Hamilton city councillor Lloyd Ferguson is promising that the new Ticats stadium on the current site of Ivor Wynne Stadium will be complete by July 1, 2014.
Ferguson is the chair of the city’s stadium sub-committee and is in a position to make the stadium.
However, scepticism is justified with greenfield stadiums consistently behind schedule and over budget.
Take Winnipeg’s new stadium that is being built at the University of Manitoba for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It will be a year behind schedule upon completion.
The Blue Bombers were supposed to be playing in it already. They are not.
Thankfully for the Blue Bombers, their old stadium at Polo Park wasn’t demolished yet and they’re playing another season there.
Friday’s home opener for the Tiger-Cats was the last time the Roughriders are scheduled to play in Ivor Wynne. (There is an extremely unlikely possibility they’ll face the Cats in post season.)
Murray McCormick of the Leader Postwrites:
It was more than likely the Riders’ final appearance at Ivor Wynn Stadium. The old place is to be demolished at the end of the 2012 season and a new one in place for 2014. Not sure how they can do that so quickly, given it seems to take three or four years to build a new stadium on a fresh site.
July 1st, 2014 is the stadium deadline. There’s another deadline looming that year – October 27th. Will Ferguson regret his prediction then, only time will tell.