[malek]

No I do realize this, the point is 20,000 people for the finals just doesn't cut it!!

yeah sure, nothing can be done about it. Toronto will make Canada look bad.

[93JC]

Yes, but that's not the point!! A NATIONAL stadium with ONLY 20,000?? Come on, give me a break, we look pathetic as a soccer nation!!

Who are you trying to kid? We ARE a pathetic soccer nation. :D

The small stadium and paltry attendance is an accurate reflection of our interest in the game (at a high level; spare me the stories and statistics of all the kiddies playing soccer).

[trueviking]

Averge attendance nationwide is 22,603 thus far.

Average attendance at Edmonton has been 28, 736 thus far despite the weak teams in our draw.

I’m sorry?.....edmonton had 2 canada games?!

I no longer blame edmonton for the pathetic way the stadium looked for our home gomes…..yes, in numbers they turned up about the same amount as everyone else.

I blame the CSA for awarding the 2 home games to edmonton…if they could have realistically expected that 30 000 people would be the best edmonton could do for canada games, then they should have played all the canadian games in a more suitably sized stadium….the fact is that playing in front of 30 000 empty seats is an embarassment and looked horrible to the world….the attendance may have been the same, but the rare opportunity for home field advantage was completely given away by having that number of people in such a large stadium….it is a blemish on the tournament that canada played in front of the third highest number of empty seats in the tournament.

I am certain that when the CSA gave the 2 games to edmonton they were hoping for better than average support, or they would not have risked a stadium with no atmosphere for our team…..it was a wasted opportunity…had they played all 3 games in toronto or ottawa, sure there would have been fewer people, but there would have been some electricity in the stadium and there may have actually been a home field advantage for canada…as it was, they might as well have been on a neutral site.

I know there was a long weekend, rain, sun, rush hour traffic, bad teams, poor starting times, no advertizing, bad organization and all the other excuses that we heard…but the fact is edmonton is the only stadium that looked bad….raw numbers being the same or not….i was hoping, as was the CSA I am sure, that edmonton would have supported canada like they did the women a few years ago and actually given our team a 12th man, home field advantage.

Have you ever seen any other soccer tournament where the home team played in a half empty stadium?....yes it was the largest stadium, but it was still half empty (and it looked more than half empty)…..it was a tragic mistake to play in commonwealth….i would take 20 000 in toronto with no empty seats instead of 30 000 in edmonton with 30 000 empty seats any day of the week.

I wathced the game at my parents place yesterday and even my mom looked at it and asked why nobody was there for a canada game?

total empty seats that each team played in front of:

congo: 97 000
austria: 68000
canada: 56 000
poland: 39 000
korea: 39 000
NZL: 38 000
gambia: 34 000
mexico: 30 000
chile: 29 000
portugal: 26 000
czech: 24 000
panama: 23 000
brzil: 19 000
USA: 19 000
north korea: 4 000
argentina: 3 000
costa rica: 0
japan: 0
nigeria: 0
scotland: 0
jordan: 0
spain: 0
uraguay: 0
zambia: 0

[trueviking]

GUARANTEED that if the final game was played either in Montreal or Edmonton there would be 55,000 people in the stands!! so having ONLY 20,000 at the U-20 World Cup Finals is quite an insult!!

why would you guarantee that 50 000 people in edmonton would show up for a final between two unknown teams when they couldnt fill half the stadium for canada games?....i bet the semi final in edmonton will look brutal too...thank goodness the final wasnt in edmonton...what an embarassment that would have been....it would have overshadowed the fact that almost every other stadium was full.

[Coldrsx]

"why would you guarantee that 50 000 people in edmonton would show up for a final between two unknown teams when they couldnt fill half the stadium for canada games?....i bet the semi final in edmonton will look brutal too...thank goodness the final wasnt in edmonton...what an embarassment that would have been....it would have overshadowed the fact that almost every other stadium was full."

i would be we would get more than toronto will...id bet commonwealth would have around 40,000 it for the final.

[trueviking]

again, it isnt about raw numbers...i am sure edmonton would get more than 20 000....i wouldnt expect more than 30 000, but even 40 000 in a 60 000 seat stadium looks terrible....BMO sold out is awesome...it looks big league and has an amazing electricity and atmosphere.....20-30 000 empty seats in edmonton would have had none of that....that has been proven twice already.

empty seats are bad...it has nothing to do with the actual number of people....victoria looked better than edmonton with 1/3 the people.

[IntotheWest]

The debate over the attendance is getting a little ridiculous...again, was there any other venue - preferably in the west (to split the 6 venues east and west evenly) - that could've been used?

As well, at the end of the day, it's those "raw" numbers that are being used to measure the success of this event...and Edmonton is obviously more than doing its part to keep those numbers up (record numbers now? Or, at least close enough).

I agree TV, that visually, the half-empty stadium doesn't look as good as the others - but really, who outside of Canadians and Congoians (sp??? :-) were really watching the Edm games anyway - at least enough to be "embarassing" to the rest of the world? Besides, this is U20 World Cup - not the World Cup...kinda like watching junior hockey compared to NHL level - big enough difference, and I think Canada has showed it definitely has interest in soccer.

Also, with Toronto's diverse cultures, I'm sure most there would rather NOT see Canada's games, but the other real footballing nations anyway.

As to the comments made about TO and its "only-seats-20000" stadium - I agree with TV that it looks fantastic. And the few games I've seen hosted there were very entertaining (IMO). The stadium will be great for MLS as well.

As for TO getting the final - hey, it is the largest city, and is better accessed by far more Canadians, and likely equally important, visitors travelling from overseas.

[WhipperSnapper]

they could probably easily add another 10000 seats in temporary stands on the north and east sides of BMO Feild if they truly wanted to - heck just move the Indy races grandstands a couple feet over

[SpongeG]

so do you think Canada was or is suited for something like this?

maybe the country is too big to try and host something like this

maybe if it was just ontario and quebec which are at least in the same time zone it might be better? give some places like london, kingston etc. some of the games - cause the world travellers could at least manage to get about for the games they wanted to see

[shappy]

trueviking, why are you taking this so personally?

It was a shame that those Canada games looked the way they did but soccer is still very much a niche sport in this country... let's not forget that. Having said that, it's too bad that Montreal or Ottawa couldn't hold the semi-final game but the organizers had to mollify the whole East-West thang.

[trueviking]

I agree TV, that visually, the half-empty stadium doesn't look as good as the others - but really, who outside of Canadians and Congoians (sp??? :-) were really watching the Edm games anyway - at least enough to be "embarassing" to the rest of the world? .
.

i agree...that is the only saving grace.

when the CSA awarded the games, they intentionally had 2 small stadia, one medium and two large.....they scheduled the appropriate games for the appropriate stadium as it is unreasonable to expect to fill a large stadium for every game...this worked very well, except in the case of edmonton who showed up to their two marquis games in about the same numbers as they did elsewhere for games not expected to draw the large crowds.

if they didnt get 2/3 of the home games i would have no problem with their attendance, but the reason they got both games in a huge stadium was because it was hoped that the stadium would be filled for these games.

the quality of the games in edmonton meant that their attendance shouild have been much higher...or they should have played them elsewhere (all 3 in toronto).

quebec city and hamilton were the two other cities trying for games....too bad the east west divide is so important.

[Coldrsx]

^support has been there... marketing could have been better, but the problem is the stadium size. They should have restricted sales to the lower bowls and capped games at 30,000...then open the top if they really needed to.

i blame organizers and ticketmaster, not the support of the city.

[SpongeG]

so i haven't been following the actual series

who is it down to ?

will commercial drive come alive for the final?

[DuffMan]

I think we need to remember that we already have the 2nd highest attendance of any FIFA U-20 ever held, and there is are still tickets being sold, so we may still become #1 attendance-wize (I think Mexico sold 1.2 million and we are at just over 1 million and counting.). That is a great achievement. So in terms of attendance and interest, I think it has already been a smashing success. The attendance in Edmonton for Team Canada was very dissapointing, I have to admit. Obviously the poor performance by Team Canada may have been a big factor. I think if Canada didn't get spanked in the first game, there might have been an improvement for games 2 and 3. I think they should have put one of the Edmonton games in Ottawa, to spread it around a bit. Ottawa would have probably sold it out.

[trueviking]

trueviking, why are you taking this so personally?



yeah, i know...i am being an ass....enuf already.

[MonkeyRonin]

After the great run by the...over 20 team, you'd think the U-20 one would at least be able to get one or two goals in, huh?

yeah sure, nothing can be done about it. Toronto will make Canada look bad.

I think 20,000 enthusiastic fans will look better than a half empty stadium elsewhere. Still, I don't see why they couldn't have just held it in the Skydome? That, or expand upon the seating at BMO beforehand.

[samne]

The U20's like the senior World Cup is more of a made-for-tv event catered to the millions watching from their home countries as opposed to 10-20k extra tickets they can sell at the gate.

A packed soccer specific stadium just looks better than a half empty multipurpose.

[IntotheWest]

yeah, i know...i am being an ass....enuf already.

I think you've brought up some good points - but, in the end, I think it could have been likely marketed better. Even if it was indeed marketed well in Edmonton, it wasn't here in Calgary...I happened to find out on the internet (maybe skyscraperpage?) that Canada was hosting this, and some games were in Edmonton - my first reaction was to drive up and watch the games...but I completely forgot about it, and it obviously fell off my radar. I just wonder how many others in AB could've - and would've - attended if it was top-of-mind.

Cold - your idea would have been the best, sell the lower bowl first, and then open the upper decks if needed.

As far as the being a "niche" sport in Canada, I think the attendance (as mentioned in several other posts) speaks for itself...nipping on the heels of Mexico's record attendance - which is 24 years old?

[Coldrsx]

what i dont understand is why there were not some associated events by the csa and fifa in each city...how about a beer garden downtown with some tents of merchandise and info etc...some interactive things that make people aware but also pumps up the excitement.

[IntotheWest]

^That is surprising that didn't happen either. I'm wondering what other countries have done to host these...

[Coldrsx]

soccer is about the atmosphere prior to and post games...not just the games. I recall being outside of a football match in ireland and it was truly amazing.

[basilbrush]

so i haven't been following the actual series

who is it down to ?

will commercial drive come alive for the final?


Round of 16 starts tomorrow. This is how things shake down.

37 11 July - 17:45 EDMONTON Austria vs Gambia
38 11 July - 19:45 TORONTO USA vs Uruguay
39 11 July - 20:15 BURNABY Spain vs Brazil
40 11 July - 20:15 VICTORIA Japan vs Czech Republic
41 12 July - 17:45 EDMONTON Chile vs Portugal
42 12 July - 16:45 OTTAWA Zambia vs Nigeria
43 12 July - 16:45 TORONTO Argentina vs Poland
44 12 July - 19:45 MONTREAL Mexico vs Congo
Quarter-finals Match Date - Time Venue
45 14 July - 14:15 TORONTO Winner 37 Winner 38
46 14 July - 17:45 EDMONTON Winner 39 Winner 40
47 15 July - 14:15 MONTREAL Winner 41 Winner 42
48 15 July - 19:45 OTTAWA Winner 43 Winner 44
Semi-finals Match Date - Time Venue
49 18 July - 17:45 EDMONTON Winner 45 Winner 46
50 19 July - 19:45 TORONTO Winner 47 Winner 48
Match for third place Match Date - Time Venue
51 22 July - 12:15 TORONTO Loser 49 Loser 50
Final Match Date - Time Venue
52 22 July - 15:15 TORONTO Winner 49 Winner 50


I can't imagine the Gambia vs Austria game here tomorrow will be a huge draw, but the Chile vs the under performing Portugal should be wild.

[Mille Sabords]

Quarter-finals Match Date - Time Venue
45 14 July - 14:15 TORONTO Winner 37 Winner 38
46 14 July - 17:45 EDMONTON Winner 39 Winner 40
47 15 July - 14:15 MONTREAL Winner 41 Winner 42
48 15 July - 19:45 OTTAWA Winner 43 Winner 44


Ottawa has been the best city and stadium so far this tournament, no question. Footy fever is high and even reporters from Buenos Aires are writing about Ottawa "it's a city that never sleeps and they're all wild for Argentina".

