Bob Lenarduzzi on the Roundtable...Lions New Home?

[bcbuzz]

Hey all,

They call it 'futbol' in most parts of the world, I figured 'football' fans might be interested...

Bob Lenarduzzi is up at http://www.bcbuzz.ca, in the show "Roundtable on the Coast".

There is a huge Lions connection...as Bob discusses the new Whitecaps stadium also becoming the home of the BC Lions. We also touch on building a new stadium outside Vancouver, somewhere in the suburbs.

If it was up to you, where would the Lions call home, say, by 2011? There are quite a few viable options.

-Dave

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

This was a good episode, listened to it this morning!

[Rammer]

This was a good episode, listened to it this morning!

So that is why there have been so many hits on the Telus website this morning. 8) :lol:

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

This was a good episode, listened to it this morning!

So that is why there have been so many hits on the Telus website this morning. 8) :lol:

:lol:

[Lionheart]

If it was up to you, where would the Lions call home, say, by 2011? There are quite a few viable options.

-Dave

Beaty Street.

[bcbuzz]

Beaty Street.

By this, I assume that you'd like the Lions to stay at their current location. In a refurbished BC Place? Or blow it up and build a new stadium from scratch?

[120dB]

Why don't you ask David Braley what he thinks of moving into a 15,000 seat stadium and remaining financially viable? Would you like to spend $ 60 - $ 100 for a Lions ticket in that new stadium? Cause with less seats prices will go through the roof.

Funny how you think Bob Lenarduzzi should be speaking for the BC Lions.

[bcbuzz]

Why don't you ask David Braley what he thinks of moving into a 15,000 seat stadium and remaining financially viable? Would you like to spend $ 60 - $ 100 for a Lions ticket in that new stadium? Cause with less seats prices will go through the roof.

Funny how you think Bob Lenarduzzi should be speaking for the BC Lions.

This is not the situation. First, Bob made it clear that the Lions are currently happy at BC Place, and will remain there for at least the short-term future.

Second, the reason this issue even came up, is because the new stadium will exceed 15,000 seats...growing to 30,000, with the potential for more.

Assuming it met seating requirements, I'm sure David Braley would consider moving into a brand new, non-leaky stadium with a retractable roof.

-Dave

[Gerry]

How many retractable roof stadiums are there in the world? I know of only one. I doubt that Vancouver would become only the 2nd city to get one. The cost would be ridiculous.

So, we would be sitting in the freezing rain in October. No thanks.

BC Place is a great stadium in a great location. Put a new roof on it (same as the existing one) when the fabric wears out. Do some cosmetic changes to it if that's what people want. Serve better food, better beer.

If the soccer stadium holds 30,000 and there are only 20,000 season ticket holders, have the summer games there if that can be worked out, but give me BC Place for late October and the November games. Please.

[120dB]

Well, let's see. The Canucks moved downtown in 1995 for the reason that they wanted to be closer to the main population center and to their corporate clients. The Canucks have up until now and the Grizzlies did benefit from moving downtown.

The Whitecaps want to move their operations downtown for much the same reason, be closer to the main population center and closer to existing and possible new corporate clients.

So now the suggestion is that the BC Lions should pack up, leave downtown and move the opposite way, away from downtown and into Surrey?

Why should the Canucks, Grizzlies and Whitecaps move their operations in the direction of downtown, and the BC Lions move out of downtown and back into the suburbs from where the Canucks, Grizzlies and Whitecaps originally wanted to move out of in the first place?

Let's get some consistency in thinking here, please.

If the Canucks, Grizzlies and Whitecaps all feel their long-term financial success depends on being downtown, then let's not suggest the BC Lions are somehow better off being in Whalley

[Lionheart]

Beaty Street.

By this, I assume that you'd like the Lions to stay at their current location. In a refurbished BC Place? Or blow it up and build a new stadium from scratch?

Yes, especially as early as that. In my opinion the roof should be replaced, or fixed properly and that's it.

However, IF the dorkhead in Victoria has made some promises to his buddies and will hand them the land, and the proposal with Kerfoot grows into a large and retractably roofed stadium, that would be second choice. But it must stay downtown.

[Robbie]

How many retractable roof stadiums are there in the world? I know of only one. I doubt that Vancouver would become only the 2nd city to get one.

In the world or in Canada? Because if you are referring to the world, there are at least 20 of them with several more being built. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:R ... f_stadiums). The closest one to Vancouver is Seattle's Safeco Field.

So, we would be sitting in the freezing rain in October. No thanks.

And I don't think the Felions want to go through either what the Colts cheerleaders had to do at Dolphin Stadium at the Super Bowl by standing in the pouring rain.

If the soccer stadium holds 30,000 and there are only 20,000 season ticket holders, have the summer games there if that can be worked out, but give me BC Place for late October and the November games. Please.

A fair compromise, similar to what the Alouettes are doing with Molson and Olympic Stadiums.

[Gerry]

I didn't realize that there were that many, or even that Safeco was retractable. Interesting. Perhaps the possibility is there, in that the technology and engineering will be cheaper. Still, I doubt that we would get one. The appetite for public dollars to go into such a thing isn't there, IMO. The Lions don't have the attendance and number of dates to make a difference unless the prices went way up, and there is no appetite for that either.

We have BC Place, and I hope we keep it.

[footy]

I believe there is a misunderstanding about the type of roof of the new whitecaps stadium it wont be a retracting roof rather one that will cover the seating areas but leave the field exposed ala European soccer stadiums like the ones in the UK.

Also the Whitecaps wanted a location that would best service transit as the main option of getting fans to the stadium and the Waterfront local covers them all skytrain, bus, sea bus, RAV line and west coast express all will be a short hop away from the stadium

Dont forget that the NIMBYS dont want the stadium one item they are worried about is that it will be a white elephant in Gastown so the Caps have to design the stadium that will fit in with the area.

[Robbie]

I believe there is a misunderstanding about the type of roof of the new whitecaps stadium it wont be a retracting roof rather one that will cover the seating areas but leave the field exposed ala European soccer stadiums like the ones in the UK.

Yeah, an outdoor stadium which the majority of the grandstands and seating areas are covered with a roof. Check out the post and pictures that I made on this thread:

http://lionbackers.com/cheer/viewtopic. ... 9&start=45

Including Ottawa's Frank Clair, of the seven outdoor CFL stadiums, four of them have essentially no roof at all while three have them have very minimal, partial coverage over the higher areas of the grandstands. Empire stadium was very well covered with at least 80% of the grandstands covered. I assume the Whitecaps Stadium will have similar coverage.