CFL Stadiums and Game Day Experiences

[DanoT]

Thanks for posting that video Robbie. It gave me quite a few chuckles. The digs at Alabama and The Big Owe, being my favourites.

For me, my 2 best in stadium experiences have been at BC Place and Ivor Wynne so that makes them my faves. Big O and Skydome are the only others I've been in so I don't have any experience to rate the others.

How can Hamilton's old Ivor Wynne stadium be a fav? I grew up in Burlington and Hamilton in the 50s and 60s, so I remember when Civic Stadium was refurbished, seats added and renamed Ivor Wynne. If you want to know what Civic/Ivor Wynne stadium was like, imagine Calgary's McMahon Stadium only a lot worse.

[Lui05]

Easy answer there... I went once. I drove from Toronto to see the Lions play in 98 or 99 during the Damon Allen Era.
I found the fact that the stadium was just in the middle of a neighbourhood and you just find some street parking for free charming.
The game itself went to overtime and BC won. I had a really good time and liked the atmosphere in the stadium. The crowd was energetic and into the game, the weather was excellent.
I can totally see how that charm would wear thin if one had to go frequently for years at a time.
So having just a single experience and for that experience to be awesome is how I can put Ivor Wynn in my "good" list.
I didn't actually vote for that stadium.

[MacNews]

A popular recent thread on this forum discussed attendance, or lack thereof, in Toronto. There are many similarities between the Vancouver and Toronto markets. The conventional wisdom in Toronto was that getting out of Rogers Centre and into BMO Field under the management of MLSE would spark a resurgence in Argo attendance. It didn't happen.

Moving outdoors to the cozy confines of Empire Field during the reconstruction of B.C. Place hurt the Lions' attendance. The venue looked great on TV but the Lions only once came close to hitting capacity of 27,500 in one and a half seasons. Attendance jumped temporarily on the return to B.C. Place as curious fans checked out the building and the team capped the 2011 season with a home Grey Cup victory but many season ticket holders cancelled when the Lions moved from B.C. Place and didn't return.

B.C. Place is one of the best venues in the CFL, and by far the best in inclement weather. The Lions game-ops staff have done a good job recently of cranking up the music and creating a more positive vibe in the stadium. There's no question the Lions need to draw more fans into the building. They won't find more fans by moving to a less comfortable outdoor stadium.

Unquestionably, Vancouver and Vancouverites have changed since the Empire Stadium days. It seems to rain less during football season, summers are warmer and drier, and locals love to be outdoors. Hiking, boating, suntanning, running, walking, cycling, eating, and drinking. Thinking of opening a restaurant? You face an uphill climb to survive these days without a patio. Sorry, but people just don't want to schlepp downtown to sit indoors. It's not going to change. And with the roof opening only 100'm x 85'm (if we're lucky!), it's still an indoor venue. At best we can tarp like the Whitecaps and hope for the best.

Yes, B.C. Place is comfy in October and November, but most of the season has been played. With an outdoor venue and B.C. Place around, the club could still move indoors at playoff time as it's an "event."

I would also argue that Empire Field was a success. No plumbing in the bathrooms, no rapid transit, tight walkways, exorbitant parking fees, and most importantly, a disappointing 5-9 home record in the year and a half they played there (14-16 overall) and they still averaged 24,316 fans - 88.42% of capacity. The seats that invariably sat empty were the over-priced end-zone seats. The ones between the goal lines were virtually sold-out and everyone I've spoken with loved the experience - the tailgating, mountain views, sunsets, sightlines, proximity to the field. The only buzzkill was the crappy onfield product.

Sure, we could be like Toronto. But we could also be like Montreal who turned their fortunes around when they serendipitously discovered a new demand when they played at McGill.


DH

I disagree. Vancouverites love an outdoor, active lifestyle until it rains. This spring Vancouver was getting rain even into June and July. We know what the fall will bring.

Also parking. Vancouver has been on a mission the last 20 years to become the most hostile anti-car city in North America. It's been quite successful. Introduce some ticket and parking packages. Otherwise don't be surprised if $30-40 parking drives away some fans.

I think the answer is to improve the concession, make some foodie-friendly options. Improve the Game Day entertainment, make it an event in and of itself.

Either that, or continue to rely exclusively on the TV contract.

[Hambone]

I'm not sure what "foodie-friendly" means but there's certainly a vastly greater array of options compared to 25 years ago when it was pretty much standard burgers, dogs, fries, draft beer and pop.

[MacNews]

burgers, dogs, fries, draft beer and pop.

It's 2022 and that's still 90% the menu.

I don't have a problem with that but millennials and Gen Z love boutique/organic/exotic foods. Bud Light and $15 popcorn aren't going to excite them.

[Hambone]

burgers, dogs, fries, draft beer and pop.

It's 2022 and that's still 90% the menu.

I don't have a problem with that but millennials and Gen Z love boutique/organic/exotic foods. Bud Light and $15 popcorn aren't going to excite them.

I'm totally a meat and potatoes guy and at a stadium dogs and beer. It's been many many years since I wasted money on draft at stadiums or arenas. With a Beer Express and their 15 or 20 different traditional and craft canned beer offerings located conveniently beside the tunnel to my seats in section 213 I'm set! While most food offerings don't interest me I find it still to be quite a varied menu for a stadium. Heck the even have a kiosk with your name written all over it "Mac Bar".

https://www.smoochfood.com/2022/03/bc-p ... 2.html?m=1

[Robbie]

Good, new site summarizing the top 10 Canadian stadiums: