Lamport Stadium

[Cherry and White]

Wigan are currently playing four away games, as the pitch is being relayed.

[Sick39ed]

http://www.rugby-league.com/operational-rules-2018/#p=2

Ground regulations covered here

[Big Picture]

8 hours ago, TheReaper said:

An international federation that does what? play against themselves? It's like when Gaelic vs Aussie rules happens. Sports aren't always defined by their international bodies. All the NA sports are similar that way. The can-am football body can't tell the CFL or NFL to do jack. 

International federations coordinate and govern international competitions for a single sport.  FIFA only does that for soccer, FIBA only for basketball, etc.  National federations which affiliate with the same international federation are by definition national federations of that one sport.  The idea of national federations of different sports to the same international federation is contradictory and doesn't exist.

The AFL and GAA have no international federation as such, they are both the highest-level governing bodies of their sports.  Similar as those games are with essentially the same positions in a team and the same flow of play during a match, the differences are far greater than between the variants of brain damage ball.  So great in fact that few of the Irish players who've moved down under have made a success of the transition, yet AFL pros have their hands full when they play the GAA non-professionals under composite rules.  Neither country would ever suffer the ignominy of defeat under their own rules as Canadians did in gridiron in 1978 and 1979.

By comparison, you and I both know that without a quota there likely wouldn't be any Canadians playing in the CFL at all, and there certainly wouldn't be any who hadn't gone south to play in the US college game.  I don't expect that fact to penetrate your evident confirmation bias, but it is the truth.

[TheReaper]

Guy, I'm not arguing that the sports aren't close, in fact I even said that. I'm arguing that you're a dick for belittling something for no reason other than that it was mentioned, and a hypocrite for doing so while being on a fan forum, and presumably a fan, of another sport that has the exact same thing constantly done to it.  

[Medway Bear]

11 hours ago, TheReaper said:

From what I've heard, Rogers doesn't want to move the dome out of baseball configuration.

 

I thought it was that once they had put down the dirt infield they didn't want to keep taking it out and putting it back( maybe wrong on that), hence the need to play in February a month before baseball season starts.

[Medway Bear]

11 hours ago, SL17 said:

What are the playing field dimensions at the Dome?

Couldn't field the field dimensions for football, but there is a lot of good information on the Wikipedia site.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre

Also the lower bowl seats more to allow it to be set up differently for baseball and football.

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Medway Bear said:

Couldn't field the field dimensions for football, but there is a lot of good information on the Wikipedia site.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre

Also the lower bowl seats more to allow it to be set up differently for baseball and football.

It looks a tremendous stadium. Hopefully get there one day. The closest I ever got was Montreal,but did manage the Mile High Stadium in Denver once. Thats quite a flight to Denver from Montreal on its own.

Thanks for the link.

[ojx]

26 minutes ago, Medway Bear said:

Couldn't field the field dimensions for football, but there is a lot of good information on the Wikipedia site.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre

Also the lower bowl seats more to allow it to be set up differently for baseball and football.

I have watched soccer there, the dimensions should be fine:

It would be hard to generate an atmosphere, but that wouldn't be different from many NRL games that I see played in way too big stadiums.

[Kayakman]

3 minutes ago, ojx said:

I have watched soccer there, the dimensions should be fine:

It would be hard to generate an atmosphere, but that wouldn't be different from many NRL games that I see played in way too big stadiums.

Not a very good atmosphere, need to stick to Lamport, but some early games could be played there since it is a dome. 

[Big Picture]

1 hour ago, Medway Bear said:

Couldn't field the field dimensions for football, but there is a lot of good information on the Wikipedia site.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Centre

Also the lower bowl seats more to allow it to be set up differently for baseball and football.

If  you mean soccer there, then yes it is a tad narrow for that or either form of rugby as this picture of its CFL configuration shows.

The CFL field is 65 yards wide, so from this somewhere between 60 and 65 metres looks like the maximum width available there.  Length wouldn't be an issue though.

[Mumby Magic]

Quote

 

Apologies as not gone through whole thread. 7000 + at w/end. Possible 10 to 15% increase IF they are promoted. I feel only Wigan, Hull and Leeds will take up to 1000 fans. Still under capacity. If they move to a bigger stadium, why not for a few games to compensate.

[Medway Bear]

4 hours ago, Kayakman said:

Not a very good atmosphere, need to stick to Lamport, but some early games could be played there since it is a dome.

I wouldn't want to play there for more games than I had to, but if TWP needs somewhere to play earlier season games, it might work. Would need to look at the width issue though, about 10 yards too narrow.

[dixiedean]

10 hours ago, Sick39ed said:

http://www.rugby-league.com/operational-rules-2018/#p=2

Ground regulations covered here

Nothing I can see in there which would preclude Lamport.

