[News] CalgaryNEXT Announcement. New arena details emerge.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by shogged

There are more minor soccer players in Calgary than minor hockey, plus the price level of MLS is very family friendly. If you can work the schedule so you're not competing with the stampeders, I really don't see a problem with the team operating here.

I think the hold back will be MLS and their desire for soccer specific stadiums.

Get it ready for MLS size, have a PDL or NASL team play there if possible, and test the market. Get Calgary involved in the Amway Canadian Championships for exposure, and get that rivalry going with FC Edmonton. Heck we already have the Foothills SC, and it's in a league that is considered the developmental league for MLS, including winning games this year against the Timbers and Whitecaps U-23 teams.

There's just never been a stage for a pro soccer team to perform on; hopefully this could be it.

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by jmac98

It was a feature story on Global News two nights ago.

Anyway, I'm not here to argue. Bridge is great.

Sorry all, didn't meant to ruffle feathers.

There's nothing on the Global News Calgary website. Are you talking about the vandalism repairs?

[hockey.modern]

Originally Posted by jmac98

It was a feature story on Global News two nights ago.



Anyway, I'm not here to argue. Bridge is great.



Sorry all, didn't meant to ruffle feathers.

What's wrong with the bridge?

[Finger Cookin]

There's been some vandalism on it recently. So, you know, it's crumbling, falling apart, and unsafe for use. I think.

[jmac98]

Originally Posted by Finger Cookin

There's nothing on the Global News Calgary website. Are you talking about the vandalism repairs?

It was in the same story as that, talking about the corrosion and how the floor is lifting etc.

Folks, I again apologize. My initial line was a joke about building something ugly and calling it art to get a dollar % from the city. It was meant in jest, and I was thinking of the blue ring when I wrote it. Someone else associated my reply to the candy cane bridge, and I responded in kind since I don't find the bridge terribly appealing - but tried not to undermine the fellows opinion citing art is subjective. This then reminded me of the news story a few nights ago about how the bridge is breaking down and needing upkeep in only 3 years.

Sorry all, I didn't mean to steer things off course.

[Finger Cookin]

Off course is what CP does and takes pride in.

[Cambardi]

City accepting bids for repair work on Peace Bridge.

http://www.newstalk770.com/2015/08/1...-peace-bridge/

[Looch City]

No one is asking the important questions here:

Will the arena be accessible via redundant pedestrian bridges?

[hockey.modern]

Originally Posted by Cambardi

City accepting bids for repair work on Peace Bridge.

http://www.newstalk770.com/2015/08/1...-peace-bridge/

Repair work as in vandalism and cracks.

[Violator]

Originally Posted by Iggy City

No one is asking the important questions here:

Will the arena be accessible via redundant pedestrian bridges?

From the images I have seen they are actually doubling the number of pedestrian bridges

[Cambardi]

Completely agree. However I believe this may be what Tyler was referring to.

[hockey.modern]

I just hope the district plans will also include a revamp of the roadwork for Crowchild and Bow Trail. With the bottleneck already I can't see the traffic with 2 top-end facilities in the area as well. That would be terrible traffic in that area.

[krazycanuck]

I was looking at some friends photos from a concert at the Saddledome tonight and noticed the scoreboard was dismantled. Is this something they're doing to allow heavier loads To be secured to the roof for concerts during summer? Seemed odd that the frame was there but all the scoreboard panels were off. Or they're replacing things with the latest and greatest... Which is also weird to sink a bunch of money into something like that if they think they'll be in a new rink in a few years.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Late to the discussion, but does an amateur sports field house need to be downtown? Placing it where McMahon Stadium currently sits makes sense to me (the University can also utilize it).

[#-3]

Originally Posted by troutman

Calgary is a small market in North America (Twin Cities twice as big):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._North_America

So Calgary is 59th on the list.

It's 3-4 years out of date, Calgary is offically 20% larger now. probably having passed about 4 Canadian/American Cities on the list.

There are 17 cities ahead of Calgary on the list that are not in the US or Canada.

Calgary is already the ~38th largest city in Canada/US and still has one of the fastest growth rates among those cities. It's pretty reasonable to think we will be at or near the top 30 in 8-10 years.

Assuming MLS wants to follow the model of top tier North American sports they will probably aim to end up around 30-40 teams eventually. Calgary will never have a NBA, MLB, or NFL team. So 60% of the competition for top tier team sports is out of the question in this market

The MLS is already starting to develop a strong Western Canadian division, largely due to the other two cities sharing many of the same factors.

Really there is no reason to believe that Calgary isn't the prefect type of city, (especially if they build an indoor stadium capable of supporting live grass, like Las Vegas). We will have to see what it looks like, but Muta's post lead me to believe that The Calgary Flames Entertainment Group feel it is worth there while to prepare to bid on an MLS franchise.

[corporatejay]

Sorry but PDL won't work here, NASL might if it's marketed as a 'get our feet off the ground to get an MLS team down the line" type thing, but there is no way you're going to pack in thousands for what amounts to third tier soccer in North America (which is already second/third tier soccer).

[morgin]

Originally Posted by krazycanuck

I was looking at some friends photos from a concert at the Saddledome tonight and noticed the scoreboard was dismantled. Is this something they're doing to allow heavier loads To be secured to the roof for concerts during summer? Seemed odd that the frame was there but all the scoreboard panels were off. Or they're replacing things with the latest and greatest... Which is also weird to sink a bunch of money into something like that if they think they'll be in a new rink in a few years.

Could just be some maintenance work on the panels. Some were starting to burn out/go bad.

[hockey.modern]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Late to the discussion, but does an amateur sports field house need to be downtown? Placing it where McMahon Stadium currently sits makes sense to me (the University can also utilize it).

Doesn't need to. I would assume McMahon would now be solely used for the Dino's and University use while the field house will be for the new Stampeders facility and public use

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Late to the discussion, but does an amateur sports field house need to be downtown? Placing it where McMahon Stadium currently sits makes sense to me (the University can also utilize it).

If the Flames are selling this, they will say this could service both Universities in Calgary. 10 minutes or less from both campuses for 90% of the day, there is about an hour every day when 10 minutes would be pretty hard from MRU.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by hockey.modern

Doesn't need to. I would assume McMahon would now be solely used for the Dino's and University use while the field house will be for the new Stampeders facility and public use

McMahon will be torn down in that case. The Dinos as sole tenant would be a major money drain.