SK: Sell-Outs a Sign

If Mosaic Stadium is such a 'bad' place to catch a football game then why on earth are the Riders shattering attendance records? Perhaps the ol’ facility isn’t as dire a place to catch a game as the pro dome crowd likes to suggest.

Consider the Riders’ recent 54-51 overtime thriller against the Alouettes. According to the CFL’s web site, the Riders sold out the home opener with a stunning attendance of 30,945; a mere 1,494 less fans than Edmonton’s league leading week one attendance mark.

Naysayers will point out that all across pro sports, it’s quite common for a team to sell-out their home opener. True, but consider what Riders’ CEO Jim Hopson noted in the team’s 2009 Annual Report about last year’s attendance figures.

On page 3 of the report, Hopson notes: “Our on-field success helped lead us to another record breaking year on the business side of the club. A regular season attendance record was established in 2009 after averaging 30,717 fans per game.”

The facility is so ‘bad’ that it set a record attendance mark for 2009. Apparently it wasn’t an anomaly.
According to the Riders’ web site, there was an “all time high” for both season ticket sales and regular attendance in 2008 as well.

Clearly, as imperfect as the Riders’ current home is, it’s still attracting fans in droves.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves, the place certainly needs some fixing up. According to a report obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, $6 million worth of repairs are required to give the facility another ten years worth of use.

Compared with the $430 million price tag for a dome, the repair bill is a bargain. Even better, the repairs could easily be covered without requiring any tax dollars.

You see, the Roughriders’ 2009 Annual Report also notes “An additional $923,658 was collected from the facility improvement fee and allocated to the Stadium Improvement Fund helping to grow the net assets available for Stadium enhancement to $5.2 million.”

Thus, all the Riders have to do is collect another $800,000 and they’ve got the funds to give their facility another decade of use.

Critics will of course raise complaints about toilets and other amenities that “need upgrading,” but wouldn’t be covered under the $6 million repair bill. Rather than look to taxpayers to shorten the bathroom lines, perhaps the Riders could look to develop the additional space on the plot of land on which the stadium currently sits. The proceeds could be used to spruce up the place, shorten bathroom lines and add other amenities.

There are endless possibilities. Imagine putting an apartment building or condo complex at the south east end of the stadium. Additional seats could be added to the roof of the building just like apartments outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago. With a bit of imagination even better ideas could be developed.

Most importantly, if there is such demand for a $430 million dome, extending the life of the current facility by a decade would give the pro-dome crowd a full decade to round up the necessary private funds to build a dome.

In the mean time, record attendance levels seem to suggest the old girl isn’t so bad a place to catch a football game after all.

By: Colin Craig
Posted: July 07, 2010
Topic: Saskatchewan

Contact the regional director Colin Craig for further information.

Type: Commentary

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Comments

Tue, 2010-07-20 19:56 — An Anonymous Taxpayer

If I could directly respond

If I could directly respond to Micheal.

If you read my full comment I said nothing about leaving taxpayers on the hook. I think that you would agree that any luxuries (and a dome is a luxury) should be paid for with cash. If you read my very last comment it refers to the "extent of the risk" and "those studying feasibility" because none of us are there to know the exact situation. I am not so quick to dismiss the idea and here is why. Our stadium in Winnipeg is to be levelled and another stadium built at the University of Manitoba; the rationale is that it would cost 52 million to refurbish the old stadium and at that price tag why not just build a new one. One of our journalists in the Winnipeg Sun poured over the report and found that out of the 52 million 38 of it was discretionary i.e. corporate boxes...new press boxes etc. The old Winnipeg stadium could be refurbished for 14 million without the extras. According to Colin's article Mosaic could be fixed for less.

So this 52 million dollar number brings me to the 430 million. I definitely acknowledge your concern "the extent of the risk"; 430 million is alot of money. Given that the Fargodome was build 17 years ago at a cost of 48 million brought forward for inflation it would be 70 million in today's dollars. Say that the cost doubled OK 140 million it is still quite a bit less than 430. How much of the 430 million is discretionary and how much is necessary? Wouldn't a lower risk level brought on by a lower cost attract more private money? All I am saying is look at this from two other angles, the dome will have other uses besides the Riders and is 430 million a hard number or can that be reduced. If the former is real and the anticipated revenues won't make it then the provincial public in co-operation with their government will have to decide how badly they want a dome; will they save and raise funds privately or is it worth going into debt for (which will be tomorrow's taxes).

Respectfully Submitted,

Wade.

Fri, 2010-07-09 13:04 — An Anonymous Taxpayer

Reply

Thanks for the comments Wade and Michael, I appreciate the respectful debate.

Ultimately, one needs to ask where the money is going to come from to build a $431 million dome. The feds are running a $48 billion deficit and the province is running a $600 million deficit. Just as families with financial troubles have to tighten their belts, so should governments.

As for the operations of such a dome, yes it could probably host a few more events (in some cases to the detriment of other public and private facilities), but I doubt one could find a politician in the province that would guarantee such a facility could break even. After all, a high school championship is not likely to fill up the dome with 30,000 paying customers.

Fri, 2010-07-09 07:57 — An Anonymous Taxpayer

Response

If I may respond directly to Wade.

I took some time to look into what you are saying and gave some thought to your points. In principle I agree with what you are saying. An indoor dome would provide a myriad of uses for other organizations in and around Regina. That said, I do not necessarily believe that taxpayers should be on the hook for a stadium that will be primarily identified with a business like a CFL team. Given that the Riders have the ability to put bums in seats and the ability to maintain the stadium themselves, I think that they should foot the bill themselves. (Foot bill?? hahahahaha)

I believe that the Queen City needs to decide apart from the Riders if a dome is feasible, if it is and there is demand, and if maintenance of the dome is something they can do then they should. I don't think the Riders should be the primary motivator.

The best point comes right at the end of the article

"Most importantly, if there is such demand for a $430 million dome, extending the life of the current facility by a decade would give the pro-dome crowd a full decade to round up the necessary private funds to build a dome."

Michael Davison

Thu, 2010-07-08 06:21 — An Anonymous Taxpayer

SK: Sells out a sign

Hello Colin:

Definitely appreciate what you have to say, it is no secret that any business which keeps its assets in good repair and uses them for a longtime positively reflects on the bottomline. When considering a dome stadium for Regina you have to look beyond the Riders. I am originally from Regina, the dome could be used for events other than just staging CFL football games. Here are some to name a few: Highschool programs throughout Regina everything from football to field hockey, University Football, Junior Football, then there is the Regina Argribition the cattle show. Overcoming startup costs are always a hurdle but there might be a possibility to attract more clients to use the facility to justify them. Further what about concerts and conventions? Having a huge indoor facility opens doors to hosting more events if the price is right. When we were down in North Dakota I could'nt help but notice that Fargo had a dome whether the funding was public or private I don't know but it is half the size of Regina.

Given the thriving Highschool sports programs and sports culture in Regina maybe the governments doing the feasibility study could cut waste in other areas to build a facility the whole community could enjoy. Whenever 430 million is spent there will always be some risk here are some ideas to try to minimize it; however the extent of the risk and whether they will make it or not is contingent on those studying feasibility and how hard their numbers are.

Respectfully submitted,

Wade Morrison.

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