Barring a fluke or a disaster (if Argentina and Mexico lose we would have Poland vs. Congo), next Sunday's game will be a classic clash of the titans.

VAMOS ARGENTINA!! :tup:

[habsfan]

Another 40,000+ crowd at teh Big O for the Mexico-Congo game last night! Good turn out. Too bad we aren't getting any of the semi-final matches.

even reporters from Buenos Aires are writing about Ottawa "it's a city that never sleeps

:haha: :lmao:

Sorry dude, but i couldn't stop myself!;)

[Coldrsx]

The Portuguese team rallied in injury time with nine men on the field, playing fearless and flicking their best opportunities through the goal area. But they couldn't capitalize on their emotional play in a 1-0 loss Thursday evening in front of a pro-Chilean crowd of 24,687 at Commonwealth Stadium.
-------------------------

there were many cars out honking and with chilean flags downtown last night.

[Mille Sabords]

:haha: :lmao:

Sorry dude, but i couldn't stop myself!;)

Hey what can I say... we'll take it! This reporter landed in Ottawa for the first time in his life, and the next day was... Canada day!

[cornholio]

Yeah it sucks that there was absolutly no marketing for this event. Now im a soccer fan and I only found out about this event in january or so and made plans to go to the games at Swanguard. In then end I got busy and completly forgot about until after the Spani, Uruguay game. Unfourtunetly by then the 10,000 or seats at swanguard were all sold out so I had to resort to bringing my lader to the game which actualy turned out to be even better then paying. Funny thing was that the first game I was the only one with a ladder and 50 or so people had chairs and were all jealous...The next game there were loaders all over the place.

Regarding Edmonton there is a LA Galaxy vs Whitecaps game this year which will be held in BC place. So far there are 30,000+ tickets sold already but the interesting part is that they first started selling the lower bowels and are now bit by bit opening up more and more seats as there are more and more people willing to buy tickets. This is what Edmonton should of done which would of seluted in all the fans being evenly distributed throughout the lower seats and the games would look awsem on TV. For the upper levels they could of even covered up the seats with some sort of advertisment by laying over them a huge tarp etc.

[malek]

Mondial U-20 - Montréal
Un succès inespéré

http://www.radio-canada.ca/sports/images/2006/autres/normales/s/st/060116stadeolympique_n.jpg Le Stade olympique de Montréal

La fête du soccer s'est terminée à Montréal, dimanche, après le quart de finale du mondial U-20 remporté par le Chili 4-0 sur le Nigeria.
Le tournoi se poursuivra maintenant à Edmonton et Toronto en vue des demi-finales et des finales, une décision difficile à avaler compte tenu du succès de l'événement dans la métropole québécoise.

Grâce au travail de promotion effectué auprès des clubs de soccer de la province et des communautés culturelles, plus de 240 000 spectateurs ont passé les tourniquets du Stade olympique. C'est une moyenne d'à peu près 40 000 spectateurs pour chacun des 6 jours de compétition.

Francis Millien, président du comité organisateur de Montréal, était évidemment extatique.

« Au départ, notre objectif était de remplir le stade lors de la première journée, puis d'avoir une moyenne de plus de 20 000 spectateurs par programme par la suite. On est donc bien au-delà de nos espérances. »
Millien a tenu à remercier la ferveur des communautés culturelles pour le succès de l'événement. Il estime aussi que la popularité des matchs montréalais aura des retombées positives pour le soccer québécois, en plus d'attirer d'autres événements internationaux d'envergure dans la métropole.

« On a fait la preuve que lorsqu'il y a un stade à remplir, on peut le faire, a affirmé Millien. C'est un stade qui mériterait beaucoup plus en terme de renommée. Nous avons des installations qui permettent de grandes choses. »

Laissé pour compte?

C'est à Montréal que le mondial U-20 a connu son meilleur succès au chapitre des assistances. La ville du maire Tremblay a attiré plus de monde qu'Edmonton, qui a pourtant un aussi grand stade. Alors, pourquoi le tournoi refuse-t-il d'y tenir une demi-finale ou la finale?

Millien refuse de jeter la pierre à l'Association canadienne de soccer. « Ce n'est pas une question qu'ils nous aiment ou pas, c'est juste qu'à l'époque, nous n'étions pas candidats. Sauf que ça prouve que la prochaine fois, nous devrons être considérés. »

Millien faisait allusion à la décision de Joey Saputo, président de l'Impact, de bâtir le stade Saputo au Parc olympique plutôt qu'au Technoparc. Le comité organisateur montréalais s'était alors retrouvé dans l'incertitude en ce qui concerne l'endroit où seraient disputés les matchs.

« De ce que j'ai vu jusqu'ici, on n'aurait eu aucune difficulté à tenir la finale à Montréal, a pourtant déclaré Mustapha Fahmy, chef de délégation de la FIFA. De tous les sites que j'ai visités au fil des années, Montréal a été l'un des endroits où l'organisation a été quasi parfaite. »

[trueviking]

^yeah, its a shame that one of the semi finals will be played infront of 30 000 empty seats in edmonton when montreal has shown such incredible support....well done montreal.....now get an MLS team so i can cheer for it!

ottawa was awesome too!

from the game mentioned above:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d144/toxicwaste_10/DSC00134Medium.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d144/toxicwaste_10/DSC00133Medium.jpg

the quarter final in edmonton.....likely what the semi final will look like as well.

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9561/untitled1nt5.jpg

[trueviking]

I agree TV, that visually, the half-empty stadium doesn't look as good as the others - but really, who outside of Canadians and Congoans were really watching the Edm games anyway - at least enough to be "embarassing" to the rest of the world?.

after the round of 16, the quarter finals and soon the semi finals, i guess this argument doesnt hold true anymore.

[habsfan]

now get an MLS team so i can cheer for it!

Unfortunately that won't happen for at least three years, cause MLS gave exclusivity to the canadian market to Toronto FC for the first 3 years.

