General Sports and Recreation News

[KevinL]

"Eventually" isn't good enough. It just shows, yet again, that transit users are second-class citizens. Public transit access *must* be front of mind when choosing where in a city to place a rec complex that everybody will use, not just those who drive.

Do we know whether GRT is (or is not) planning to add service to provide access to this complex? Or are we just assuming that they will not make any changes

Route 33 goes past on Huron Road; half-hourly service 7 days a week. Connects to Block Line Ion and Sunrise Centre.

[tomh009]

Do we know whether GRT is (or is not) planning to add service to provide access to this complex? Or are we just assuming that they will not make any changes

Route 33 goes past on Huron Road; half-hourly service 7 days a week. Connects to Block Line Ion and Sunrise Centre.

That seems like a fairly decent service to start off with.

[westwardloo]

Looks like the Kitchener panthers are up for sale. 

https://www.therecord.com/sports/basebal...5d1f8.html

The toronto club sold for 1 million last year, so I would expect they are hoping to receive a similar bid. I hope a wealthy local sports enthusiast will step up to the plate and purchase the team and invest in its future. Unfortunately, since we have invested very little into semi-pro sports in the region in the past 50+ years we need a new ballpark with about 3-4 thousand seats. Ideally close to DT maybe the Manulife parking lot or the OSC site? Pipe dream I know.

[ac3r]

Those plots of land are far too valuable (not just economically) for that, I think. There isn't a whole lot of space downtown we can use for development. Homes are in much greater need than a massive sports arena.

Since the Aud location didn't get selected for the new hospital, I think that still remains a viable place for sports facilities. There's so much space there it could be possible to not only build a new ballpark, but also a new indoor stadium. At some point in the future a new LRT line will most certainly travel nearby, so transit would greatly improve. If parking was put in a garage, that still leaves so much space that the city could even try adding mixed use affordable housing there as well.

[KevinL]

Soccer is picking up - the national men's league has been running for 5 years and the women's league launches next year. I think our market is big enough for a team in either (or both!). Financing the stadium would be the tricky part.

[westwardloo]

Those plots of land are far too valuable (not just economically) for that, I think. There isn't a whole lot of space downtown we can use for development. Homes are in much greater need than a massive sports arena.

Since the Aud location didn't get selected for the new hospital, I think that still remains a viable place for sports facilities. There's so much space there it could be possible to not only build a new ballpark, but also a new indoor stadium. At some point in the future a new LRT line will most certainly travel nearby, so transit would greatly improve. If parking was put in a garage, that still leaves so much space that the city could even try adding mixed use affordable housing there as well.

While I agree with your statement, eventually we will need to provide a stuff for people to do in this Region. 

I do agree that if done properly the Aud lands could be completely reworked to include a master planned sporting neighbourhood with a new arena, ballpark and maybe even a decent soccer/ football stadium. With room to include a mixed-use development around it.  Unfortunate this Region has had very little vision when it comes to investing in sport in our area. Maybe make it part of a bid for the commonwealth or canada games. The private sector seems uninterested in investing in the fastest growing city in the country for some reason. At our population we should really be looking at a CPL and a CFL team, but there has been little to no movement with regards to either of those leagues. 

The one problem with the Aud land for the ballpark is apparently the city takes all of the revenue with regards to alcohol sales, which I think would be were an owner could actually make money.

[tomh009]

While I agree with your statement, eventually we will need to provide a stuff for people to do in this Region. 

(...) Unfortunate this Region has had very little vision when it comes to investing in spectator sport in our area.

I fixed that for you. The cities in the region have invested--and continue to invest--in sports and fitness facilities for residents (which does provide stuff for people to do). What they have not done is spend money on stadiums for pro/semi-pro teams to play and residents to sit in the stands and watch. But, then, there have not been any teams looking for such a facility in recent memory anyway.

Mind you, Kitchener did expand the Aud seating capacity by 1,000 in 2012, so they are not completely opposed to such spending.

[creative]

I believe that the Rangers are still paying for that renovation.

[panamaniac]

Looks like the Kitchener panthers are up for sale. 

https://www.therecord.com/sports/basebal...5d1f8.html

The toronto club sold for 1 million last year, so I would expect they are hoping to receive a similar bid. I hope a wealthy local sports enthusiast will step up to the plate and purchase the team and invest in its future. Unfortunately, since we have invested very little into semi-pro sports in the region in the past 50+ years we need a new ballpark with about 3-4 thousand seats. Ideally close to DT maybe the Manulife parking lot or the OSC site? Pipe dream I know.

Anybody else old enough to remember the baseball stadium in Victoria Park?

[panamaniac]

Those plots of land are far too valuable (not just economically) for that, I think. There isn't a whole lot of space downtown we can use for development. Homes are in much greater need than a massive sports arena.

Since the Aud location didn't get selected for the new hospital, I think that still remains a viable place for sports facilities. There's so much space there it could be possible to not only build a new ballpark, but also a new indoor stadium. At some point in the future a new LRT line will most certainly travel nearby, so transit would greatly improve. If parking was put in a garage, that still leaves so much space that the city could even try adding mixed use affordable housing there as well.

While I agree with your statement, eventually we will need to provide a stuff for people to do in this Region. 

I do agree that if done properly the Aud lands could be completely reworked to include a master planned sporting neighbourhood with a new arena, ballpark and maybe even a decent soccer/ football stadium. With room to include a mixed-use development around it.  Unfortunate this Region has had very little vision when it comes to investing in sport in our area. Maybe make it part of a bid for the commonwealth or canada games. The private sector seems uninterested in investing in the fastest growing city in the country for some reason. At our population we should really be looking at a CPL and a CFL team, but there has been little to no movement with regards to either of those leagues. 

The one problem with the Aud land for the ballpark is apparently the city takes all of the revenue with regards to alcohol sales, which I think would be were an owner could actually make money.

Surely that would be a subject of negotiation, although the revenue could help the City to pay for the stadium.