2018 CFL Season

[itom 987]

It's about time we saw a rendering of a CFL stadium in Halifax.

[q12]

The Rick Howe Show on News 95.7 is reporting the CFL has a news conference scheduled next week to announce the CFL franchise is a go (2020-2021), stadium will be in Dartmouth Crossing, the province will build a connector between highway 102 and highway 118, team naming contest to come.

Grey cup will be played in Halifax sometime in the franchises first 3 years.

[MonctonRad]

I hope you're right, but that's a lot to accomplish by 2020/21.

As I noted on the stadium thread, I think the current proponents are more promoters/hucksters than they are a serious management/ownership group. I think they are undercapitalized and desperately need additional private investors and government support.

I hope this pans out, but I remain guarded in my optimism.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by q12

The Rick Howe Show on News 95.7 is reporting the CFL has a news conference scheduled next week to announce the CFL franchise is a go (2020-2021), stadium will be in Dartmouth Crossing, the province will build a connector between highway 102 and highway 118, team naming contest to come.

Grey cup will be played in Halifax sometime in the franchises first 3 years.

This is a lot more than I would have expected at this point in the game.

Fingers crossed.

[esquire]

As much as I want to believe, I share the same reservations as MonctonRad. The CFL can ill afford another false start in Halifax, it has to be done right this time.

[TimB09]

I'm soooo hoping this happens but like others have said, I hope it's done right.

How reliable is this Rick Howe show?

[q12]

Originally Posted by TimB09

I'm soooo hoping this happens but like others have said, I hope it's done right.

How reliable is this Rick Howe show?

It's reliable, he's reporting this from more than one source. He's hoping to interview Mayor Mike Savage at noon atlantic time about it.

http://www.news957.com/

Listen Live:
http://player.news957.com/

[VANRIDERFAN]

The commissioner will be in Halifax on the 23rd on his cross Canada CFL Tour.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/01/30/ambros...-plus-halifax/

We'll likely see something solid by then.

[q12]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

The commissioner will be in Halifax on the 23rd on his cross Canada CFL Tour.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/01/30/ambros...-plus-halifax/

We'll likely see something solid by then.

This is when the press conference is scheduled in Halifax.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I believe almost none of the radio story at this point.

[q12]

https://twitter.com/natnewswatch/sta...22372220014592

[esquire]

Originally Posted by q12

https://twitter.com/natnewswatch/sta...22372220014592

That's just a tweet repeating your earlier comment. Let's get some credible league sources to weigh in on this.

[TimB09]

Originally Posted by q12

It's reliable, he's reporting this from more than one source. He's hoping to interview Mayor Mike Savage at noon atlantic time about it.

http://www.news957.com/

Listen Live:
http://player.news957.com/

Guess we'll find out more soon here.

The timing with Ambroise there does make sense to make an announcement. It's been a very quiet endeavour so maybe things have happened behind the scenes and people have been able to keep their mouths closed on it.

[q12]

More information from the 12pm hour on The Rick Howe Show:

-They are confident in the multiple sources.
-News conference in Halifax at 12:30pm Friday February 23rd and will have the Grey Cup there.
-Stadium will be privately financed, and construction will start in September in Dartmouth Crossing.
-Halifax Mayor was caught off guard by the story during phone interview (he had just landed at the Halifax airport from Ottawa).

Sounds like cat was let out of the bag early, but we find out in a week, should be exciting for us here in Halifax that have been waiting for an eternity to get a proper stadium and a CFL team.

[esquire]

Not to be too cynical here, but what are we supposed to make of the rendering? Is the prospective ownership group going to just build off the San Diego blueprints?

That much end zone seating makes a bit of sense in soccer, not quite so much in football... especially in the CFL where the field is so big and endzone views so mediocre.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by q12

More information from the 12pm hour on The Rick Howe Show:

-They are confident in the multiple sources.
-News conference in Halifax at 12:30pm Friday February 23rd and will have the Grey Cup there.
-Stadium will be privately financed, and construction will start in September in Dartmouth Crossing.
-Halifax Mayor was caught off guard by the story during phone interview (he had just landed at the Halifax airport from Ottawa).

Sounds like cat was let out of the bag early, but we find out in a week, should be exciting for us here in Halifax that have been waiting for an eternity to get a proper stadium and a CFL team.

Again - I am pleased but a bit flabbergasted by all of this.

