BMO Field

BMO Field
Location 170 Princes' Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3C3
Coordinates 43°37′58″N 79°25′07″W / 43.63278°N 79.41861°WCoordinates: 43°37′58″N 79°25′07″W / 43.63278°N 79.41861°W
Owner City of Toronto
Operator Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Capacity 20,500 (2007)
22,500 (2010)
30,000 (2015)[1]
Field size 105 × 68 meters (115 x 74 yards)
Surface FieldTurf (2007-2009)
Grass (2010-present)
Construction
Broke ground March 29, 2006[2]
Opened April 28, 2007
Expanded 2010
2014-16
Construction cost CAD$62.9 million
($69.4 million in 2015 dollars[3])
CAD$120 million (2014-16 renovation)
Architect Brisbin Brooks Beynon Architects (BBB Architects)
Project manager PMX, Inc.[4]
Structural engineer Halcrow Yolles[5]
Services engineer The Mitchell Partnership Inc.[6]
General contractor PCL Constructors Canada Inc.[7]
Tenants
Canada men's national soccer team (2007–present)
Toronto FC (MLS) (2007–present)
Toronto Nationals (MLL) (2009)
Canada national rugby union team (2011–present)

BMO Field /ˈbiːmoʊ/ is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,566[1] spectators in its standard configuration for soccer. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. It opened on April 28, 2007 with a 1–0 loss by home side Toronto FC against the Kansas City Wizards.

The stadium is called the National Soccer Stadium when it hosts FIFA events. It hosted the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. It also hosted the MLS Cup 2010 on November 21, 2010.

Construction

BMO Field is the fifth stadium to be built at its exact location at Exhibition Place. The most recent was Exhibition Stadium, which lost its primary tenants, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, with the opening in 1989 of SkyDome (Rogers Centre since 2005). Exhibition Stadium was demolished in 1999.

The Argonauts submitted a proposal to the city to construct a new 22,000 seat stadium at Exhibition Place in March 2003.[8] That July the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) announced separate plans a 30,000 seat $82 million stadium at the site, to host the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup which it had bid on.[9] The governments of Canada and Ontario agreed to provide a combined $35 million in funding for a new stadium if the CSA was successful in acquiring the rights to the tournament.[10] At the time, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), owners of the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors, was also looking for a stadium to host a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team they were considering launching. The league considered soccer-specific stadiums to be necessary for an expansion franchise to be granted, due to the improved atmosphere and control of revenue streams.

The Argonauts, CSA and MLSE agreed to partner to build a new 25,000-seat, $80 million Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto.[10][11][12] Aside from the committed government funding, $15 million was to come from the UofT, which would own the stadium, and a $30 million loan would be taken out by the University with the annual $2.1 million financing charges paid by the Argos.[10] However, MLSE backed out of the stadium due to a lack of financial return, and the deal ultimately fell through in 2004 when the University's new President withdrew his support after its cost rose over $100 million.[11][12][13][14]

Later that year, the Argos and CSA announced plans to build a 25,000-seat, $70 million stadium at York University, which would contribute the land and $15 million, with the Argos adding $20 million to the government funding.[11][15] MLSE was not involved in this project.[16] However, the Argos pulled out of the stadium after signing a new 15 year lease at Rogers Centre with significantly reduced rent.[17]

In 2005, the stadium site was moved back to Exhibition Place, on the location of the demolished Exhibition Stadium and then-existing Sports Hall of Fame building, in a partnership between MLSE and the CSA. With a total costs of $62.9 million (all figures are in Canadian dollars) to build the stadium[18] ($72.8 million including the land), financial contributions came from multiple sources.[19] The Canadian Federal Government contributed $27 million, the Government of Ontario added an additional $8 million, and the City of Toronto paid $9.8 million and contributed the land for the project (valued at $10 million),[20][21] while retaining ownership of the stadium.[21] MLSE contributed $8 million towards construction costs and was responsible for any cost overruns.[21] In return, they got the management rights for the stadium.[22] MLSE committed to purchase a MLS soccer team to play in the stadium. The remaining funds came from MLSE, which paid $10 million for the naming rights of the stadium for the duration of the 20 year management agreement, which they later resold to the Bank of Montreal for $27 million over the first 10 years.[21][23][24] The deal called for the stadium to be named BMO Field, after the ticker symbol of the Bank of Montreal, though it was referred to under the National Soccer Stadium name in official references to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, as non-FIFA-supporting sponsors were not permitted.

