Expos de Montréal

[Exposteve]

29 minutes ago, Chris1989 said:

^^ Come on! We've had so much rain this spring the city flooded, same two years ago, how are we gonna host teams in the spring without a roof? We need a retractible roof!

While, yes, we've certainly had a lot of rain... it's been the case for most cities in the northeast and in the midwest.  Heck, it was snowing at the start of the Giants-Rockies game in Denver yesterday.  Personally, the cost of the roof is just too high and while some above have pointed out Minute Maid Park as an example to follow:  a) We don't have the same climate as Houston, that roof would need to be built a lot stronger here and probably wouldn't be as nice, b) it's not a particularly well liked ballpark compared to so many others built recently .   

I would instead much prefer something like what Minnesota has done with Target Field.  Simple, modern but with a retro feel.  The upper deck is largely covered from rain if it were to rain, there is heating in most of the concourses for cool nights and at field level, and as has been suggested you can find way to add some level of heat to the grandstands despite being open air (don't forget, in new ballparks you're not sitting in the exact same spot for 3 hours like we used to... they're designed to be explored, to walk around, and you can still see the field from all the concourses/hallways/concessions areas... there are bars, restaurants, gathering places.  It's not like you're going to be stuck in a cold seat for 3hrs shivering... this is not the Autostade!

Here is a review of the Minnesota ballpark which, in addition to being among the lower cost ballparks built in the last 20 years, is a good example for Montreal:  http://www.ballparkratings.com/park/minnesota-twins/target-field/

Also, I will add this quote from the Ballpark Ratings site (in reference to Philadelphia's ballpark):  Citizens Bank Park illustrates that having at least a good location is a necessary condition for building a great ballpark. Perhaps not having a roof is the only other necessary condition.  Both Miller Park (Milwaukee) and Minute Maid Park (Houston) are good for retractable roof ballparks but generally considered at the bottom third of stadium attractiveness from the inside.  Especially Milwaukee is quite ordinary inside.  As a baseball enthusiast/someone who has visited a lot of parks, even the best retractable roofs are nowhere near as nice as true open air stadiums, even if it's a little cold sometimes. 

 

 

Modifié 10 mai 2019 par Exposteve

[peekay]

23 minutes ago, Chris1989 said:

^^ Come on! We've had so much rain this spring the city flooded, same two years ago, how are we gonna host teams in the spring without a roof? We need a retractible roof!

I agree 100%. If you are going to do it do it right! We waited more than 15 years for them to return. There is no point to half-ass it with a stadium without a retractible roof. it is too cold and windy in that area. Ask anyone who fills their car at the Costco gas station. That being said. I'm still buying 3 season tockets

 

[ToxiK]

Est-ce qu'un tel toit pourrait être déployé en hivers?  Si oui, ça augmenterait les possibilités d'utiliser le stade pour d'autres fonctions en hivers.  Ça peut contribuer à la rentabilité su stade et ainsi permettre un meilleur achalandage des commerces de ce secteur hors saison.

[vincenzo]

6 hours ago, Gio22 said:

So the MLB season runs roughly as the same time as the MLS season. The MLB season began on March 20th, and game 7 of the world series (if needed) is scheduled for october 30th. The MLS season began the March 2nd and the final for the MLS cup playoffs is scheduled for November 10th. So stade Saputo does not have a roof, its GREAT stadium to watch soccer, and if the MLB and MLS seasons run roughly the same time, why cant the expos stadium be an open air stadium. I have been to stade saputo many times, for playoff games in october and no one is ever complaining about the cold. I was also this year for the home opener once again no one was complaining. So why cant we have a open air stadium, IMO it is more authentic to the game of baseball than a stadium with a roof. 

That was a big error putting the stadium in the east end. They are not getting anywhere near the crowds nor the business interest they could be getting if they had a downtown location.

[Mondo_Grosso]

2 hours ago, vincenzo said:

That was a big error putting the stadium in the east end. They are not getting anywhere near the crowds nor the business interest they could be getting if they had a downtown location.

Agreed, but they have excellent attendance ever since the Drogba era. They average between 18k to 20k a game the past 3 seasons, that's almost as good as the Habs and puts them at the middle of MLS attendance.

MLS isn't a huge money maker yet, and definitely wasn't in 2012 when the Impact joined. A lot of teams don't even have soccer specific stadiums or training centers yet! Stadiums downtown are very rare in MLS. We are pretty decent all in all.

[Gio22]

3 hours ago, vincenzo said:

That was a big error putting the stadium in the east end. They are not getting anywhere near the crowds nor the business interest they could be getting if they had a downtown location.

Im not talking about the location of the stadium. I agree its in a terrible location. Im talking about the fact that saputo stadium is an open air stadium, and in my opinion the new expos stadium should be also

[Erikyo]

Instinctivement, je me tourne vers le Japon! Voici un stade prévu pour 2023 à Sapporo! Il s'agit d'un stade de 35 000 sièges, ce qui me semble très bien pour Montréal.

https://ballparkdigest.com/2018/11/05/new-for-2023-hokkaido-ballpark/

Aussi, comme le mentionne ToxiK, un toit rétractable pourrait permettre une utilisation l'hiver, ce qui serait absolument impossible sans toit!

[vincenzo]

12 hours ago, Gio22 said:

Im not talking about the location of the stadium. I agree its in a terrible location. Im talking about the fact that saputo stadium is an open air stadium, and in my opinion the new expos stadium should be also

Our climate does not lend itself to an outdoor stadium. I agree that baseball like soccer should be played outside whenever possible. The only solution is for a retractable roofed stadium that, when opened, does feel like you are out in the open.

[vincenzo]

14 hours ago, Mondo_Grosso said:

Agreed, but they have excellent attendance ever since the Drogba era. They average between 18k to 20k a game the past 3 seasons, that's almost as good as the Habs and puts them at the middle of MLS attendance.

MLS isn't a huge money maker yet, and definitely wasn't in 2012 when the Impact joined. A lot of teams don't even have soccer specific stadiums or training centers yet! Stadiums downtown are very rare in MLS. We are pretty decent all in all.

You can't compare with the Habs. The Habs have one of the largest arenas in the NHL and are continuously sold out.

Given the ethnicity of our city, the fact that we have a soccer specific stadium, an owner with very deep pockets, and the fact that most MLS teems don't have what we have, being in the middle of the field is nothing to be content with.

[fmfranck]

Il y a 16 heures, vincenzo a dit :

That was a big error putting the stadium in the east end. They are not getting anywhere near the crowds nor the business interest they could be getting if they had a downtown location.

They got a basically FREE 40 years emphytéotic lease from RIO and the provincial government forked out more than half of the stadium costs. All in all, it cost them less than 25-30 mil for the stadium. Do you think they wouldve gotten a similar deal downtown? 

Going to the east end wasnt a mistake if you consider that it was a choice to save up on infrastructure costs.