Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Ready to raise a roof in Regina


Flush with success at the box office and the talk of the province for all these years, the prospect of a little comfort for the faithful seems like a long over due thing.

Monday, officials in Saskatchewan floated the idea that a covered stadium is something that should be further investigated, the project just one segment of a comprehensive review of options, would provide the Saskatchewan Roughriders with what would be a modern and well equipped home and the province with an entertainment and sports venue that could be used year round.

It's an idea that seems to make perfect sense, especially considering the climate of the province, one that makes parkas and thermal underwear a must have, sometimes as early as November and long into March.

For the Riders, it would be some long overdue recognition of the importance of the team to the core of Saskatchewan's image, a top notch place from which to showcase the team and add to the community something that only a few select Canadian cities have, a covered stadium for multi use purposes.

Should the folks in Saskatchewan decide to go ahead with the project, estimated to cost around 350 million dollars (not counting land acquisition), they would be but one of three indoor venues in the nation for football, following the Rogers Centre in Toronto and BC Place in Vancouver, there is the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, but it's one of those on occasion homes, usually hosting the last game of the year for the Alouettes and any playoff matches, including it's hosting of the Grey Cup upon it's Montreal arrival.

And if the proponents of the domed Saskatchewan stadium need an extra selling point, it may just be that prospect of hosting more Grey Cups in the future, combining the organizational excellence that Saskatchewan provided a few years back with a climate controlled field of play for the national classic.

With a new stadium on the drawing board in Winnipeg, and a potential new one soon to be examined in Hamilton, putting a domed stadium in Regina would give it a leg up in attracting the Grey Cup on a more regular basis.

Winnipeg's current design does not feature the covered stadium concept, an oversight in the minds of many, it would be quite interesting to watch as their neighbours to the west trump the design with something more practical and more usable on a year round basis.

The old idea that football was made to be played in the elements, does hold much appeal, but come November when the frost is on more than the pumpkins, we think over all even the most die hard Rider fan more than likely would like to come in from the cold.

If they build it, we suspect they'll come!

Regina Leader Post-- Domed stadium to be studied for downtown
Regina Leader Post-- Stadium partnerships key to avoiding political pitfalls
Regina Leader Post-- Downtown stadium favoured -- with the right game plan
Regina Leader Post-- Another step closer to a domed stadium for Regina
Regina Leader Post-- Paying for new stadium for Regina still to be determined
Regina Leader Post-- The option to be explored is a dome in downtown Regina -- It's good to see everyone catching up!

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