Sports in Ottawa (misc. articles/news)

[kevinbottawa]

Stupid name. They could've held a naming competition. They should let people living in the actual city, who have a connection to the city, name the team.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

The game was invented in Almonte," said CEBL CEO and Commissioner Mike Morreale

Is that ever stretching the truth. I think we all know that Dr.Naismith left Almonte to study at McGill. Then he went to the US ,became an American Citizen, and afterwards he invented Basketball. He never returned to live in Canada.

Basketball was invented in the US by an American Citizen who happened to be born in Canada. It was not invented in Almonte. Credibility is important if they want people to adopt this league and team.

[rocketphish]

Yup... from the Town of Almonte's own website:

"Born in Canada, Naismith studied physical education in Montreal before moving to the United States, where he developed basketball in late 1891 while teaching at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts."

https://almonte.com/our-history/james-naismith/

[MountainView]

Looks like the Fury have sold their USL Franchise rights to Miami FC. Price was not disclosed in the article.

I guess the Fury will not be going back to the USL. Their only hope is now the CPL.

Global News Article

[rocketphish]

OSEG unlikely to get back into soccer, Fury FC franchise rights sold to Miami

Tim Baines, Postmedia
Updated: December 11, 2019

Ottawa Fury FC’s United Soccer League franchise rights were sold on Wednesday, ironically enough to Miami FC, whose head coach and general manager Paul Dalglish coached the Ottawa club from 2016-17.

“We had a USL franchise that was not permitted to play in the USL Championship league because it was based in Canada,” said Fury FC president John Pugh. “After we announced our cessation of operations, discussions took place about our USL franchise rights and things progressed very quickly from there.”

While it seems extremely unlikely Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group will own another soccer franchise, the door seems open to being a landlord, having a soccer club — perhaps in the Canadian Premier League, play its home games at TD Place.

“We would be happy to speak to any ownership group interested in playing at TD Place,” said OSEG CEO Mark Goudie.

Fury FC’s governing bodies failed to provide the club with the sanctioning it required to play in the USL Championship in 2020. As a result, Fury FC suspended operations in early November to allow its staff and players sufficient time to find work for the 2020 season.

“We are extremely grateful to USL CEO Alec Papadakis and president Jake Edwards for their leadership and whole-hearted support during this difficult process,” said Pugh. “We’re also thankful to Paul Dalglish and his team for helping to facilitate this transaction.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/sports/soc...d-37b70f6a6828

[JHikka]

Lengthy article from James Bagnall on Ottawa sports:

https://ottawacitizen.com/business/l...ble-teams-here

A lot of good details in here, particularly breaking down the finances of each of OSEG's teams as well as previous stadium proposals prior to Lansdowne redevelopment.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Lengthy article from James Bagnall on Ottawa sports:

https://ottawacitizen.com/business/l...ble-teams-here

A lot of good details in here, particularly breaking down the finances of each of OSEG's teams as well as previous stadium proposals prior to Lansdowne redevelopment.

One paragraph in the article contains a bombshell IMHO. It is :

Nor is the issue of compromised infrastructure fully accounted for. Seven years into the Lansdowne partnership, OSEG recognizes the entire north side of the football stadium as well as the arena need replacing, and soon. The original assumption had been OSEG would be able to spend a bit each year to keep the stands and arena in good condition. That much was budgeted for, but a full replacement, which would cost tens of millions of dollars, was not. In coming months OSEG and the city will negotiate over who should bear the extra cost.

Tens of millions? It will probably cost a hundred million plus to do this. It would probably take two to three years to do it, and what do Ottawa sport teams do in the meantime? The tone of he article suggests that a new building is a necessity. The old one will not last much longer.

If such amounts of money is to be spent on a new facility , then might it not be spent moving it all to Lebreton Flats , serviced by the LRT. Then the present TD Place site could be used for something else--even condos to generate more revenue.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

One paragraph in the article contains a bombshell IMHO. It is :




Tens of millions? It will probably cost a hundred million plus to do this. It would probably take two to three years to do it, and what do Ottawa sport teams do in the meantime? The tone of he article suggests that a new building is a necessity. The old one will not last much longer.

