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The sudden outburst of cheers and applause coming from the back of the Carleton University theatre was led by the second cousin (through marriage) of former Senators forward Mike Comrie.
The reaction of those across the region who viewed The Great Unveiling on websites or the evening news later Thursday, while certainly quieter, had to be equally as enthusiastic. Generated, without question, was the big “Oh wow” Mayor Larry O’Brien predicted.
Now that the designs for the revitalization of Lansdowne Park and Frank Clair Stadium have been consumed by the public, surely all that stands in the way of shovels hitting the ground to start on the 1,400-car underground parking lot is the formality of a June 28 vote by elected officials.
“I am so taken with this presentation,” said Gord Bunke, a former employee of the Rough Riders. “We’re so close. If this council doesn’t move forward with this, it will be the biggest blunder in their history.”
No, it’s now a safe bet Ottawa is going to grow by two more pro sports franchises, one in the CFL and one in the United Soccer Federation, Division II. The CFL team will surely be named the Rough Riders and start play in the cozy home that has 24,000 seats for its guests in 2013.
For the Grey Cup game that will be hosted here within five years (now possibly in 2015 to give the local team a better chance of being a participant) capacity will be expanded to 45,000, the minimum number of available seats the league requires from a host for a championship game and considerably less than Grey Cups played in places such as Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and B.C. that drew more than 60,000.
It would be a smaller gathering, too, than the 51,242 who showed up at Frank Clair for the Argos’ 27-19 victory over the Lions in the Nov. 21, 2004 classic.
“At the end of the day, we believe 24,000 is the sweet spot,” said Jeff Hunt, the frontman for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which is attempting to put a CFL team back in the capital for the first time since the Renegades folded in 2006. “And you can’t design a stadium for one game every 10 years. It’s got to work every season, every game. That’s the bigger priority. If we’re a little light on a Grey Cup, so be it.”
There’s a good feeling exuding from this venture by locally raised millionaires Roger Greenberg, Bill Shenkman, John Ruddy and Hunt that goes beyond a quaint stadium with the wood exterior that will feel like it’s in the middle of a park. Even Southsiders aren’t squawking over the fact that, with the more expensive sections and family zones being moved, they’ll be crossing the field to become Northsiders.
“I’ve told a bunch of them, and most of them are just so happy to have football back they don’t care which side of the stadium they sit on,” said Hunt.
Among the thrilled is Alison Comrie, who along with husband Doug is a lifelong Rough Riders fan and creator of a Facebook group called ‘Bring CFL Back to Ottawa! Support Lansdowne Live!’ As of late Thursday afternoon, it had 2,258 members that included fans from across the country and employees of the Saskatchewan franchise who apparently don’t mind sharing the ’Rider nickname.
“I cheered like hell when I saw those drawings, because they’re absolutely stunning,” said Alison. “I’m just so excited about what they’ve done. It’s going to be beautiful for everybody in Ottawa, not just the people who live in that area. It belongs to the whole city.
“We tend to be the silent majority,” she added. “We don’t think we can outshout the naysayers. But I’m here to tell you there are people who can’t wait to have our football team back.”
And a good team it could be, if you consider the fact that attractive free agents study the intangibles when deciding where to sign in a salary-cap system.
“A lot of players in the past have gone to Edmonton, because of the field, because of the environment,” said former Rider Ken Evraire. “Commonwealth exudes class. You want to go to a city that has that.
“Most guys want to come to Ottawa because of the city. It’s a beautiful city. But to know you’ve got a Grade A, 5-star facility that they can bring their families to without question will make it even more appealing.”
Do not underestimate the impact the new place will have on the soccer scene, either. Planning and environment committee chairman Peter Hume didn’t when he spoke Thursday of what an impressive venue Lansdowne is poised to become.
“I stood behind home plate at the $459-million Target Center in Minnesota,” he said, looking toward architects Ritchard Brisbin, Barry Hobin and Rob Clairborne. “And it doesn’t hold a candle to what you’ve created here.”
“It’s a fabulous design,” Ottawa Fury owner and CEO John Pugh said of Thursday’s presentation. “That’s going to rank up there with soccer stadiums all over the world. People are going to think of Ottawa when they see that unique design.”
Something to cheer about, indeed.