[WHISTLERINMUSKOKA]

Took this from my place 2 hrs ago.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1255/823699357_4399236ef8_o.jpg

[trueviking]

Unfortunately that won't apapen for at least three years, cause MLS gave exclusivity to the canadian market to Toronto FC for the first 3 years.


thats true...through 2009.

here is an interesting article indicating that george gillette might be interested in a team....some competition for saputo.

http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/gerry_dobson/2007/07/11/the_bottom_line/

[Mille Sabords]

Took this from my place 2 hrs ago.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1255/823699357_4399236ef8_o.jpg

I can't believe Argentina lost the Copa America. We had everyone on that team (Riquelme, Saviola, Tevez, Messi, Aimar, Mascherano) and Brazil had a second- or third-rate team. They beat us fair and square for sure... and they even came to Frank Clair Stadium with Brazil flags to taunt us in the U-20 as we played Mexico to a close 1-0 win. Gotta love Brazilians. Now they'll be on the streets dancing for 3 days.

[Coldrsx]

i am heading to the game tonight with 2 other SSP's and when i bought my tickets at 3pm they said that the majority of the lower bowl is sold out with only room on the far corners and the top bowl is 1/3 sold which means 30,000 min and 35,000-40,000 very possible.

cant wait

[Riise]

i am heading to the game tonight with 2 other SSP's and when i bought my tickets at 3pm they said that the majority of the lower bowl is sold out with only room on the far corners and the top bowl is 1/3 sold which means 30,000 min and 35,000-40,000 very possible.

cant wait

Good to hear! I would love to make the trip up for this game but unfortunately I have a class field trip. That aside, this U-20 WC has brought up two piss-offs for me.

1) No train service between Calgary and Edmonton. As someone who doesn't own a car I've been forced to rely on others to get me to the games, and it hasn't worked out so well...

2) The 5:30 MST start time. Yeah, I know the Eastern audience is huge but what's the fucking point of holding a game here if people can't make it there on time? In addition to that, Edmonton can't benefit from being close to Calgary the way Ottawa is benefiting from being so close to T.O. and Montreal. If someone in Edmonton has to leave work early to get to the game on time a person in Calgary has to leave by midday!

[trueviking]

it does suck that there is no train between calgary and edmonton....that seems like a no brainer....does calgary have a train station?

why did people from edmonton never show up to these games until half way throug the first half?....today it looked like there were 500 people in the stadium for the national amthems...that was par for the course during the entire tournament...



Smaller stadium is better

Time to downsize Commonwealth

By TERRY JONES -- Sun Media

Czech Republic players celebrate their shootout win over Spain during a Under-20 quarterfinal game at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Saturday. (Sun Media/Darryl Dyck)
At the time it seemed like a good idea. And several times since, it has been. But the time has come to downsize Commonwealth Stadium.

For both the Edmonton Eskimos and the FIFA U-20 World Cup of Soccer, the big stadium is creating perception problems which have become a negative for Edmonton's image and an environment which is less than it could be.

The timing is right to return the stadium to something resembling the 43,000-seat gem it was back when it was built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

LOOKS LIKE A DISASTER

What the world television audience is seeing from here in the U-20 World Cup looks like an unmitigated disaster.

Thousands of empty seats here are contrasted by full stadiums in Toronto, Victoria and Burnaby, where the capacities range from 19,500 to 10,000.

Edmonton drew 26,804 for the quarter-final, 24,687 for a round of 16 game and 31,579 and 32,058 for two Canada games (with half the fans unable to get into the stadium due to the ticket fiasco and rain and the Canadian team running most of them off after half time in the other game).

The event has already sold more than 217,385 tickets for eight games and Edmonton is being viewed as the one host city in Canada in which the event hasn't had fans in the stands.

The Eskimos face the same perception.

This year, in addition to putting tarps over 8,000 endzone seats and closing down an endzone bar where hundreds of people used to stand to watch a game, the Eskimos are also draping green and gold tarps over seats in the four upper-deck corners.

"We've done it to tighten up the stadium," said Eskimos CEO Rick LeLacheur.

LeLacheur knows what has happened here to some extent with 33 C temperatures and 5:45 p.m. starts for the soccer, which not only brings fans to the stadium late for mid-week games, but hot.

"People want to sit in the shade. The shade side of the stands is the west side. That's the non-TV side. The west side stands always have more fans than the TV side."

But the bottom line is the stadium is mostly just too damn big.

FLAGSHIP FRANCHISE

Back in 1982, when the Eskimos were winning five Grey Cups in a row and the city could tap into three levels of government money toward the hosting of Universiade '83, somebody got the bright idea to expand the joint to 60,000. Eskimos season-ticket numbers soared to over 50,000. It was a success.

Edmonton was the flagship franchise of the CFL.

Edmonton's Grey Cup games have attracted crowds of 62,531, 60,431 and 60,081. The Eskimos have drawn as many as 62,444 for a regular-season game and have had six crowds over 59,000.

The park was close to full for 10 days of the IAAF 2001 World Championships In Athletics. Brazil drew 54,000 in their last soccer game here prior to going south and winning the USA '94 World Cup. The stadium was sold out of tickets for the final of the ballistic FIFA U-19 Women's World Champions.

But looking back ...

"Personally I think they made a mistake back in 1982 when it was 43,000 seats," says LeLacheur.

Remember that stadium? Grass inclines in the corners and endzones to frame the field. Eye candy to TV sports viewers.

"The size of our stadium is a good thing and a bad thing," says LeLacheur.

"It really has been a really great thing on a lot of occasions. But most days it's a bad thing. So many times, it makes the stadium look empty."

The Eskimos deal with it all the time. They draw 40,000, as they likely will Friday night against Saskatchewan, and you still see a lot of empty seats.

Meanwhile Montreal sells out a 20,202 seat stadium and it's a success story.

CHEAPER TICKETS

"There has been a benefit for our fans because our tickets have been cheaper," said LeLacheur.

But he'd rather have a tough ticket. If the stadium still sat 43,000, LeLacheur is confident that the Eskimos would be sold out and events like the soccer championship would build to sellouts as the event progressed.

