[DC83]

For the on-goings in Canadian University Athletics including the McMaster Marauders, Mohawk Mountaineers and general CIS Info that reflects Hamilton.

[DC83]

New Mac stadium to host all-star game
Dec, 11 2007 - 7:00 AM

HAMILTON (AM900 CHML) - McMaster's new Ronald V. Joyce football stadium will host the 6th annual East-West Bowl.

The game in May will showcase nearly 100 of the country's best university players.

The 6-thousand seat stadium has been under construction for the last 3 years.

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According to the CIS website, this will take place on Saturday May 10, 2008
http://www.universitysport.ca/e/story_detail.cfm?id=10166

How's that new stadium looking, Steeltown?

[SteelTown]

I'll try and get a picture. It's basically a big massive cement structure.

[SteelTown]

Stadium update from flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/epiglo/sets/72157600886658023/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2253/1990015389_9cb0db7c3a_b.jpg

[SteelTown]

Here's an update on the construction of the Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton

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Grand opening for the stadium will be September 13th, McMaster vs. University of Ottawa.

[the dude]

it looks good, though i prefer a bowl design. probably be too many seats then.

[SteelTown]

Mac's Joyce Stadium primed for kickoff
Athletic facility hosts first game on Saturday

May 06, 2008
Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator

The stands are standing, the underground parking lot waits below the field and workers are pouring bouncy grains of rubber into the artificial turf on top.

McMaster University's $22-million Ronald V. Joyce Stadium is almost ready for action.

Canada's top varsity football players started arriving yesterday in preparation for their all-star game, the East-West Bowl, which will christen the new stadium Saturday.

The players will begin practising on the new turf by Thursday, possibly sooner.

While there are still details to finish for the stadium's grand opening at the McMaster Marauders' first home football game in September, the 6,000-seat stadium -- three years in the making -- is essentially complete.

"The curtain's going up and we're working furiously behind the scenes to be sure everything is ready, but I'm confident we are going to be ready," said Therese Quigley, the university's director of athletics and recreation.

It's been a long haul.

Neighbours balked at the number of construction trucks rumbling through the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Labour disputes and wet weather delayed construction. The holdups and rising materials costs were largely responsible for a $9-million jump in the price tag, which had originally been set at $13 million.

Tim Hortons founder Ron Joyce had started the project with a $10-million gift, and most of the rest of the original amount came from other donors.

Quigley said the university is in the process of raising the $10-million outstanding balance, and she feels the total is within reach.

Finishing the stadium means more to McMaster than bringing the football team back to campus after three seasons at Ivor Wynne Stadium across town.

In combination with the adjoining David Braley Athletic Centre, it also rounds out a "transformational" $50-million upgrade to McMaster's athletics complex, bringing it to a level that rivals any school in Canada, Quigley said.

That, in turn, helps the broader university in its efforts to recruit top students, both varsity athletes who come for the combination of top coaches and facilities, and top scholars looking for the best recreation and fitness options.

McMaster's acting registrar Pat Harris said the new athletic facilities figure prominently in the impressions of prospective students and their parents as they consider their options.

"When everything else is equal in a student's mind, that can be the thing that tips the scales for them," she said.

[DC83]

^^ photo from article

http://media.hamiltonspectator.com/images/4b/35/5bd1e52c4daea933dd87d7279f2d.jpeg
John Rennison, the Hamilton Spectator, http://thespec.com/News/Local/article/364775

[the dude]

ha ha, it's weird that they took that photo at the 50-yard line and not at centre field. i guess it's just me. :slob: