BMO Field

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BMO Field

Location	Toronto, Ontario
Broke ground	2006
Opened	April 28, 2007 (expected)
Owner	City of Toronto
Operator	MLSE Ltd.
Surface	FieldTurf
Construction cost	C$72 million (estimate)
Tenants
Canada national soccer team Toronto FC (MLS) (2007-present) Canada national rugby union team
Capacity
20,000 (Soccer)

BMO Field is a soccer-specific stadium under-construction located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure will seat 20,000 spectators and be owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Construction is close to complete, with the first soccer match scheduled to be played on April 28, 2007.

1 History
2 Management, ownership and funding
3 Stadium specifics
4 Target opening
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

The stadium was part of Canada's successful bid to host the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[1] The original plan was that the site was to be located at York University, with the university contributing $15 million toward the cost of the new stadium. However, the university was forced to back out in May 2005.[2] The eventual site was moved to the location of demolished Exhibition Stadium and then-existing Sports Hall of Fame building.

On May 11, 2006, Major League Soccer announced that Toronto FC would join the league as its thirteenth (and first Canada-based) team in 2007. The league considers soccer-specific stadiums to be a critical part of its strategy; MLS commissioner Don Garber has been adamant that expansion teams must have plans for a soccer-specific stadium in place to be granted a franchise. These facilities are thought to improve overall crowd atmosphere (because they are smaller than stadiums built primarily for NFL football or CFL football), and may allow teams to control most revenues generated by their facilities.

On August 31, 2006, the Toronto Star reported that BMO Financial Group purchased the naming rights to the stadium, known as the National Soccer Stadium.[3] BMO is the stock exchange symbol of the Bank of Montreal, whose operational headquarters are in Toronto. The symbol is often pronounced "BEE-mo", as are references to the bank itself. On September 20, 2006, stadium webcam viewers watched as a banner was raised on the West Grandstand re-naming the stadium "BMO Field". The name was later announced on the team's official website.

[edit] Management, ownership and funding

Toronto FC will be owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE), owners of the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors. In addition, MLSE will contribute towards the cost of the building of the stadium. With the total costs in the realm of $62 million ($72 million including land), contributions will come from multiple sources. MLSE will contribute $8 million towards the construction of the stadium and $10 million towards securing the naming rights of the stadium. The Canadian Federal Government will contribute $27 million, with Ontario's government adding an additional $8 million. Toronto will pay $9.8 million, and have the rights to the stadium. (All figures are in Canadian dollars.)

[edit] Stadium specifics

BMO Field Under Construction

BMO Field will use FieldTurf rather than one of natural grass. The turf was laid in March.

Paul Beirne, director of business operations for Toronto FC, has stated that the seats will be entirely red with the exception of a design on each of the main stands. On the east side, the design will be a large maple leaf while on the lower west stand the design will spell out "TORONTO".

[edit] Target opening

BMO Field will hold its first game on April 28, 2007 when Toronto FC plays against the Kansas City Wizards. The grand opening celebration will take place on May 12, 2007. [4] MLS's commissioner has declared that the 2008 All-Star Game will take place at BMO Field, as will an MLS Cup by the year 2012. The stadium will also be used for concerts, the opening show of the North American reunion tour by Genesis is scheduled for September 7, 2007. [5]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by first stadium	Home of Toronto FC 2007–present	Succeeded by current

Western Conference		Eastern Conference
Current Stadiums in Major League Soccer
Dick's Sporting Goods Park \| The Home Depot Center \| Pizza Hut Park \| Rice-Eccles Stadium \| Robertson Stadium		Arrowhead Stadium \| BMO Field \| Columbus Crew Stadium \| Giants Stadium \| Gillette Stadium \| RFK Memorial Stadium \| Toyota Park