Quote:
Originally Posted by elly63
Owner, stadium, fanbase. Without them no team.
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Owner - there are billionaires in NB. There is actually more old family wealth in NB than NS, but, I don't get the impression that any of them is that interested in risking their fortune on a CFL team. Scott McCain and Robert Irving do have QMJHL teams, but, this is a less expensive and less risky venture. I know the Moncton Wildcats are profitable. I have no information on the Sea Dogs.
Stadium -
Le Stade Croix Bleue Medavie at l'Universite de Moncton does not cut it as a football stadium. It is shy of 10,000 seats, the majority of which are bleacher style, lacking basic amenities, and is saddled with an athletic track. UdeM tends to treat the stadium as a fief, and would be unlikely to support conversion to a public football stadium. A Moncton team would require a 20,000 seat purpose built stadium with ample parking located well away from the university campus. This would likely cost about $250M.
Fanbase - Football is very popular in Moncton, only slightly less than hockey. The entire eastern conference of the NB High School Football League is located in greater Moncton and nearby Sackville - seven teams total. Some high school games (homecoming games and playoffs) can generate crowds of up to 5,000 spectators. As an outsider who moved to Moncton, it was quite a revelation to see how passionate the local fans are. All three of my sons played high school football, with my youngest named to Team NB and playing in the Football Canada Cup in London ON. He is now the special teams coordinator for Moncton High School.
So, a local fan base most definitely exists. What may not exist is the population base. The Moncton CMA is now just shy of 200k. This is not enough. I am under no illusion that we would see thousands of Saint Johners and Frederictonians making their way to Moncton every two weeks to watch games. I imagine the base minimum population needed to support a CFL team is likely 300-350k. Maybe check back in 50 years time.......
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Meanwhile, significant challenges also exist for Halifax. An ownership group does not exist, and probably the only way a team could be financed is if it was community owner with shares sold on a wide basis to the Halifax population. I am convinced (having lived in Halifax for nine years), that the fanbase in HRM is not as passionate as the one in Moncton. This is of course made up for by the fact that Halifax is 2.5x the size of Moncton. Still, it could be a struggle to get 25,000 bums in the stands, especially if the team is struggling. Finally, there is no football specific stadium in Halifax, and the city is financially strapped and unlikely to want to participate in funding the construction of such a stadium. The province is similarly uninterested. A community owned team would not be sufficiently capitalized to build a stadium on it's own.
Final verdict - there will be no Maritime CFL team, at least for 20-25 years.
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