CFL commish in Halifax as expansion rumours swirl
HALIFAX — The Canadian Football League’s commissioner will be in Halifax Friday, for what’s expected to be a morale booster to those hoping the city will gain a professional team.
Randy Ambrosie issued a news release noting the league has made the Nova Scotia capital the sole non-franchise city on his national tour.
He’ll be holding a public town hall in a large hotel ballroom in the city’s downtown at noon on Friday.
The league has confirmed it has been in talks with a “professional, enthusiast i c and impressive” group of prospective owners rallying for a Halifax franchise.
No spokesperson for the league was available Thursday, but a press release stated that Maritime Football Limited “has sparked the imagination of having a 10- team league.”
“There is still lots to do, but the group is working hard to make the dream a reality. I’m here because I want our fans in Halifax and across Atlantic Canada to know they are an important part of the CFL family,” Ambrosie said in a statement.
One economist who studies the Canadian sport industry says Halifax’s major hurdle remains the issue of who will pay for a stadium that can house over 30,000 fans.
Moshe Lander of Concordia University says a solid plan for a stadium that includes taxpayers’ support will need to be in place before a professional team can set up in Halifax.
“Where are you going to put a CFL team if you don’t have a stadium?” he said. “A stadium is critical.”
Bruce Bowser, a businessman backing the bid, said during a CTV interview last week that Lansdowne Park in Ottawa is one model for the Halifax bid. The concept would entail a mixture of apartments, restaurants, shops and other real estate developments mixed in with the stadium, he said.
“All of our discussions have been around building not just a stadium, but a development that incorporates a stadium. ... All of our discussions have been around, how do you bring a team, a stadium and a development to a city like Halifax,” Bowser said during the television interview.
He also said public money will be required, possibly from “all three levels of government,” but didn’t provide a specific figure other than to note stadium price ranges can go from $ 50 million to $ 250 million.
Lander said recent trends have seen most football stadiums built or re- developed in the centre of cities, and it’s unclear what suitable land is available on the Halifax peninsula.