relevant vets and the odd star rehabbing and you create major interest.

The attendance was bound to fall and hit rock bottom, just compare the attendance of independent and affiliated ball across North America. Winnipeg is an odd case where independent baseball thrives. We are a very unique city in that regard... Our market is huge for Indy exclusivity.

I would have to say often times that AA is the better ball high prospects with a lot less career minor leaguers, especially pitchers. 

I would have to say often times that AA is the better ball high prospects with a lot less career minor leaguers, especially pitchers.

Coming from a baseball geek (I not only subscribe to MLB.TV but I also have MiLB TV, I watch a lot of minor league baseball) AAA is not better than AA. AA has WAY more career minor leaguers by far. Yes there are lots of prospects in High A and AA, but AAA has just as many, and they are always that much further along in their development. Plus a lot of the other guys are fringe players and many of them could play in the big leagues if there was more roster space.

Ottawa looks good, small but good, good for Ottawa. What works for them don't necessarily work for us and vice versa. No way Hamilton is down on time, last time i checked their progress, the field wasn't even started to being laid at all, like no prep work, that in itself will take a good month or month and a half to complete.

 

Perhaps Hamilton should look at playing in the Maritimes, Never understood why they didn't last year, it would have been a good test for that market, see if they can support a team. 

Stadium looks great!  Wouldn't have minded if they had added an extra 4 - 5 rows in the lower deck to bring it up another 1000 - 2000 seats or so and bring it closer in scale to the size of the opposing stands.  But that's quibbling over minor details.

 

Saw an article a few weeks ago regarding Ottawa's historical support of pro and amateur sports.  Stated that due to the large number of government offices in the region compared with cities of similar size like Edmonton and Calgary that Ottawa tends to draw lower numbers for live events.  The government can't buy season tickets nor can they purchase the suites.  Since there are fewer corporate head offices (even less than Winnipeg) in the city they have to rely on the general public to buy the majority of the seats or at least moreso than in comparably sized cities.  Public obviously won't have as much disposable income for those high end seats and suites and as a result you get empty seats.

 

It doesn't help that the arena is way out in Kanata and is too big for the team - 20,000 capacity with 150 suites.  I'm sure if they built something in downtown Ottawa with 18,000 seats and 75 or so suites and a bunch of loges (more appropriate for the market size) it would sellout on a consistent basis.

 

I would love to see AA baseball in Winnipeg.  We could easily support it and the quality of play is a step up from the American Association - an added benefit.  Thing is, it's a bus league and there are no teams even remotely close to Winnipeg.  So unless there is a move to establish AA teams in places like Fargo, Regina, Saskatoon, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, St. Cloud then it's a pipedream. 

The reason we won't ever have affiliated ball back in Winnipeg is the travel for teams. If you look at the map of any affiliated league there is no way they are gonna want to travel the distance to Winnipeg.

Even if there were a few teams close, there's still going to be way too many too far..

It's a bummer.

That and alot of people move there from elsewhere for government supported/funded/related jobs.

 

Ottawa has alot of commuters as well.

 

I'm not a big fan of answers like this, cuz fact is... Winnipeg has lots of people who move here from elsewhere too. Every city has people who move there from other places. Ottawa is no different than Winnipeg in that regards. We all have constant streams of immigrants coming to our cities to live and work. Fact is, Ottawa just isn't that big of a sports town, sens don't sell out EVER, like never, in reality their arena should be the size of ours cuz thats what the consistently draw in Kanata. 

RedBlacks locker room

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bq7SPksCAAAwbfN.jpg:large

 

Testing out the lights

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bq_zMZ3CcAAmdKQ.jpg:large

 

 

Just have to sod the end zones, it looks like. I'm not a fan of the wood facade on the new grandstand but whatever, I guess. If I was in charge, I'd have wanted the money put elsewhere on fan comfort inside the stadium or for a few more extra seats. 

Thanks for posting. I wonder what that building is overlooking the stadium?

What's the world on Hamilton?

I heard it was condos

Thanks for posting. I wonder what that building is overlooking the stadium?

Condos

man is the first game there going to be interesting, I used to live 2 blocks away on Fulton avenue and it will be tight getting people through there.  It is such a gorgeous area though and has so many great little pubs and restaurants on Bank street.  I do envy that there is stuff around it instead being on an isolated land island in the middle of suburbia..... 

 

Thanks for posting. I wonder what that building is overlooking the stadium?

Condos

 

Watch, some people will buy into that place & complain about noise & congestion after the first game they experience