The proposal approved by the City of Toronto was for a stadium that was "capable of a conversion to a football format."[25][8] The Argonauts attempted to join the project at the last minute, but MLSE, citing budget and time limitations, constructed the stadium such that it could not fit a CFL field without demolition and reconstruction of the endzone stands.[26][25][27]

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, with BMO Field serving as its home.

The field of play dimensions are 74 yards (68 m) wide × 115 yards (105 m) long,[28] meeting FIFA standards. The stadium features seats which are entirely red with the exception of a design on each of the main stands. On the east side, the design is a large maple leaf while on the lower west stand the design spells out "TORONTO", and has a portion of the Toronto FC logo. The south stand has "BMO" spelled out.

Renovations

A view of BMO Field's East Grandstand, looking eastward towards downtown Toronto.

BMO Field originally used FieldTurf rather than a natural grass pitch, which attracted some criticism.[29][30] A temporary grass turf was laid in August 2009 for a friendly against Real Madrid.[31] Prior to the 2010 season Toronto City Council approved MLSE's request to convert the stadium to natural grass.[20][32] MLSE paid the $3.5 million for the conversion, and promised to cover all additional costs to maintain the surface.[33][34] A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass was installed in the spring of 2010, along with a state of the art drainage system and heating system in the field. MLSE spent a further $2 million to expand the north end by 1,400 seats for the 2010 season.[35][36] As part of the deal to convert the field to natural grass, MLSE spent $1.2 million adding a winter bubble to Lamport Stadium and $800,000 building a new artificial turf field to replace the community use hours lost at BMO.[37]

In November 2009, it became public that the Argonauts were in discussions with the City of Toronto over the possibility of moving from the Rogers Centre to BMO Field, potentially as early as the 2010 CFL season.[38] The CFL agreed to study the feasibility of the Argos playing at BMO Field, which was built too short to fit a full length Canadian football field despite the requirement that the stadium be convertible to CFL configuration in the original stadium agreement.[39] According Tom Anselmi, former executive vice-president and chief operating officer with MLSE, without significant renovations BMO Field could only fit a 100-yard field with 15-yard endzones or a 110-yard field with 10-yard endzones, which is 20-yards shorter than the standard 110-yard field and 20-yard endzones.[40] On December 16, 2009, the Argonauts officially abandoned the idea following receipt of the CFL study which stated that "Canadian football could not be played there in its current state."[41]

Anselmi indicated in 2009 that a second level could be added to the east side stands and extra rows added to the south side stands, which would add an additional 8,400 seats, for approximately $15 million.[42] Following Tim Leiweke taking over as president of MLSE in June 2013, he began discussing the company's plans for a major renovation of the stadium.[43][44][45] In early January 2014, Leiweke said that next six months would be spent consulting with experts to determine the feasibility of the project.[46]

As the stadium is owned by the City of Toronto, their consent is required for any modifications.[47] The City has insisted that any renovations includes making the pitch longer to fit a CFL field so it can house the Argonauts, who must vacate their current home Rogers Centre by the end of 2017 season.[48][49][50][51] Mark Grimes, Chairman of Exhibition Place's Board, has been negotiating with MLSE on the project and has said "I think I have Mr. Leiweke’s ear in that I am a big CFL fan and that we need to get the Argos on stable ground."[52] Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly said that "the Argos have got to play there" and that "I think there is a very good chance that they will."[53] On February 25 Grimes said that a deal was "getting close" and could be reached "in the next couple weeks".[54] Preliminary plans were released to the public on March 5.[1][55]

In addition making the field compatible for CFL games, the $115–120 upgrades would add a new upper deck on the east side, raising capacity from 21,566 seats to 30,000 for soccer, with 25,000 seats in CFL configuration, and would be temporarily expandable with additional endzone seating to 40,000 for big events[1][48][49][50][51][56] such as rugby sevens at the 2015 Pan-Am games, the 2018 NHL Winter Classic, Grey Cup, MLS Cup or a successful 2026 FIFA World Cup by Canada.[1][45][49][50][51][57] The plans call for $30 million retractable endzone seating to ensure that fans aren't farther from the playing surface in soccer configuration due to the longer CFL field,[1][48][51] and a roof over most permanent seating areas.[1][48][49][56] Leiweke has promised that playing surface will remain natural grass,[46] and a reinforced hybrid playing surface such as Desso GrassMaster, in which artificial fibers are embedded in the turf to allow for the grass roots to intertwine with them to strengthen the pitch, is under consideration.[1][46][51][55] Under a two-phase construction process, the field would be lengthened and the capacity of the stadium increased for $77 million by May 1, 2015, with the roof added by May 1, 2016 for $43 million.[47][49][51][56][56]

Leiweke has said that even without an expansion the stadium needs $30 million in repairs, and that the original agreement calls for the city and MLSE to split that bill equally.[58] Instead, MLSE is seeking $10 million in public funding from each of the City, Provincial Government, and Federal Government to top up their $90 million contribution, plus any cost overruns, for the expansion.[49][50][53][56][59] MLSE has argued that the new stadium would result in $8 million in economic benefits, including taxes, accruing to the province annually,[60] and $18 million in taxes on the construction project.[61] The company has agreed to pay a fixed annual rental fee of $865,000 to the City for the upgraded stadium, rather than the variable revenue sharing model under the present agreement which has returned an average of $397,000 to the city over the previous five years, to help ensure that the city recoups its investment.[49][56] The new arrangement would guarantee the city $25.4 million, and with the projected $6 million in parking revenues the $31 million in revenue over the term of the lease would be $19 million more than under the current agreement.[62] As manager of the stadium, MLSE will get any profit turned by the stadium, and be responsible for any losses.[56] MLSE's management and naming rights agreement for the stadium, which was set to expire in 2027, will be extended by 10 years under the proposal.[49][56] The agreement requires MLSE to reach a "long-term use (i.e. 20 years)" lease with the Argos for usage of the stadium starting in 2015.[49][50][56] The proposed renovations were unanimously approved by the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place on March 7,[20][48][49][51][63] and the City of Toronto's Executive Committee gave their consent on March 19.[47][63][64] The full City Council approved the deal on April 3,[63][65][66] and the agreement is planned to be finalized by June 15.[56] The Provincial Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan has said that MLSE has submitted a funding request that that "we are looking at it", while the Federal Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel's spokesperson said that "the federal government has no program to fund professional sports facilities".[67] A spokesperson for Lebel would later say "our government will not fund the BMO Field as long as it is used by a professional sports team".[61] However, according to Leiweke, the federal funding "is not going to the stadium, their money is going to host big events."[68] In another interview he said "the feds are giving us the resources to (temporarily) expand to 40,000 for our Grey Cup bids and Winter Classic bids".[69] If approved, excavation is scheduled to begin in September.[51][55][56] The designs are expected to be finalized by April.[20][49]

By late May 2014, MLSE had not reached a financing agreement with either the federal or provincial governments to fill the $20 million funding gap. The fall of the government of Ontario, with an election scheduled for June 12, prevented them from approving their share of the funding.[70] With deadlines approaching to start construction to ensure that the stadium is ready for the 2015 Pan-Am games, MLSE decided to move forward with the first phase of the renovation without first securing further funding commitments from the government.[61][68] The revised plan proposes that the lengthening of the field to make it CFL compatible and the infrastructure to allow for a temporary increase in seating capacity be postponed to a third phase costing $20–$25 million to be completed by 1 May 2017, pending a commitment by the governments or other parties to fund it and a usage agreement being reached with the Argos.[61][68][71][72][73] MLSE agreed to pay the city an additional $160,000 annually for as long as phase 3 remains uncompleted to compensate the city for the envisioned parking revenues at Argos games.[71] Leiweke pledged that if both levels of government funded the project "we're obligated to renovate the stadium for the CFL",[68][74] but if the necessary conditions for phase 3 are not met by 15 May 2017, MLSE can pull out.[71] The new proposal was approved by city council on June 12.[75] It is thought that if the Liberals win the provincial election they will fund the project.[61] The official groundbreaking took place on September 23.[76][77][78] In April 2015 it was reported that the renovations were $10 million over budget due to pressure to meet deadlines, which MLSE is obligated to fund.[79] Later that month, Leiweke stated that a new ownership group for the Argos willing to contribute $10 million to the project had been identified, and that MLSE would match this to fill the $20 million funding gap. Part of the agreement would see two Grey Cups played at the newly renovated BMO Field. However, he said the the deal needs to be finalized by 4 May for construction to be completed for the 2016 season.[80][81]