So much is added to the environment with a packed stadium. And there are a lot more reasons to buy advance tickets to events and Eskimo season tickets.

"Being back to 43,000 would be perfect," said LeLacheur. "It would be full every time and for most events."

But what do you do? Knock the wings off the stadium? Replace the grass in the corners and endzone?

One thing to reduce the size would to be to build the Eskimo's offices and dressing room on the north end of the stadium.

That's been looked at, but hasn't gone anywhere.

New seats are desperately needed in the 29-year-old stadium. Wider seats with cup holders would bring the capacity down. But they price out at $275 a seat and LeLacheur figures they'll have to be replaced in stages.

First, a plan is needed to downsize the stadium. It's time.

[SpongeG]

Swangard, city shines for the world

Swangard Stadium is like the kid going to the prom where visions of all sorts of potential jumps to mind when all dressed up.

The Central Park facility was expanded from 4,500 to 10,000 seats and spruced up to show itself off to the rest of the globe for the FIFA under-20 World Cup, which concluded its play at Swangard last night (Wednesday). Although the transformation required 6,000 temporary seats on the east side, its success has some thinking about its future.

“Most of us, now that we’ve seen the stadium in action for this level of activity, would like to at least see what [the stadium’s potential] would be to have an additional grandstand or permanent seating on the east side of the field,” said Kate Friars, City of Burnaby’s director of parks, recreation and culture.

She said the city is hoping to start a review process for Swangard by the end of the summer. It’s been in the works ever since the facility’s main tenant, the Vancouver Whitecaps, made it apparent they intend to eventually build their own stadium downtown.

“It’s prudent to take a look at what we want to do now and develop a 10-15 year plan for the stadium and what it will consist of,” said Friars.

But intending to start a review is as far as the concept has gone. It’s been a small blip, amongst many blips, on the city’s radar screen. If the Whitecaps do build their stadium, it will likely be in direct competition for similar events. The review, Friars said, would try to determine what marketplace they would be in and what needs they could accommodate. Action on the review is not imminent, she said.

FIFA under-20 Burnaby site organizers are ecstatic about how the tournament unfolded. All four match dates were sold out.

“We’ve captured the imagination of a lot of people in the Lower Mainland and Burnaby,” said John Rocha, site organizing committee chair.

They’ve received praise from many media outlets locally and around the world. A FIFA official said the field was the best of the six sites in Canada, for which Rocha gave credit to the City of Burnaby. FIFA also liked the north end field level luxury tent suites, an innovation by site manager Don Hardman who borrowed the idea from golf tournaments and auto races.

“They’ve (FIFA) done temporary facilities elsewhere, but none have looked as good as ours,” said Rocha. “Everybody that’s been has raved about the location, being so close to the pitch and the amenities with it. On TV it looks really, really good. That’s been something FIFA has commented on as potentially being done in other markets.”

Rocha said the free park and ride system from BCIT’s parking lots wasn’t used as much as organizers expected. Spectators were “more innovative” than organizers thought in finding places to park nearby or in taking SkyTrain.

The tournament has raised Burnaby’s profile. Organizers, said Rocha, took care not to use ‘the V word’ and always referred to the site as being in Burnaby. Telecasts were required to do the same.

“We would never be in a position to buy this much media attention,” said Tourism Burnaby director Matthew Coyne. “The profile the city is receiving is just unbelievable.”

Coyne said the Hilton and Holiday Inn hotels have been fully occupied, which has helped Metrotown retail and restaurants.

“If the hotels are full, that means retail are seeing increase in business, there will be more demand on restaurants and taxis. The whole trickle down effect,” said Coyne.

A post-event impact study will be done within a month to see how many actual dollars were spent in Burnaby because of the tournament.

http://web.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/burnaby/.DIR288/20070703101921070705-WorldCup.jpg
[I]Virginia Tomas, who's originally from Uruguay, shows her support for her team from the last row of the new temporary east grandstand at Swangard Stadium, on a perfect summer day Sunday.




http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/

Best seat outside the house

Imran Habib had the best seat outside the house.

When the devoted fan of Brazil’s soccer team couldn’t secure a ticket to Wednesday’s sold out FIFA under-20 World Cup round of 16 match between Brazil and Spain, he set up his ladder on the berm outside the fence at the south end of Swangard Stadium so he could watch the game for free. It’s not the most comfortable perch but the effort was worth it, he said.

“It’s pretty hard, but if I didn’t come here with a ladder, I wouldn’t be able to see over the fence,” said Habib, who’s from Surrey. “Since I couldn’t get into the stadium I’d be watching on TV, and that’s just like every other game.”

On the hottest night of the year, there was no shortage of ingenuity among the 100 or so passionate soccer fans, most of them cheering for Brazil, who gathered along the little grass hill amid the bushes and trees to try to peer over or through the fence to see the big game. They climbed atop ladders, they built crude scaffolds, they stood in shopping carts. For one, there was even a business opportunity.

Two minutes after arriving with a cart of plastic footstools, Jordan Winch had already rented out three at 20 bucks a pop. Shut out in his quest to get a ticket inside the stadium, he remembered the footstools in his van; they just happened to be the right height to afford an unobstructed view over the fence and into the pitch.

“Business is booming,” said Winch, between customers. “You look at buying a ticket from a scalper for 80 or 90 dollars and this is cheaper, you get a great view, great value. It’s a great place to be.”

It also felt a bit rebellious, said Sienna MacMillan as she sat on the hot pavement of the path below the berm, watching the game through a small gap in the green plastic slats the City of Burnaby has laced through the chain link fence to prevent people from being able to watch events in the stadium for free. She sat in the first row in the stadium for the tournament’s first game, but she said she prefers her somewhat obstructed view.

“You’re getting kind of a free game,” said MacMillan, who was cheering for Spain, while beside her, her husband, Shannin Metatawabin, is a fan of the Brazilian side. “The seating is better here because you have more room. When I was in the stadium I was getting kinda squished and there was always people crossing in front, so here I’m more comfortable, it feels more earthy.”