If such amounts of money is to be spent on a new facility , then might it not be spent moving it all to Lebreton Flats , serviced by the LRT. Then the present TD Place site could be used for something else--even condos to generate more revenue.

That is a big question. I doubt the 67s would entertain another move to Kanata, so this would need to be done after a Lebreton arena.

I can't see moving it all to Lebreton for many reasons, but it seems very unlikely that they would build a junior rink beside an NHL rink (and sharing is way less than ideal). It would also require a huge investment. I could see a replacement Civic Centre/North Stands coming in under $150 million. An entirely new stadium plus arena would be a lot higher than that, not to mention a waste of the $100 million spent on the south side stands.

Maybe in 30-40 years, but not anytime soon.

[JHikka]

That's a messy situation. The 67's certainly couldn't play games while the North Stand/Arena are under renovation so they will need somewhere to play, and similar to Phil I doubt they entertain another trek out to Kanata. I'm assuming construction would affect the stadium sports as well unless the primary work is completed in the winter months and is unobtrusive, but it depends on the overall scope.

If the work on the North Stand has to happen soon I find it hard to believe that anything at LeBreton would be completed by then, and that still leaves the question of what the stadium teams do when the stadium is being renovated.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by JHikka

That's a messy situation. The 67's certainly couldn't play games while the North Stand/Arena are under renovation so they will need somewhere to play, and similar to Phil I doubt they entertain another trek out to Kanata. I'm assuming construction would affect the stadium sports as well unless the primary work is completed in the winter months and is unobtrusive, but it depends on the overall scope.

If the work on the North Stand has to happen soon I find it hard to believe that anything at LeBreton would be completed by then, and that still leaves the question of what the stadium teams do when the stadium is being renovated.

Renovation is not the right word according to the article. The tone is that the Arena and North Side Stands are beyond redemption for the long term. They need to tear it all down and rebuild from scratch.

There probably is no ideal solution to this mess, but perhaps some decent options. If they tore it all down, the new structure does not necessarily have to support the football stands. They could be free standing.

Some options I see possible.

--build a new version of the arena and football stands at Lansdowne

---move the stadium and arena to LBF and put something else at Lansdowne***

---build a new a football stand at LP, but not an arena. Perhaps put something else in a building*** behind the stands----and then OSEG and the City and perhaps some new partners build an arena at LBF.The question being , would it be an OHL or a NHL size arena.--or build the OHL 67's/Blackjacks arena at Hurdman beside the LRT station.

We need some creativity to turn a mess into a win.

*** strictly commercial stuff such as shops, offices and/or residences
----or -a field house with an indoor track and an infield that can be used for winter soccer. There seems to be a great appetite for more recreational winter soccer and those facilities that provide it bring in a great revenue stream---or something else entirely that a wise and creative mind comes up with.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

Renovation is not the right word according to the article. The tone is that the Arena and North Side Stands are beyond redemption for the long term. They need to tear it all down and rebuild from scratch.

Right, of course.

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

---move the stadium and arena to LBF and put something else at Lansdowne***

---build a new a football stand but not an arena. Perhaps put something else in a building*** behind the stands----and then OSEG and the City and perhaps some new partners build an arena at LBF.The question being , would it be an OHL or a NHL size arena.

The stadium has to remain at Lansdowne, doesn't it? Otherwise the South Stand just sits there empty. The arena seems to be the only section that can either stay or move.

[Acajack]

The south stand is almost brand new, and would make a great stadium for a USL/CPL or maybe pro rugby team if ever Ottawa gets one.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The south stand is almost brand new, and would make a great stadium for a USL/CPL or maybe pro rugby team if ever Ottawa gets one.

OSEG is talking about about bringing pro rugby in as early as 2021. They have sold the soccer franchise, but are bringing in pro basketball, baseball to the Ottawa Baseball Stadium and pro rugby. They could rent the Lansdowne field to the owners of CPL soccer for games.

It would be a pity to waste the south side stands, they are good. So put new stands on the North side, build something else on the arena site. Move the arena to LBF or Hurdman--both on the LRT.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

OSEG is talking about about bringing pro rugby in as early as 2021. They have sold the soccer franchise, but are bringing in pro basketball, baseball to the Ottawa Baseball Stadium and pro rugby. They could rent the Lansdowne field to the owners of CPL soccer for games.