Events

Toronto FC played their first game at BMO field on 28 April 2007. The grand opening celebration took place on 12 May 2007.[82]

The only music concert thus far at BMO Field was performed by progressive rock group Genesis on September 7, 2007.

The 2008 MLS All-Star Game was held at BMO Field on July 24, 2008 versus West Ham United F.C. of the English Premier League.

In 2009, the Toronto Nationals of Major League Lacrosse began playing their home games at BMO Field. The team moved to Lamport Stadium for 2010 and to Hamilton in 2011 before folding in 2013.

On July 18, 2009, BMO Field had its first alcohol suspension, due to an incident that occurred on May 21, 2008, regarding alcohol consumption by a minor.[83]

BMO Field became the first venue outside of the United States to host the MLS Cup in 2010, featuring the Colorado Rapids defeating FC Dallas 2–1.

Rugby at BMO Field

BMO Field has become a home venue for Canada's national rugby union team. Since 2011, the team has played at the venue regularly.[84][85][86]

On July 24, 2014, BMO Field hosted the opening match of the 2014 International Champions Cup between Olympiacos and A.C. Milan and Olympiacos won the match 3-0.[87]

Historic goals

The first goal at BMO Field was scored by Eddie Johnson for Kansas City Wizards in a 1–0 Major League Soccer win over home side Toronto FC in the stadium opener on April 28, 2007. The first ever Toronto FC goal at the stadium was Danny Dichio's first-half strike against Chicago Fire on May 12, 2007 (also his club's first ever MLS goal).

The first goal at BMO Field scored by a Canadian came at the official opening on May 11, 2007, in a U-20 friendly between Canada and Argentina. David Edgar scored a penalty in a 2–1 defeat for Canada, just four minutes after Alejandro Gomez had scored the first ever international goal at the stadium.

Costa Rica's Víctor Núñez scored the first ever senior international goal in a 1–1 friendly draw with hosts Canada on September 12, 2007, shortly before Dwayne De Rosario scored Canada's first senior goal at the stadium.

The first Toronto FC goal scored by a Canadian at BMO Field was in a June 25, 2007 friendly against Aston Villa of the English Premier League. Andrea Lombardo scored an equalizer at BMO Field's south end to make it 2–2 before Aston Villa ran out 4–2 winners. The first league goal at BMO Field scored by a Canadian came when Miguel Cañizalez scored for Toronto FC in the second minute of their 2–1 defeat to Columbus Crew on September 22, 2007, snapping an 824-minute MLS goalless streak.

On May 19, 2007, Bolivian forward Jaime Moreno scored his 108th MLS goal on a penalty kick for D.C. United in their 2–1 win over Toronto FC at BMO Field, tying him for the all-time league lead with Jason Kreis. Moreno has since taken sole ownership of the record.

In lacrosse, the first MLL goal at BMO Field was scored by Merrick Thomson of the Toronto Nationals in a 15-11 win in their home opener on May 22, 2009.

Major Tournaments

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup

National Soccer Stadium hosted the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup; the first major tournament held at the stadium. The stadium saw the Canadian Under-20 squad once. The stadium also saw six knockout stage games including the Final; which was won by Argentina.

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
July 1, 2007 Canada 0–3 Chile Group A20,195
July 2, 2007 Portugal 2–0 New Zealand Group C19,526
 Gambia 0–3 Mexico
July 5, 2007 New Zealand 0–1 Gambia
 Mexico 2-1 Portugal
July 8, 2007 Chile 0–0 Austria Group A
July 11, 2007 United States 2-1 (AET) Uruguay Round of 16
July 12, 2007 Argentina 3-1 Poland
July 14, 2007 Austria 2–1 United States Quarterfinal
July 19, 2007 Chile 0–3 Argentina Semifinal
July 22, 2007 Chile 1–0 Austria 3rd Place Match
 Czech Republic 1–2 Argentina Final19,526

2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

The National Soccer Stadium will host the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014. Canada will be playing in Toronto for the first two match days, with Korea DPR, Finland, and Ghana in their group. National Soccer Stadium will also be hosting the quarter finals match on August.