Victor Mills, from Mission, thought he’d secured the perfect viewing platform, from the branches in the trees overlooking the stadium.

“I think it will be all right,” said Mills, as he tossed cold drinks up to a friend already parked high above. “We’ll have a good view from up there, we can see the whole field.”

But his climbing coup was short-lived; Burnaby RCMP officers asked the pair to come down to protect the trees, and the would-be arbourists, from harm. Moments later, Mills’ mom, who had a ticket for the game, was trying to negotiate with Winch a discount for one of his rental stools.

By halftime, all of the stools had been let; they lined the crest of the berm like a parapet, their tenants standing tall like sentries, straining their necks, tilting their heads left and right as play moves up and down the field.

Even the tournament’s organizers couldn’t begrudge the unofficial fans their fun.

“It just shows you for high-quality soccer there’s a great audience in the Lower Mainland for that,” said John Rocha, the Burnaby site organizing committee chair. “It’s one of those things where you’d probably create more of a ruckus with security [cracking down].”

As for the score, Spain beat Brazil 4-2 in extra time.

http://web.bcnewsgroup.com/portals/uploads/burnaby/.DIR288/20070712143502070714-SoccerFans.jpg
It's the hottest ticket of the year, on the hottest night of the year, but diehard soccer fans who couldn't secure a seat inside Swangard Stadium for Wednesday's U-20 World Cup Round of 16 match between Brazil and Spain won't be denied the chance to cheer for their favourite team, even if it means straining to catch a glimpse over the fence surrounding the stadium.

[ibz]

30,000 ppl for a boring game in Edmonton tonight (...waiting for someone to post a photo of the crowd before kick off and bitch.....)

[Hardhatdan]

30,000 ppl for a boring game in Edmonton tonight (...waiting for someone to post a photo of the crowd before kick off and bitch.....)
After the first 15 mins and the 2 goals by the czechs the game went to sleep.
Highlight of the night...drinking a lot of beer.

[Riise]

why did people from edmonton never show up to these games until half way throug the first half?....today it looked like there were 500 people in the stadium for the national amthems...that was par for the course during the entire tournament...

Look at my second piss-off...

[habsfan]

Thousands of empty seats here are contrasted by full stadiums in Toronto, Victoria and Burnaby, where the capacities range from 19,500 to 10,000.

Funny how he forgot to emntion the most successful city of the tournament!

The event has already sold more than 217,385 tickets for eight games and Edmonton is being viewed as the one host city in Canada in which the event hasn't had fans in the stands.

True that it's unfair, but how's this for unfair. we get the biggest crowds(252,000 people over 6 games) in the biggest stadium, and we don'T get any canada games and no semi-final or finals games!

[malek]

habsfan, the tournament was given to Toronto, thats the thing ...be happy that we got anything:rolleyes:

[habsfan]

habsfan, the tournament was given to Toronto, thats the thing ...be happy that we got anything:rolleyes:


What do you mena the Tournament was given to Toronto? It's the U-20 in CANADA as far as I know, not the U-20 World Cup in Toronto?

Anyways, these events can never be given to ONE city, it would be impossible to have all the games in a single city, that's why they giove them to countries!

[malek]

yeah yeah, to Canada, but the CSA pushed Toronto, which was what the FIFA wanted anyways.

Don't forget that Saputo moved his stadium from downtown to the east, which delayed completition and created incertitude around Montreal's candidacy.

[caltrane74]

Make me wanna go to Uruguay...what a rack!

Edit : Imageshack hosting

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/4210/20070703101921070705worwq0.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/4210/20070703101921070705worwq0.jpg

[malek]

could you upload that rack on a photobucket or somewhere, else the filter at work is blocking it!!!! hhehehehe

[Coldrsx]

Last night a few of us decided to go to the FIFA game here in Edmonton:

wicked little tin foil sculpture left-over from the WORKS
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01262.jpg

wickedest LRT station in the world...
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01263.jpg

pretty empty
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01264.jpg

arrived
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01266.jpg

where is beer?
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01267.jpg

the pitch
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01268.jpg

hello Edmonton
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01269.jpg

our section
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01272.jpg

go team!
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01273.jpg

the rich people below us
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01275.jpg

go team!
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01278.jpg

go team!
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01279.jpg

let's go get beer
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01281.jpg

almost on the LRT
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01285.jpg

almost on the LRT...
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01286.jpg

almost on the LRT...
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01287.jpg

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01289.jpg

BYE BYE LRT...how do we get to the patio?
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01291.jpg

REAL GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x164/coldrsx/DSC01296.jpg

[caltrane74]

nice photos!!

I went to the Poland & Argentina game in Toronto last week and it was good. And the crowds were the same on our streetcars. Pure madness!!!

[zoomer]

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a more bored, depressed, zoned out group of people in my life (even on the lrt!) I guess soccer will do that do ya. The only happy faces are when the beer is being poured!

[shappy]

a great and exciting game tonight but the ref was absolutely atrocious. I guess the better team won but if I were Chilean, I'd be pissed.

[Hardhatdan]

The ref was horrid. Put a real taint on a decent game.

[trueviking]

Look at my second piss-off...

30,000 ppl for a boring game in Edmonton tonight (...waiting for someone to post a photo of the crowd before kick off and bitch.....)




here ya go...during the national anthems....

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/1606/untitled1gx9.jpg

[Hardhatdan]

here ya go...during the national anthems....

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/1606/untitled1gx9.jpg
Shut the fuck up about it already. We get it, the games weren't sold out. Woop di fucking do.

You ever get tired of running the same issue into the ground over and over again?

[shappy]

yeah seriously... shut the fuck up.

[SpongeG]

whats this about a fight? i saw a teaser on the cbc but never saw the actual news - what happenned?

[caltrane74]

I dont think the fight got captured on video.

hence you would'nt have seen it.

