[troutman]

Will the CFL be able to confirm a conditional 10th franchise in Atlantic Canada before the end of this season?

There is cautious optimism in the CFL head office. “I think they are on the right track,” commissioner Randy Ambrosie said of Maritime Football Ltd. proponents Bruce Bowser, Gary Drummond and Anthony LeBlanc. “Can they get over the goal line? I think it’s a million-dollar question and we’ll only know when we know.” He expects to know by Grey Cup week in Edmonton.

Progress is being made. Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold met with Ambrosie and LeBlanc last week to discuss possible roles for the New Brunswick city, including hosting training camp, pre-season and regular season games at Moncton Stadium while a permanent venue is built in Halifax. LeBlanc has mentioned a 25,000-seater could cost $200 million, and Halifax mayor Mike Savage said private investment has to lead the way.

Ambrosie said the Ottawa model — with the stadium at the centre of a revenue-generating football district — is a good one and should be followed.

“You don’t build a stadium, you build an entire ecosystem. You build a stadium and you build a development around the stadium because people are no longer just going to games,” Ambrosie said. “The calculus of their use of their time is not a ‘transport me to a game and then home from a game.’ It’s ‘take me for lunch and maybe some shopping and then I’ll go to a game and then after I’ll go for a drink or dessert and then I’ll go home.’”

https://maritimefootball.ca/