TORONTO - Toronto FC's home turf could become a real grass playing field by 2010 or 2011, according to the team's parent company Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.
"We want to put grass in BMO Field, we are committed to it happening," MLSE's executive vice-president and chief operating officer Tom Anselmi said Thursday at BMO Field during a mid-season briefing on the state of the team.
"We are prepared to write a cheque for it. It's not just as simple as snapping your fingers and making it happen. Grass at BMO Field permanently versus grass for Real Madrid are two completely different things."
A temporary grass field is being installed over BMO Field's artificial turf at a cost of about $250,000 for an Aug. 7 exhibition game between TFC and Spanish giants Real Madrid. But that grass has a short life span and could not also be used for TFC.
Real Madrid, which made headlines Thursday with a world-record transfer offer for Cristiano Ronaldo to go with its other major off-season catch - Kaka, is expected to play its top players for 45 minutes of the game.
Another obstacle for grass at BMO Field is that MLSE does not own the stadium. The stadium is a public-private sector partnership among the federal and Ontario governments, the City of Toronto and MLSE. The stadium also is used heavily by the community and that has taken its toll on the artificial surface.
To have real grass at BMO Field for TFC would require finding another venue for community use. Anselmi said MLSE is willing to pay the costs of the grass and finding the new venue.
"We're working with the city, we're in front of city council at their next meeting in the fall," Anselmi said. "We're hoping to get city approval. We've got to work with the city to get the province onside. We've got to solve the issue of where the community-use goes and move that somewhere. Another cheque we're going to have to write.
"We're committed to it, our fans want it, our players want it, everybody wants it. It's the right thing for soccer."
Having grass also would help attract players. Some players who have been interested in joining TFC have balked because of the artificial surface.
Midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, a Canadian national team player who does not like artificial turf, expressed disappointment recently that it took Real Madrid coming to get grass for BMO Field. But Anselmi said there is no connection.
"Grass for Real Madrid, $200,000 or whatever it costs, you roll it in, they play on it, and it dies you take it out, you throw it away," he said. "It's a completely different animal. These two aren't connected at all. So to come up with some form of temporary solution for TFC for the rest of the year it doesn't work, it doesn't make sense."
There was some controversy with TFC fans because of the way the game with Real Madrid was announced and that it's not included in the season ticket package. TFC's other exhibition game with Argentina's River Plate was included instead.
"Real Madrid itself, if we had them booked a year ago we probably wouldn't have put it into the season ticket package," Anselmi said, "because for every season ticket holder that was saying we should have had it in the package we would have had about 50 saying you've driven the price of my package up, let me have the option.
"So from our perspective making it optional to them, our season ticket holders get the first crack, the price is better for the season ticket holders, seems to be from our perspective to be the best solution."
When TFC announced its two exhibition matches, the team was in the process of losing two league games, 3-0 away to the Houston Dynamo and 2-1 at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy and a Nutrilite Canadian Championship match 2-0 the Vancouver Whitecaps.
TFC must now defeat the Impact next week in Montreal by at least four goals to win the tournament with the two United Soccer Leagues clubs.
"We've had a bit of a rough week," Anselmi said. "Some of it our doing, some of it life in sports, I guess. Our fans are amazing, we share their frustration, empathize with their frustration.
"It's our job to deal with their frustration."
Tickets for the Real Madrid friendly start at $140 and go up to $215. Toronto FC season ticket holders can buy tickets starting at $125 and have first chance to purchase.
This week TFC filled the need of a central defender by obtaining Nick Garcia in a trade with the San Jose Earthquakes, and in the same trade obtained the rights to Canadian national team member Ali Gerba.
General manager Mo Johnston said Thursday he hopes to have Gerba signed by early next week. TFC has had trouble scoring goals and Johnston said he feels that the club is underachieving.
TFC's next game is Saturday at BMO Field against the New York Red Bulls.