[hackunion]

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/0/4327/z4327610X.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/2/4327/z4327612X.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/9/4327/z4327609X.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/6/4327/z4327606X.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/4/4327/z4327614X.jpg

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/8/4327/z4327608X.jpg

[trueviking]

yeah seriously... shut the fuck up.

what...i didnt say anything....he asked when someone would post it so i did....i passed no judgement.

i was just yanking their chains....:notacrook:

[habsfan]

Shut the fuck up about it already. We get it, the games weren't sold out. Woop di fucking do.

yeah seriously... shut the fuck up.

eesh!! I thkn a few people need to take some time off from the forum! Trust me, it feels good to get away froma little while!:cheers:

[ExcaliburKid]

TV, did you even read Riise's 2nd piss off? I dont know about many other cities in Canada, but expecting a stadium to be full by 530pm on a weekday is ridiculous. I usually appreciate your insight in the Winnipeg thread, but you are doing this Edmonton bashing totally on purpose. Thank God this FIFA tourny is done here in Edmonton, I won't have to read slamming posts about my city. Never imagined you as a troll, but the proof is in the posts.

[caltrane74]

I meant the fight with the police hackunion.

[SteelTown]

http://bi.gazeta.pl/im/8/4327/z4327608X.jpg

That looks like a fight with the police to me.

[caltrane74]

They are just putting the guy on the paddy wagon.

They chilen players where "reportedly" trading blows with the police.

Here is the article.

www.thestar.com

Anger on the soccer field turned into turmoil off it Thursday night as members of the Chilean under-20 team slugged it out with police and security after a bitter semifinal loss at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

A member of the Chilean delegation was subdued by taser during the brawl, which developed as players were loading onto their team bus following their ill-tempered 3-0 loss to Argentina in the semifinal at the National Soccer Stadium near the Toronto waterfront.

A FIFA spokesman said early Friday that no arrests had been made, although the entire Chile team was detained by police at the stadium after the incident.

"All (Chilean) players have been released from custody of the police to care of the Chilean delegation," FIFA spokesman John Schumacher said.

Nathan Denette said he was outside the stadium with a fellow CP photographer when they heard grumbling then yelling near the Chilean team bus after the game.

"All of a sudden we looked over and there was a big brawl that breaks out, between four or five people," Denette said. "Next thing you know, the bus just unloads and there's eight, 10 players come off the bus and there's just fists flying everywhere, between the cops, the security guards, a couple of ladies were involved that were security.

"It looked like a big dogfight. People throwing fists and cops with their billyclubs out and then all of a sudden it got out of control and a police officer grabbed his taser gun and tasered someone – I don't know if he was a player or if he was part of the team – as soon as that happened, it got even worse."

The bus was parked at the side of the stadium, where a large fence kept hundreds of angry, chanting fans from getting closer. A tow truck arrived later to take the damaged team bus away.

"We heard this big bang . . . it was just commotion after commotion after commotion," Denette said. "Some of the players were trying to get players back on the bus. But some were furious they were trying to get back off the bus. And then they opened up the windows on the bus and were throwing things at the officers. And then all of sudden, they were trying to grab them from the inside of the bus. And it just escalated."

It was not immediately clear whether the man tasered was a player or official with the Chilean team.

Police eventually handcuffed several players, some of them bloodied and screaming, and escorted them back into the dressing room while shocked FIFA and Canadian soccer officials looked on. Several hours after the game ended, Chilean players involved in the fracas were still at the stadium.

"The players are still in the dressing room and we don't know what's going to happen next," Colin Linford, president of the Canadian Soccer Association, told The Canadian Press.

Linford said while FIFA officials were on hand, police had taken charge of the situation.

FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, held a news conference at the stadium at 1:15 a.m. shortly after the players were allowed to leave.

"The entire situation is under investigation by FIFA, the LOC (local organizing committee), the police authorities in Toronto as well as the Chilean delegation," said Schumacher.

"The Chilean players were detained by the police to de-escalate the situation that was taking place in front of the stadium," he added.

Two Chilean players were ejected during the loss. The game was an ill-tempered affair with nine yellow cards – seven to Chile and two to Argentina – in addition to the two red cards. German referee Wolfgang Stark called 53 fouls – 30 against Chile.

When the final whistle blew, several Chilean players tried to get at the officiating crew. Others stepped in to keep them away. Two police officers escorted the officiating crew off the pitch, but they stopped as they neared the tunnel, eyeing the angry crowd.

Eventually they made a run for it, dashing to the safety of the tunnel below the stands.


The post-match melee happened as reporters were elsewhere in the stadium, attending the coaches' post-match news conference.

"The players were upset. They're young players," Chile coach Jose Sulantay said through an interpreter, referring to the melee on the playing field after the final whistle. "The red card affected them.

"The coaching staff tried to calm them down, but there were upset with the ref and the red cards."

Outside security officials kept reporters at the mixed zone well away from the brawl. Reporters inside the stadium were prevented from coming outside.

Chile is scheduled to play Austria in the third-place game on Sunday before the final between Argentina and the Czech Republic at BMO Field, which has been renamed the National Soccer Stadium during the tournament because of sponsorship issues.

The brawl is a major embarrassment to FIFA, which earlier congratulated organizers for setting a ticket sales record for the tournament. The U-20 competition is FIFA's second biggest tournament, behind only the World Cup.

More details are expected at a FIFA news conference later Friday

[mr.John]

Full credit to the Toronto police in dealing with those sore loser hoods.These people think they can behave like they're back home where attacking referees is common place (in fact this happens quite often all over south America). The fact this team will be allowed to play another game on Canadian soil is a disgrace,send them packing to Pearson immediately.

[Mille Sabords]

Full credit to the Toronto police in dealing with those sore loser hoods.These people think they can behave like they're back home where attacking referees is common place (in fact this happens quite often all over south America). The fact this team will be allowed to play another game on Canadian soil is a disgrace,send them packing to Pearson immediately.

Couldn't agree more. There is a lot of history here. Chile hates Argentina (I'm going to disclose right now, I'm Argentinian). They can't bear to lose against us time and time again. This rivalry is so bitter, that Chile was actually on Britain's side during the Malvinas War (not a light diplomatic move for a Latin American country).