Personally I'd rather see a game with a sold out 9 600 crowd, rather than 15k in a 31 000 seat arena.

 

[Tiger Wolf]

Ok I  don't post regularly but here goes.  Firstly I am all in favour of the TWP and hope it succeeds.  I have family near to Toronto so have an added interest. The comments below especially re Lamport wont be lost on the local fans as they will be fully farmiliar with the ground.

Anyway I was in town a couple of weeks ago and thought I would take a look round the ground.  To say I was underwhelmed is an understatement, basically two stands of concrete slabs on either side of the ground.  There was no sign of any advertisement for future games and no sign of a shop/ticket office, I was after a souvenir for my Son.

I appreciate TWP is still in its infancy and findings their way and good luck to them but in its current state Lamport stadium ranks with the lowest league 1 stadiums.  Good job framing the future doesn't come into play.  What the area has going it is the bars and restaurants that surround the ground and by all accounts a very healthy support.

I don' know what plans are in place for Lamport especially if TWP gain promotion but hope something is in place.  With the right promotion against the top super league sides they could maybe get in excess of 10k, especially pushing the game out to the wider Toronto community schools etc.  Look at the Bulls in their pomp when they used to give freebies out.  Those games would look good on TV over at BMO, again I don't know whether it would be be possible to play there.

A few questions for our Canadian friends.  Do most of the TWP regulars come from the surrounding district or from further afield out of the GTA? What promotion do TWP do to try to attract more fans i.e. schools, bars, sporting clubs, newspapers, tv and radio?Are there any other medium sized stadiums ie 15k that could accommodate TWP?

I know there has been a lot of talk about a team in Hamilton, NY, Montreal etc and the UK RL media are hyping this up also but IMO TWP should expand and succeed before further expansion.  I have spent time in sports bars only 30 miles out of Toronto and talk to the punters about TWP, I have yet to find one that is aware of the team unfortunately.  Maybe if I went to a bar in the city that may be different.  Interestingly watching the stanley cup in a bar whilst the Champions league final was being repeated on another tv we got talking about the world cup and one punter asked me if Toronto FC had qualified.  That about summed it up for me unless it is a north american sport the locals I spoke with knew nothing about TGG. 

Saying all that  good luck and hope to see you again playing my team but don't get 3 sent off or sin binned next time :)

[Medway Bear]

2 hours ago, Tiger Wolf said:

I appreciate TWP is still in its infancy and findings their way and good luck to them but in its current state Lamport stadium ranks with the lowest league 1 stadiums.  Good job framing the future doesn't come into play.  What the area has going it is the bars and restaurants that surround the ground and by all accounts a very healthy support.

I don' know what plans are in place for Lamport especially if TWP gain promotion but hope something is in place.  With the right promotion against the top super league sides they could maybe get in excess of 10k, especially pushing the game out to the wider Toronto community schools etc.  Look at the Bulls in their pomp when they used to give freebies out.  Those games would look good on TV over at BMO, again I don't know whether it would be be possible to play there.

A few questions for our Canadian friends.  Do most of the TWP regulars come from the surrounding district or from further afield out of the GTA? What promotion do TWP do to try to attract more fans i.e. schools, bars, sporting clubs, newspapers, tv and radio?Are there any other medium sized stadiums ie 15k that could accommodate TWP?

I know there has been a lot of talk about a team in Hamilton, NY, Montreal etc and the UK RL media are hyping this up also but IMO TWP should expand and succeed before further expansion.  I have spent time in sports bars only 30 miles out of Toronto and talk to the punters about TWP, I have yet to find one that is aware of the team unfortunately.  Maybe if I went to a bar in the city that may be different.  Interestingly watching the stanley cup in a bar whilst the Champions league final was being repeated on another tv we got talking about the world cup and one punter asked me if Toronto FC had qualified.  That about summed it up for me unless it is a north american sport the locals I spoke with knew nothing about TGG. 

Saying all that  good luck and hope to see you again playing my team but don't get 3 sent off or sin binned next time

I travel about an hour or so for games as I live 50 miles outside Toronto. I know of others that travel as far or further and also a number who travel far less.

As you say there are many things that are pluses about the area surrounding the stadium and the atmosphere at games is very good. The playing surface look really good, not sure what its like to play on though as my playing days are in the very distant past. As you say the stadium itself is dated. The understand facilities are not the best if I am being generous and a dump if I am not. Having said that, its home and it grows on you. If you don't like it, you always have a beer or 3 and it doesn't seem so bad. There is a club shop by the stadium, but I think it is only open 5 days a week and isn't obvious except on match days. As for other stadiums I think its Lamport(10k) or BMO (30k), I don't think there is much in between.

