Alarm Bells Go Off In Toronto

Alarm bells rang in the heads of Ontario football fans yesterday after reading that the Toronto Argos of the Canadian Football League were in talks with the City of Toronto about possibly moving into BMO Field as soon as 2009.

The disturbing part of this development is moving the Argos into what is also the National Soccer Stadium would require renovations to the stands to squeeze a CFL-sized field into a soccer specific stadium.

The owner of the stadium is the City of Toronto. I would expect the Argos would be on the hook for the estimated $10-20-million for the renovations but what is more important is what this will do to the atmosphere at BMO.

The center line would remain the same, according to an article in the Globe and Mail, requiring the end stands to be moved or removed. These areas contain the seats of the Red Patch Boys and U-Sector (among others) supporters groups.

As it is clear to anyone who follows football, by moving the seating further away from the action, this diminishes the atmosphere. Anyone who cares about Toronto FC or the Canadian national side in Ontario should keep on top of this story and let the city of Toronto know the Argos should find and pay for their own home.

The MLS wants football-specific stadiums. I'm sure I speak for the core of TFC's fan base when I say that they want a football specific stadium. Let's ensure we keep it a football specific stadium.