Why expand BMO Field? At this moment in time it seems almost absurd. The idea of investing $105 million dollars into a stadium that doesn’t even reach full capacity as it is seems quite illogical at first glance. Sadly, as much as the news has been dedicated to Toronto FC and how much this “Bloody Big Deal” deserves a Premier League style home, according to MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment) executives, it really has more to do with anything but the Reds – or even soccer in general.
As Canada’s national football ground, BMO Field has hosted the 2007 Men’s U-20 FIFA World Cup as well as countless matches for both men’s and women’s squads. Canada’s largest city however, won’t have a part to play in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup due to Toronto being the host city of the Pan Am games, which in itself is a shame due to official ruling.
BMO Field Reno Is Less About TFC, More About Money
Much talk has been held over whether Toronto will host an NHL Winter Classic in the coming years since the event was first held in Edmonton as the Heritage Classic a decade ago – by expanding BMO Field, this gives MLSE the venue to host it as the Rogers Centre cannot open its dome in winter. In the very announcement of their three-part plan, it was stated that phase three involved the expansion for the possible use of the field by the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL as their agreement with the Rogers Centre, home of the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays, is expiring and will not be renewed – they are converting to real grass.
What does this mean for BMO Field? For starters, the implementation of artificial turf fibres to be mixed in with real turf and the potential removal of the south end stands – where Toronto FC’s supporters have sung their hearts out since 2007, through all the disappointment that has been TFC save for the opening months of this season. The expansion of BMO Field is just like the “Bloody Big Deal” campaign in the sense that much has been made about the “new” – masking the fact that Toronto FC ranks only higher than the Toronto Marlies on MLSE’s priorities.
On the bright side to all of this, at least supporters of Toronto FC will finally have the opportunity to attend a match without fear of being wet. The immediate concern for all is if the Reds can successfully continue their march back into playoff contention, as only then perhaps will it be possible to pack a stadium of 30,000 people. A city can claim it has the nicest stadium, but what use would it be if it were empty?
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