[q12]

https://www.halifaxtoday.ca/local-ne...r-visit-841457

CFL speculation ramps up ahead of commissioner visit

Two sources have told Rick Howe, that when Canadian Football League commissioner comes to Halifax next week, it will be to announce that an East Coast franchise is a go

by: Meghan Groff

Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie is in the midst of a cross-country tour.

In late January, the league issued a news release saying Ambrosie would be meeting "with fans in every CFL market in a series of town halls."

His 10-stop tour will visit all 9 cities with an existing CFL team, then wrap up in Halifax on Friday, February 23.

Two sources have told Rick Howe, a talk show host at NEWS 95.7, that when Ambrosie comes here next week, it will be to announce that an East Coast franchise is a go.

In mid-November the league confirmed talks were underway with a group looking to secure a Halifax expansion.

Howe explained to HalifaxToday.ca what information he has been told by sources who wish to remain anonymous.

"That construction will start on a stadium in Dartmouth Crossing in September, that the league has promised a Grey Cup game here within 3 years [of the team's inaugural season], that the province has agreed to build a connector between the 102 and the 118, and that the league will hold a contest to determine the team's name."

In an interview with NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show, Mayor Mike Savage said there could be some truth there, but he doesn't believe the process is far enough along to have worked out all of those details.

"I don't think the commissioner is going to announce that there's a CFL team," he said. "He may announce that he has reached an agreement with an ownership group for a CFL team, but it's all obviously contingent on a stadium being built."

As for Howe's sources stating a stadium will be built at Dartmouth Crossing, the mayor said, if that's the case, it's news to him.

"Before anything happens in terms of a stadium, they would have to come to council and put forward a plan," explained Savage. "Council would have to look at that and give that careful consideration."

Howe wouldn't say who his sources are, just that they are "people who have a connection to football in HRM."

"We'll see what happens on Friday when Randy Ambrosie comes to town," said Howe.

Listen to Rick Howe's conversation with Mayor Mike Savage:

http://pmd.news957.com/podcasts/atla...vage%20CFL.mp3

[MonctonRad]

In an interview with NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show, Mayor Mike Savage said there could be some truth there, but he doesn't believe the process is far enough along to have worked out all of those details.

"I don't think the commissioner is going to announce that there's a CFL team," he said. "He may announce that he has reached an agreement with an ownership group for a CFL team, but it's all obviously contingent on a stadium being built."

As for Howe's sources stating a stadium will be built at Dartmouth Crossing, the mayor said, if that's the case, it's news to him.

"Before anything happens in terms of a stadium, they would have to come to council and put forward a plan," explained Savage. "Council would have to look at that and give that careful consideration."

I can't believe all this is going on without the mayor knowing about this.

This is pretty bad form on the part of the prospective owners and the CFL. This places Mayor Savage in a very difficult position. It appears to me that he is being pressured big time by the CFL and the ownership group.

Also, how can they announce a Dartmouth Crossing site for the stadium??? Admittedly, it's my preferred location, but there's such a thing as due process. What about initial geological work and soil testing? How about getting approval from the PAC? Does city council have a say in this???

All bad form if you ask me........

[esquire]

TSN's Dave Naylor is saying there's no big announcement forthcoming. And he is definitely one of the most credible media sources when it comes to the CFL.

The ownership group is now in a position where if the announcement doesn't happen at Ambrosie's Halifax visit, it's going to look like amateur hour and no one is going to believe anything else they say. The stage is set.

And I trust that Ambrosie knows better than to award these guys a franchise without a stadium plan in place just so they can use it for leverage to get Nova Scotia and the HRM to build a stadium for them.

[q12]

Originally Posted by esquire

TSN's Dave Naylor is saying there's no big announcement forthcoming. And he is definitely one of the most credible media sources when it comes to the CFL.

The ownership group is now in a position where if the announcement doesn't happen at Ambrosie's Halifax visit, it's going to look like amateur hour and no one is going to believe anything else they say. The stage is set.

And I trust that Ambrosie knows better than to award these guys a franchise without a stadium plan in place just so they can use it for leverage to get Nova Scotia and the HRM to build a stadium for them.

What else would they say if the story got leaked. None of this is new information anyways. The timeline for a CFL franchise start in Halifax has been stated to be 2020-2021. Something official will have to be announced with the league and owners very soon if this stadium is going to get constructed on time.

Nobody's going to build a stadium for a franchise that doesn't exist.

Franchise announced first --> Stadium construction.