[News] Flames/Stamps New Arena Part Of World Cup Bid in 2026..

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Wake up from the fantasy. No government on is going to pony $100s of millions to build stadiums to host a two week tournament for a sport that no body cares about.

Public money is FINITE. There's just no way this passes the sniff test.

What do you call the Olympics then? Almost every Olympic event has less of a following than Soccer, yet it passes the "sniff" test.

[cam_wmh]

So many silly comments about Soccer being disliked, yet it's the most played sport in Canada.

More than hockey.
More than gridiron.
More than baseball.
More than lacrosse.


I'll prep the structure for rebuttal:
"oh but those aren't real athletes, they're just out for a Sunday stroll"

[Vulcan]

What were people smoking when they came up with this idea? The Winter Olympics idea is a little out there as well but possible. If I was the Flames management, I'd be embarrassed that this is out there as a possible way of getting a new sports complex.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

So many silly comments about Soccer being disliked, yet it's the most played sport in Canada.

More than hockey.
More than gridiron.
More than baseball.
More than lacrosse.


I'll prep the structure for rebuttal:
"oh but those aren't real athletes, they're just out for a Sunday stroll"

Its the most played sport because it is dirt cheap for kids to play and the feild the kids play at is ususlly down the street. You can play a whole childhood worth of soccer for the price of a single hockey season. Once the kids hit club soccer (after community) the number of kids continuing falls dramatically. Once you hit 16 its almost non existant.

If all you needed to play hockey was a pair of shoes and a modest registration fee the number of kids playing would be off the charts.

Soccer is the most accessable sport for parents to put small children in but its clearly nowhere near the most popular.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Wake up from the fantasy. No government on is going to pony $100s of millions to build stadiums to host a two week tournament for a sport that no body cares about.

Public money is FINITE. There's just no way this passes the sniff test.

lol. I'm not even a soccer fan but that might be one of the dumbest things on the forum lately.

Well done.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

What were people smoking when they came up with this idea? The Winter Olympics idea is a little out there as well but possible. If I was the Flames management, I'd be embarrassed that this is out there as a possible way of getting a new sports complex.

The Winter Olympics isn't out there at all.

A World Cup of Soccer bid is a country bid, not just Calgary. Maybe a little out there but certainly possible. One of the most successful World Cups ever (still is?) was America in the early 90's. You can bet Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal would become massive destinations for the games.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

The Winter Olympics isn't out there at all.

A World Cup of Soccer bid is a country bid, not just Calgary. Maybe a little out there but certainly possible. One of the most successful World Cups ever (still is?) was America in the early 90's. You can bet Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal would become massive destinations for the games.

I said the Winter Olympics is a little out there but possible. The thing is I haven't heard any other serious organization in Calgary pimping for it. Probably the soonest it could happen is 2030. That's a long wait for a new pro sportsplex.

As for the WC, we'd need what 8 new stadiums with grass surfaces. The only one I know of that meets this criteria is in Edmonton. The costs would be monumental.

[nik-]

Why is Tinordi so angry?

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by nik-

Why is Tinordi so angry?

Teenage angst.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by nik-

Why is Tinordi so angry?

He has no patience for right or wrong opinions.

[J epworth]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I said the Winter Olympics is a little out there but possible. The thing is I haven't heard any other serious organization in Calgary pimping for it. Probably the soonest it could happen is 2030. That's a long wait for a new pro sportsplex.

As for the WC, we'd need what 8 new stadiums with grass surfaces. The only one I know of that meets this criteria is in Edmonton. The costs would be monumental.

Why would we need 8 new stadiums? Has there ever been a World Cup where every single stadium was newly built for the tournament? Again look at 1994 World Cup in the US, the main stadium a 100 year old stadium, the Rose Bowl, they also had games at the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, in Stanford. All old stadiums.

The only thing that would need to change is they would need to make sure the stadiums were fitted with grass for the games, and not that crappy temporary solutions they tried in Vancouver when Man City came, but grass that would last a few months at least.

What are they doing for the Women's World Cup anyways when it comes here? Are they putting in grass, or letting BC Place and others keep their turf? At least Commonwealth is grass still already.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by RyZ

Its the most played sport because it is dirt cheap for kids to play and the feild the kids play at is ususlly down the street.

Right, we agree that's the reason why it's the most popular sport on the planet.

You can play a whole childhood worth of soccer for the price of a single hockey season. Once the kids hit club soccer (after community) the number of kids continuing falls dramatically. Once you hit 16 its almost non existant.

Actually, all sport participation drops off as a whole at 15, and as a whole sport participation has been decreasing for the past 25 years in this country.

The only sport that has been growing has been soccer, albeit at a nominal 1% over the past 20 years.

For adults, the only sport that is played ahead of soccer for both sexes, is golf.
CUSA? Fusion? Calgary Sport & Social? -- hardly non-existent.

If all you needed to play hockey was a pair of shoes and a modest registration fee the number of kids playing would be off the charts.

Soccer is the most accessible sport for parents to put small children in but its clearly nowhere near the most popular.

You're still mentioning the financial implications of soccer. The affordability is part of the draw-yes, but are you suggesting this as a negative factor to it's attraction?

[nik-]

popularity is gauged by dollars spent per player, you didn't know?

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I said the Winter Olympics is a little out there but possible. The thing is I haven't heard any other serious organization in Calgary pimping for it. Probably the soonest it could happen is 2030. That's a long wait for a new pro sportsplex.

As for the WC, we'd need what 8 new stadiums with grass surfaces. The only one I know of that meets this criteria is in Edmonton. The costs would be monumental.

The Ravens replaced their artificial turf a few years ago, for $1m. Grass costs, are similar.

I don't think $2m to install grass, then replace to turf after the season is over, is a monumental cost.

[dino7c]

lol adult source ads on the sun page...high class

[nik-]

Originally Posted by dino7c

lol adult source ads on the sun page...high class

Aren't they targetted?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Wake up from the fantasy. No government on is going to pony $100s of millions to build stadiums to host a two week tournament for a sport that no body cares about.

Public money is FINITE. There's just no way this passes the sniff test.

Public money is finite? Yeah it may be but how do you explain the new football stadium in Winnipeg, Regina, Ottawa, Edmonton arena, etc. It's there whether you choose to believe it or not. You are like what 16? What do you know about government that hasn't been taught to you in Grade 10 social studies? A lot of us here have been voting longer than you have been alive.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Vancouver Olympics had construction budgeted in at $603 million.

For that much money you could easily build three new buildings from scratch. That doesn't include any private investments into new buildings in the cities.

Obviously you'd need buy in from host cities, which means you have a greater pool to raise money from.

It's possible and the financials are there. But like anything it has to be done right.

The arguments against considering hosting the World Cup, or thinking it's a pipe dream have more to do with an individual not liking soccer than the numbers as the stats are there.

[nik-]

Maybe a World Cup Bid murdered Tinordi's father. We should be more sensitive.

[djsFlames]

I'm actually pretty sure there will be more watching the Brazil world cup than there were watching the Sochi games. Just cause you may not appreciate the sport as others do, it's still far, far bigger than we could ever realistically hope for hockey to become.