Couldn't they even end up being the owners of CPL soccer themselves?

[phil235]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

We need some creativity to turn a mess into a win.

*** strictly commercial stuff such as shops, offices and/or residences
----or -a field house with an indoor track and an infield that can be used for winter soccer. There seems to be a great appetite for more recreational winter soccer and those facilities that provide it bring in a great revenue stream---or something else entirely that a wise and creative mind comes up with.

Assuming that rec soccer would be a money-maker when capital costs are included is a bit of a stretch. Remember that the arena is already rented out regularly at higher rates.

These are spectator facilities - viability is typically dependent on a primary tenant or two that can draw crowds. I think the primary issue is the funding of a new arena. Unlikely we can (partially find both an OHL and NHL rink in the same timeframe.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Couldn't they even end up being the owners of CPL soccer themselves?

They won't because for some reason OSEG despises the CPL. It's far-fetched to assume a CPL owner comes in and rents at TD Place, too. Consider that idea dead for the time being.

Still, even when they bring in a rugby and basketball team, they'll all have to relocate while the arena and north stand are being replaced, right?

[Richard Eade]

Can someone remind me of how many tens of millions of dollars the City put into renovating that building during the Lansdowne rebuild? And only a couple of years later it is in immediate need of being totally replaced? I think, maybe, that the City was not given very good and complete information at the time it was making the decision to renovate.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Can someone remind me of how many tens of millions of dollars the City put into renovating that building during the Lansdowne rebuild? And only a couple of years later it is in immediate need of being totally replaced? I think, maybe, that the City was not given very good and complete information at the time it was making the decision to renovate.

Couldn't find how much of the costs was dedicated to the north stands/arena. The total cost was $129 million, but I believe the bulk of that went to the new south side stands.

They actually didn't do very much at all to the north stands or the arena. There were the additional costs unbudgeted costs of $23 million for the structural elements, and I believe that was all the north side.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by phil235

Couldn't find how much of the costs was dedicated to the north stands/arena. The total cost was $129 million, but I believe the bulk of that went to the new south side stands.

They actually didn't do very much at all to the north stands or the arena. There were the additional costs unbudgeted costs of $23 million for the structural elements, and I believe that was all the north side.

A lot to the south side stands. They also exacavated the old field.Installed heavy cables to handle all the new audio/visual equipment they were adding. Then laid down a base and new artificial turf. They installed the huge screen at the Bank street end. They put in all new lighting on both sides of the field for night games.

As for the North Side , my memory is that they tore out all the seats and put 14,000 new ones in. They took off the old the old roof over the seating and installed a new shorter one that offers less rain protection. The huge steel beams that anchors the whole structure were deteriorating and had to be reinforced. Screens were placed inside the upper and lower concours of the football stands.
The roof over the arena was leaking an had to be replaced. When they took off he old one they found that he insulation was wet and moldy. There was a dispute as to whether the City or OSEG was responsible for the couple of million to replace the insulation. The scoreboard/clock/ screen above the ice was replaced by a new one. More screens throughout. Lots of paint.

In spite of the repairs, they are now telling us that the place is falling apart again and it probably is not worth it to try to repair it again. Hindsight is great! Hindsight says that perhaps they should have rebuilt the arena/stands at the beginning instead of spending tens of millions repairing and refurbishing them,only to realize seven years later that the partnership will have to replace the structure anyway. When people realize what is happening here, I imagine it will turn into quite a political issue. Lansdowne debate 2.0.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

In spite of the repairs, they are now telling us that the place is falling apart again and it probably is not worth it to try to repair it again. Hindsight is great! Hindsight says that perhaps they should have rebuilt the arena/stands at the beginning instead of spending tens of millions repairing and refurbishing them,only to realize seven years later that the partnership will have to replace the structure anyway. When people realize what is happening here, I imagine it will turn into quite a political issue. Lansdowne debate 2.0.

This was definitely discussed at the time, and the concern was raised. I will never find the cite, but I believe that the response was that the North Side/arena was intended to be good for 30 years. The partnership is for 30 years, so that makes sense.

So it will be interesting to see whether they mean in the short term, or if this is part of the planning for 20-years on. There is a capital replacement fee on the tickets, so presumably there is a stream of money that can be used for that.