The team do well promoting the team when you think they are probably about 6th or 7th biggest team in the city. Reports are in the local papers and players have were on one of the Toronto sports radio stations last week and this. The problem is the games are not shown live on any of the major sports channels but on GameTV, which is the Canadian equivalent of Challenge TV in the UK. When they won League 1 last season it was reported on one of the major sports channel's news show. The games at Magic and The Bash were shown by one of the two major sports channels across Canada, but unfortunately it was the one you have to pay 10 pounds a month for. Hopefully IF they get promoted it will make a bigger splash.

[manu266]

2 hours ago, Tiger Wolf said:

Do most of the TWP regulars come from the surrounding district or from further afield out of the GTA?

GTA and downtown districts are well represented of course, but there is a strong block coming from areas North but mostly West of Toronto. My understanding is this is why Hamilton was proposed as a second team rather than Ottawa or Montreal.

2 hours ago, Tiger Wolf said:

What promotion do TWP do to try to attract more fans i.e. schools, bars, sporting clubs, newspapers, tv and radio?

Last year, they made sure there was a local bar showing TWP games in every corner of the GTA. I hope they do the same this year. They should try to do the same in other big Canadian cities, start promoting fan clubs everywhere including in the USA.

There are well covered in local newspapers and in one national newspaper (Globe and Mail), they send guests to one local sport radio (no radio broadcast of game though), they sponsor rugby union, league and touch events and they have started contacting schools.

What I want to know is the TV and streaming ratings, to see if the fan base is a real and strong one or if this is just a curiosity, and to see if people in other cities are interested too. I've done it several times in Montreal, asked the bar tender to tune in to a TWP game and see how people around me were reacting. Most of the time people were interested but did they follow the team after that? Hard to tell.

The fact that people in the stadium this weekend were still struggling with the rules makes me believe not a lot of people watch TWP games on a regular basis, but that's just a feeling.

2 hours ago, Tiger Wolf said:

Are there any other medium sized stadiums ie 15k that could accommodate TWP?

No, the other stadiums are either too big (Skydome, BMO, Hamilton), or too small (mostly University stadiums).

I still don't know what to make of Saturday gate numbers actually. Again I have a feeling that a lot of people were new, other new fans are coming, which would be a good sign of course and would ultimately lead to a sold out somewhere in July or in the Qualifier in September. But for a home opener again London, I was expecting more that 8000 really, so mid-July we will know if we can get that 8000 average. But for the next 2 seasons, unless Super League requires more seats, I think Lamport is enough. People will rotate anyway, a lot are coming from far away, 6 hours drive, they cannot come to every game, but other fans are taking their spots.

[Krzzystuff]

1 hour ago, manu266 said:

unless Super League requires more seats, I think Lamport is enough.

Salford and Widness have been posting attendances between 2-3K regularly i believe so our 6-10K will be just fine for SL.

Upgrading Lamport would be the best option due to it's prime location but i don't have to sign the cheques for it. having said that Argyle has been quoted a few times saying he would much rather have a smaller crowd with an more intimate atmosphere than selling out BMO and loosing the beer festival with a rugby game in the middle feel...my words not his at the end.

[kiyan]

1 hour ago, Krzzystuff said:

Salford and Widness have been posting attendances between 2-3K regularly i believe so our 6-10K will be just fine for SL.

Upgrading Lamport would be the best option due to it's prime location but i don't have to sign the cheques for it. having said that Argyle has been quoted a few times saying he would much rather have a smaller crowd with an more intimate atmosphere than selling out BMO and loosing the beer festival with a rugby game in the middle feel...my words not his at the end.

Widnes and Salford fell into the trap of believing the RFL who stated that as a min stadium had to hold 12k, with TV facilities a X VIP seats,  so they moved to new stadia they did not own, but complied with the RFL criteria.

Some other clubs ignored the RFL, stayed in the old depreciated stadium they owned and made money from bars etc, the RFL ignored there own rule and crippled a few SL clubs who complied with the instruction. So TWP should spend as little as possible on facilities/grounds and put it all into players as that is the only thing the RFL measures and ignore all statements they make about ground requirements.

 

[Damien]

5 hours ago, Krzzystuff said:

Salford and Widness have been posting attendances between 2-3K regularly i believe so our 6-10K will be just fine for SL.

That shouldn't be the aim or aspiration though just because a couple of clubs currently in Super League are going through a very hard time and getting poor attendances. Toronto should certainly be aiming towards the 10k range and above and the likes of Warrington, Saints, Wigan and Leeds than the struggling clubs who perhaps may not even be in Super League in a few years. 

[Spidey]

3 hours ago, kiyan said:

Widnes and Salford fell into the trap of believing the RFL who stated that as a min stadium had to hold 12k, with TV facilities a X VIP seats,  so they moved to new stadia they did not own, but complied with the RFL criteria.