In this tournament, Chile played well. They had allowed no goals and were rated pretty high. They do have a good team but they were in an easy group. Their stiffest opponent was Austria, the other two were poor Canada and Congo. On the other hand, Argentina had in its group the very team they will now face for the championship - the Czechs - a hot little team, with no prior glory but who are on a roll.

Chile said before the game they were not looking up at Argentina, they saw themselves at the same level. Their media hyped it back home. On the field they got totally outplayed. They started losing their cool. Argentina toyed with them drawing fouls on beautifully executed dives and letting the Chileans get all worked up.

I know, I know, dives are not the most sportsmanlike aspect of football - just like fighting is not the most sportsmanlike aspect of hockey. But it's part of the game. If Chile had been on top of their game, they would have responded in kind. Then the officiating would have been a little more even (because FIFA does call these things). But Argentina got away with a nice one and Chile blinked.

Rushing the ref is not the best way to win favour. Fist fighting your host country's police force is not endearing to anyone. Chile should be happy to be playing for third. Their fans, though, are the South American equivalent of the British hooligans. I once saw a game on TV where Chilean fans threw a brick at a player!

[Riise]

But it's part of the game.

No, it's not. It's something that is being allowed to creep into the game. Instead of coming up with foolish ways to increase the popularity of the game Blatter should focus on finding ways to enforce the laws of the game!

Fist fighting your host country's police force is not endearing to anyone.

Or is it, using unnecessary force against players of an international football tournament you're hosting is now way to endear anyone? I haven't heard anything to rule this out yet.

[Calgarian]

I know, I know, dives are not the most sportsmanlike aspect of football - just like fighting is not the most sportsmanlike aspect of hockey. But it's part of the game. If Chile had been on top of their game, they would have responded in kind. Then the officiating would have been a little more even (because FIFA does call these things). But Argentina got away with a nice one and Chile blinked.

Fighting in hockey is all about honor, a big goon (like Derek Boogaard in Minnesota) runs your players, so the tough guy steps up and puts him in his place (like Eric Goddard of my Calgary Flames :cheers: ) http://youtube.com/watch?v=07Lk_5Ox9qk. Diving in Soccer is shameful, just like diving in Hockey. Have some dignity.

Rushing the ref is not the best way to win favour. Fist fighting your host country's police force is not endearing to anyone. Chile should be happy to be playing for third. Their fans, though, are the South American equivalent of the British hooligans. I once saw a game on TV where Chilean fans threw a brick at a player!

The Chilean media is making a huge deal out of this and wants Canada to publicly apologize, what a crock, from what I heard the cops were completely justified in their actions. People take soccer far too seriously!

On a positive note, I was impressed with Canada's play both at the U20, and the recent Gold cup. Canada is now 52nd in the world instead of the 90's where we were last time I checked.

[SpongeG]

oh gee Canada should be afraid of losing touch with chile - lol

no loss there

[Mille Sabords]

Fighting in hockey is all about honor, a big goon (like Derek Boogaard in Minnesota) runs your players, so the tough guy steps up and puts him in his place (like Eric Goddard of my Calgary Flames :cheers: ) http://youtube.com/watch?v=07Lk_5Ox9qk. Diving in Soccer is shameful, just like diving in Hockey. Have some dignity.

The Chilean media is making a huge deal out of this and wants Canada to publicly apologize, what a crock, from what I heard the cops were completely justified in their actions. People take soccer far too seriously!

On a positive note, I was impressed with Canada's play both at the U20, and the recent Gold cup. Canada is now 52nd in the world instead of the 90's where we were last time I checked.

I call dignified any thorough knowledge of the game, including its mind games. You can't fight in soccer, there have to be other ways. Don't get me wrong, I understand the role of fighting in hockey. Soccer is a different sport in many levels. And I take my hockey just as seriously. I know exactly how my Ottawa Senators lost the Cup this year. Bet they missed Chara.

And, hey about Canada - it's good to be hosting a tournament like this, with the success it turned out to be - record attendance. Will people follow Canadian-based teams playing out of the main cities (Toronto has exclusivity for the first 3 year, them Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver would be naturals). Or is soccer still too much a your-home-country type of sport here?

[Maldive]

oh gee Canada should be afraid of losing touch with chile - lol

no loss there


Pretty stupid comment. Think before you post.

[Lyle]

^ Especially since our prime minister was just in Chile signing a free trade agreement...

[habsfan]

Or is soccer still too much a your-home-country type of sport here?


I don't know what the situation is like in Other provinces, but I know that 250,000 kids play soccer in Québec. That's more than hockey!

[twoNeurons]

Argentina toyed with them drawing fouls on beautifully executed dives and letting the Chileans get all worked up.
There is no such thing as a beautifully executed dive. There is nothing beautiful about it. And really, it's not really drawing a foul if there was no foul in the first place.

I know, I know, dives are not the most sportsmanlike aspect of football - just like fighting is not the most sportsmanlike aspect of hockey. But it's part of the game.


It's not part of the game, it's an unfortunate reality and should not be encouraged nor tolerated. It calls into question the skill of the players when they must resort to such conduct in order to win a game.

Fighting is a bad comparison. In hockey, both players are sent off for fighting.

If Chile had been on top of their game, they would have responded in kind. Then the officiating would have been a little more even (because FIFA does call these things). But Argentina got away with a nice one and Chile blinked.


You are correctly, Argentina got away with one. And Chile's disgraceful conduct after the game took the heat off of the Argentine team's dives.


Rushing the ref is not the best way to win favor. Fist fighting your host country's police force is not endearing to anyone. Chile should be happy to be playing for third. Their fans, though, are the South American equivalent of the British hooligans. I once saw a game on TV where Chilean fans threw a brick at a player!

You know, in the end, it makes me sad. I can't help but think that perhaps some of this would've been avoided if games were reviewed by video judges after the fact and all diving players given one-game suspensions. Be it faking by Chile or Argentina or any team. It seems so simple. If you were faced with the prospect of missing the next game, you'd think twice about diving.

Then again, that would drastically reduce the fifa rankings of certain teams.

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but seriously, to me nothing makes me sadder than injustice. We see enough of it everyday in our lives when no one's looking to have it so blatantly broadcasted for the world to see at international sports games.