The 2013 Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be the Tiger-Cats without so much Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats tried to stay in Hamilton while Ivor Wynne Stadium is being rebuilt for the 2015 Pan-Am Games.
Unfortunately, the Tiger-Cats couldn't work out a deal with McMaster University. Moncton, New Brunswick along with London and a game or two in Toronto were on the wish list. The Tiger-Cats ended up working out a deal with the University of Guelph to host the CFL team for the 2013 season.
Guelph is closer to Hamilton than London, a difference of a 42-minute estimated drive time vs. a 89-minute trip. The University of Guelph field currently seats 7,500 with another 4,000-7,000 seats.
Ivor Wynne Stadium had a capacity of 29,600. At the maximum, Guelph will hold slightly less than half of that capacity. McMaster holds even less (5,500) than Guelph does now.
So many poor decisions led to this scenario, but the one element that is clear is that capacity for football isn't as large for the CIS and CFL as you would find in the States.
Montréal stumbled into using Molson Stadium on McGill's campus due to a conflict with Olympic Stadium. Molson Stadium's capacity for the longest time was 20,000, now up to 25,000. Toronto and B.C. enjoy domed, multi-purpose stadiums that they can't fill.
Edmonton built Commonwealth Stadium for the Commonwealth Games. Calgary, Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan share college stadiums.
Ottawa literally can't start playing because the new stadium is being built where Frank Clair Stadium stood.
Hamilton had a chance to build a downtown stadium along the lakefront to build up that section of the city and maybe attract enough attention to gain a NHL franchise at Copps Coliseum. McMaster University and local high schools could share the new stadium.
The CFL skipped Moncton this year, so the league would likely encourage a game in 2013. Making Hamilton the home team would save home dates for teams that actually have stadiums.
Speculation may point to a couple of home dates in nearby London, and playing the Labour Day classic in Rogers Centre in Toronto. Otherwise, the Tiger-Cats will be Guelph-bound.
The CFL has a prime opportunity to bring the league to parts of Canada that don't normally get to see the CFL live in person. Growing the league's popularity from sea to shining sea would be more valuable than worrying about attendance figures, especially since Guelph can't hold that many fans.
Let's say Ottawa got a team in 2013, not 2014, and Hamilton was committed to hosting games in other cities. The two teams could rotate where they play to draw attention to potential markets.
Ottawa could play some games in Quebec City and Moncton to showcase the team to more Francophones, since Ottawa is just across the Quebec border. Perhaps Ottawa could play the Alouettes in Olympic Stadium in the middle of the season.
Hamillton could play some games in Moncton or Halifax. London could be thrown into the mix. Perhaps, as a goodwill gesture to its nearby U.S. audience (and a nod to the NFL Bills playing in Toronto), the Tiger-Cats could have a "home game" in Buffalo, New York. Or attract a southwestern Ontario audience by having a game in Windsor or even Detroit.
Ottawa was scheduled to re-enter the CFL in 2010. The original date for re-construction was 2013, and 2014 isn't guaranteed. After all, Winnipeg was supposed to move into its new stadium in 2012, but had to delay that move until 2013.
When B.C. had the issue of rehabbing B.C. Place, Empire Stadium was quickly constructed as a temporary stadium. On television, Empire Stadium looked great for a temporary setup. Ottawa and Hamilton could have done the same thing.
When the Ottawa team comes into the league, 3 (Ottawa, Winnipeg, Hamilton) of the 9 CFL franchises will be in new stadiums with 2 (B.C., Saskatchewan) more teams in newly rehabbed stadiums. The construction can't help but improve the financial lot of those teams and improve the strength of the league, especially for future expansion (Quebec City, Moncton/Halifax).
Map courtesy of Google
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