Some other clubs ignored the RFL, stayed in the old depreciated stadium they owned and made money from bars etc, the RFL ignored there own rule and crippled a few SL clubs who complied with the instruction. So TWP should spend as little as possible on facilities/grounds and put it all into players as that is the only thing the RFL measures and ignore all statements they make about ground requirements.

 

Widnes didn’t move anywhere. They sold their ground to the local council circa 1996 and let them develop it to the specifications layed out when SL was created. Which was relaxed years later after relaxations were made by the RFL

[GUBRATS]

On 12 June 2018 at 8:24 AM, Cherry and White said:

Wigan are currently playing four away games, as the pitch is being relayed.

As are Leigh due to pitch maintenance , however this doesnt have a potential detriment to their opponents due to travel , whereas with the distances involved with toronto , it could have , that is the issue

[CanadianRugger]

10 hours ago, manu266 said:

GTA and downtown districts are well represented of course, but there is a strong block coming from areas North but mostly West of Toronto. My understanding is this is why Hamilton was proposed as a second team rather than Ottawa or Montreal.

Last year, they made sure there was a local bar showing TWP games in every corner of the GTA. I hope they do the same this year. They should try to do the same in other big Canadian cities, start promoting fan clubs everywhere including in the USA.

There are well covered in local newspapers and in one national newspaper (Globe and Mail), they send guests to one local sport radio (no radio broadcast of game though), they sponsor rugby union, league and touch events and they have started contacting schools.

What I want to know is the TV and streaming ratings, to see if the fan base is a real and strong one or if this is just a curiosity, and to see if people in other cities are interested too. I've done it several times in Montreal, asked the bar tender to tune in to a TWP game and see how people around me were reacting. Most of the time people were interested but did they follow the team after that? Hard to tell.

The fact that people in the stadium this weekend were still struggling with the rules makes me believe not a lot of people watch TWP games on a regular basis, but that's just a feeling.

No, the other stadiums are either too big (Skydome, BMO, Hamilton), or too small (mostly University stadiums).

I still don't know what to make of Saturday gate numbers actually. Again I have a feeling that a lot of people were new, other new fans are coming, which would be a good sign of course and would ultimately lead to a sold out somewhere in July or in the Qualifier in September. But for a home opener again London, I was expecting more that 8000 really, so mid-July we will know if we can get that 8000 average. But for the next 2 seasons, unless Super League requires more seats, I think Lamport is enough. People will rotate anyway, a lot are coming from far away, 6 hours drive, they cannot come to every game, but other fans are taking their spots.

I drove three hours to the match on Saturday and was also at the Swinton match.  The $25 ticket with $6 beer make this a very cheap event.  I grab an AirBNB and just enjoyed the weekend in TO with the wife.

Lots of people know about the Wolfpack, I know a tonne of people who ask about them and they are developing a loyal fan base.  Are they the Jays, Raptors or Leafs?  No, but in a decade they could easily be as big as TFC or the Argos.

Keep Lamport, slowly upgrade it over time to a 15k seater stadium which is about the size you need for Rugby.  Keep the excellent atmosphere and carnival vibe and we have a winner.

[Loup]

Agree. Keep Lamport. It's just fine for now - fans are close to the action and the beer garden is packed. Go anywhere larger and you'd lose the impact of players walking the perimeter after the games, chatting with fans and taking photos with kids.

Lamport is owned by the city of Toronto. If/when there's a need to upgrade, there is the BMO Field precedent ... expansion was a joint partnership between TFC owners and the city.

Fans come from all over. I know of many who drive quite long distances (which isn't unusual here) and just as many who are local, a short streetcar ride away. The Liberty Village neighbourhood is booming with lots of young people moving in and loads of bars and restaurants nearby. Many spectators are still learning the rules of the game ... give it time. Torontonians have managed to master baseball, football and basketball after professional teams arrived, I'm sure they'll figure out rugby league.

Local media coverage is already better this season, with news coverage of the Broncos game in the Toronto Sun, Star, and CBC. The televised games are all streamed for free on CBC Sports (except Magic Weekend and Summer Bash) as well as the paid services. Ashton Sims and Coach Nobby (or Lord Nobler, as Sims calls him) were on sports radio on Sunday, Cory Paterson did some pre-game radio shows.

[CanadianRugger]

I get the feeling Rogers is interested in the Wolfpack brand which means TWP may be on Sportsnet sooner rather than later.

[manu266]

1 minute ago, CanadianRugger said:

I get the feeling Rogers is interested in the Wolfpack brand which means TWP may be on Sportsnet sooner rather than later.

I hope they start with this year Qualifier and show games on the main channel, or One, not on SNW.

BMO is going to be even bigger with the 2026 WC thing...