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Attendance
August 5, 2014 Canada 0-1 Ghana Group A20,195
 Finland 1-2 North Korea
August 8, 2014 Canada 3-2 Finland
 Ghana 0-3 North Korea
August 13, 2014 South Korea 2-1 Mexico Group C
 Costa Rica 0-3 New ZealandGroup D
August 16, 2014 North Korea 1-1 (3-1 on penalties) United States Quarterfinal

2015 Pan American Games

During the 2015 Pan American Games, BMO Field is scheduled to host the rugby sevens competition. Due to sponsorship regulations, the facility will be referred to as "Exhibition Stadium" during the Games (ironically, BMO Field will not host the soccer competition, which is slated for Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton and will not be referred to as "National Soccer Stadium").[88]


Attendance records

The largest attendance overall at the stadium was on March 22, 2014 for a Toronto FC game when they hosted D.C. United in front of 22,591 fans in their home opener.[89]

MLS

Season Season Average Highest gate Lowest gate
2007 20,130 20,522 19,123
2008 20,120 20,461 19,657
2009 20,344 20,902 19,843
2010 20,453 22,108 18,394
2011 20,267 22,453 16,313
2012 18,681 20,071 14,623
2013 17,639 21,700 12,627
2014 22,086 22,591 18,269

Rugby

The largest crowd for Rugby at the stadium was on November 3, 2013 when Canada national rugby union team hosted the New Zealand Māori All Blacks in front of 22,566 people.[90] The afternoon contest would break records as the largest crowd in Canadian and North American rugby history.

