IS MOSAIC IN THE MIX?
City touted as ‘hub’ should CFL play this year
There is a lot hubbub about hub cities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The buzz is connected to if and when the 2020 CFL season kicks off.
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said last week that the start of the schedule has been pushed back to September, but didn’t rule out cancelling the season outright.
If the season proceeds, the concept of CFL teams playing games in two Canadian cities instead of their home stadiums has been floated. Regina and Winnipeg are reportedly among the front-runners to serve as hubs because the Prairie centres have the fewest reported cases of COVID -19 among CFL cities in Canada.
“Look, there are a lot of themes being bantered about,” Ambrosie said from his home in Burlington, Ont. “There are cities that are being considered, but it would be unfair for me to identify one or another. There are several cities that are being considered as we do the analysis and we’re nowhere close to reaching any kind of decision.
“There are a lot of boxes that have to be checked and there’s a lot of analysis that needs to be done before we can really reach any decisions.”
It sounds as if there needs to be discussions between the CFL and the centres in which the hubs could be located.
Tim Reid, president and CEO of Evraz Place, said he hasn’t had any formal discussions with the CFL regarding Regina as a hub city.
However, Reid has had some talks with the Saskatchewan Roughriders — who call Mosaic Stadium home — about the hub city model.
Reid added there have been more discussions about having the stadium operational if the green light is given to a 2020 season than about being a hub city.
Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said he’s had only informal talks with the Riders regarding the hub city scenario and none with representatives at the CFL level.
“There are a lot of hills to climb with this,” Fougere said. “First of all, would it be with fans or not? What about transporting people to the hub city and how would that work? How much financial support would be needed?
“We’re a fan-driven league, unlike the NFL and others, and we need people in the seats to make it worthwhile. I don’t know how that works in relation to what our chief medical officer might say as well.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is open to the concept of Regina being a hub city.
“It would have to be safe for all involved,” Moe told reporters during his daily COVID -19 briefing on Thursday. “It has to be safe for the players and safe for all the associated team members that would be involved and likely wouldn’t include fans in the near future.”
Sportsnet’s Arash Madani reported that a hub-city model being pondered would involve splitting the nine teams between two centres, like Regina and Winnipeg. Teams from the east would stay in Winnipeg and the west squads would be in Regina.
All games would be played at Mosaic Stadium or Winnipeg’s IG Field, with teams travelling between the centres by bus.
Teams would be sequestered in their respective hotels and isolated from anyone outside of their organizations. Testing and strict guidelines would also be in place to restrict the spread of the coronavirus.
“I’ve shared a handful of conversations on this and all of them have literally been conceptual at this point,” Reid said. “There’s nothing there that I would suggest feels like a plan. It feels like interesting conversation right now.”
Reid still feels the multi-purpose facilities at Evraz Place, including Mosaic Stadium, would be in a prime position to serve as venues for a hub city.
“I absolutely think it’s feasible because we flip the facilities around often,” Reid said. “What I feel less confident in is I’m not sure that I understand the public health timelines. Obviously, public safety has to be our highest priority."
There are aspects to Evraz Place that would be attractive to the CFL if Mosaic Stadium were to be considered as a venue.
There’s plenty of practice space within the Affinityplex, which has an indoor turf field across from Mosaic Stadium. The International Trade Centre is large enough to accommodate any additional training facilities that may be needed. The Co-operators Centre also has locker and meeting rooms that could be utilized.
Evraz Place has the capabilities of serving meals to large groups, which is another check in Regina’s favour.
Away from Evraz Place, there are artificial turf fields at the University of Regina and Leibel Field and even in Moose Jaw, which could accommodate practices for a number of teams.
The sequestering of teams would mean an influx of people into Regina hotels, which are looking for a boost after a spring and summer with empty rooms.
“We’ve got a bunch of hotels right now that need the business.” Reid said. “We also have a lot restaurants that are starting to open up and caterers that are looking for what recovery does look like. It also comes at a time in our community where some added positive business, positive external image and brand awareness is really important.”
Access for players and staff living in the United States could be an issue because the border between the United States and Canada remains closed to non-essential travellers until at least June 21.
According to a representative with the Canadian Border Services Agency, athletes will be allowed to come into Canada if they have their proper work visas.
However, any person coming into Canada would have to enter the mandatory 14-day quarantine. How would the teams in hub cities house and feed those players and staff members while they are under quarantine?
“There are still a number of things that we’ll have to figure out before we even get remotely close to making a decision,” Ambrosie said. “For the moment, there are a lot of really smart and passionate people working on the analysis. I’m trying to stay out of their way, to be supportive and encouraging.”
There are a lot of hills to climb with this. First of all, would it be with fans or not? MAYOR MICHAEL FOUGERE