See also

References

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  2. ↑ "Work Begins on Toronto Soccer Stadium". Guelph Mercury. March 9, 2006.
  3. ↑ Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada. "Consumer Price Index, historical summary". CANSIM, table (for fee) 326-0021 and Catalogue nos. 62-001-X, 62-010-X and 62-557-X. And Consumer Price Index, by province (monthly) (Canada) Last modified 2013-12-20. Retrieved January 8, 2014
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  7. ↑
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place" (PDF). City of Toronto. October 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ "CSA Releases Details On Proposed National Soccer Stadium". Canadian Soccer Association. 2003-07-21. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
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  15. ↑ "A new stadium for York". York University. October 19, 2004. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  16. ↑ Byers, Jim (October 14, 2004). "Ex feels jilted by Argos; City's phone calls to CFL team go unanswered Sources say club to announce York as its new home". Toronto Star.
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  30. ↑ "Council approves grass at BMO Field". The Globe and Mail (Toronto).
  31. ↑ "Real Madrid too powerful for Toronto FC". CBC News. August 7, 2009.
  32. ↑ "Grass Installation Underway". Toronto FC. March 29, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
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  34. ↑ "Saputo Stadium to Host Canada's World Cup Qualifier". tsn.ca. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
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  37. ↑ "Grass at BMO Field Attains Final Approval". Major League Soccer. January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Argos to leave Rogers Centre?". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). November 26, 2009. Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  39. ↑ "CFL to study new venue for Argos". CBC News. November 28, 2009. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Argos Not Banking On BMO Just Yet". Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Statement Regarding CFL Feasibility Study on BMO Field". Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  42. ↑ Girard, Daniel (March 18, 2009). "MLSE spies big BMO Field expansion". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  43. ↑ Shoalts, David (January 29, 2014). "MLSE outlines plans for stadium renovation, with eye on NFL team". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  44. ↑ "MLSE looking at $100M roof for BMO Field". CBC News. September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Dale, Daniel (January 19, 2014). "MLSE's Leiweke: Taxpayers would be paid back for BMO Field expansion". Toronto Star.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 Molinaro, John (January 9, 2014). "Leiweke soothes TFC fan worries over BMO expansion". Sportsnet. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 Moloney, Paul (March 19, 2014). "BMO Field upgrade endorsed". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 48.4 "MLSE: City pushing to move Argos to BMO Field". Toronto Star. March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 49.4 49.5 49.6 49.7 49.8 49.9 49.10 "Renovation and Expansion of BMO Field" (PDF). City of Toronto. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 50.4 Tepper, Sean (March 14, 2014). "MLSE wants $10 million from Toronto for BMO Field makeover". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 51.4 51.5 51.6 51.7 Larson, Kurtis (March 16, 2014). "MLSE plans to spend big bucks to upgrade BMO Field". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  52. ↑ Kenter, Peter (February 6, 2014). "More steel in store for BMO Field if roof over seats built". Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Peat, Dan (March 14, 2014). "Norm Kelly wants city to advance MLSE $10 million for BMO improvements". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  54. ↑ Peat, Don (February 25, 2014). "City, MLSE close on BMO Field expansion: Councillor". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Larson, Kurtis (March 6, 2014). "Is this the future of BMO Field?". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 56.3 56.4 56.5 56.6 56.7 56.8 56.9 56.10 "Proposal for Expansion of Stadium at Exhibition Place" (PDF). March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  57. ↑ "Toronto could host Winter Classic in 2017". Sportsnet. December 31, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  58. ↑ Kelly, Cathal (2014-03-22). "MLSE boss Tim Leiweke calls Rob Ford out over BMO Field opposition". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  59. ↑ Peat, Dan (March 12, 2014). "Mayor Rob Ford's pay freeze request goes to executive committee". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  60. ↑ Shoalts, David (2014-04-03). "Time is short for BMO Field funds, MLSE’s Leiweke warns". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 61.3 61.4 Kelly, Cathal; Curry, Bill (2014-05-27). "Argos on the outs in BMO Field dispute between MLSE and federal government". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  62. ↑ James, Royson (2014-03-25). "BMO Field plan is worth a look: James". Toronto Star.
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 "Renovation and Expansion of BMO Field". City of Toronto. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  64. ↑ "Executive committee votes in favour of contributing $10M to BMO Field expansion". CP24. March 19, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  65. ↑ Moloney, Paul (2014-04-03). "BMO Field expansion funding approved by city council". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  66. ↑ Peat, Don (2014-04-03). "BMO Field expansion approved by council". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  67. ↑ Babbage, Maria (2014-03-24). "Critics urge Liberals to stop giving MLSE taxpayer dollars". CP24. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 68.3 Ralph, Dan (2014-05-27). "MLSE boss Leiweke said organization not closing door on Argos at BMO Field". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  69. ↑ Lawarson, Kurtis (2014-05-28). "Argos to BMO Field being sacked?". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  70. ↑ "Revised Project Phasing for Renovation and Expansion of BMO Field" (PDF). City of Toronto. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 71.2 "Draft Amended and Restated Letter of Intent from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd" (PDF). City of Toronto. June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  72. ↑ Dale, Daniel (2014-05-27). "Argonauts’ move to BMO Field ‘on hold,’ MLSE says". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  73. ↑ Grange, Michael (2014-09-16). "Pity Toronto as it allows storied Argos to vanish". Sportsnet. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
  74. ↑ Larson, Kurtis (2014-09-18). "Leiweke sets record straight on TFC issues". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
  75. ↑ "Tracking Status". City of Toronto. 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  76. ↑ "BMO Field Renovation Officially Underway". Toronto FC. 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
  77. ↑ "BMO Field Expansion". BMO Field. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
  78. ↑ "BMO Field expansion construction begins". Global News. 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2014-10-11.
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  80. ↑ Pagliaro, Jennifer (2015-04-23). "Argos’ fate rests on talks with mystery group". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  81. ↑ Yuen, Jenny (2015-04-23). "New owner could help Argos land new home". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  82. ↑
  83. ↑ "Argentine star Tevez moving his act across town to Manchester City". Toronto Star. July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
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  87. ↑ Olympiacos victorious in opening ICC Contest ICC.com July 25, 2014 Retrieved July 26, 2014
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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BMO Field.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
first stadium		 Home of
Toronto FC
2007–present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
first stadium		 Home of
Toronto Nationals
2009 		Succeeded by
Lamport Stadium
Preceded by
Qwest Field		 Host of the
MLS Cup
2010 		Succeeded by
TBD