Thursday, June 25, 2009 6:47 PM
CFL's return to Ottawa takes an interesting turn
David Naylor
There was an interesting announcement Thursday in the effort to return CFL football to Ottawa.
The group of Ottawa businessmen who own the conditional franchise, led by Ottawa 67’s owner Jeff Hunt, are engaged in discussions with Carleton University to bring back the school’s football program which died in the late 1990s.
The team would then play at the rebuilt Frank Clair Stadium.
Why is this significant?
Well, the biggest problem with football stadium construction is it’s hard to justify the investment for a sport that plays only a limited number of dates.
The University of Ottawa already plays its home games at Frank Clair Stadium, so adding Carleton means there would be at least nine CIS football dates a year played there. Add that to 10 CFL dates and you’re up to 19 football dates a year. And if the Hunt group follows through on its interest in securing a United Soccer Leagues team, will that would be roughly another 20 dates.
All of a sudden you’re talking about 40 sporting dates between April and October, and that’s before you begin to add in things like outdoor concerts etc.
That way, the revitalization of Lansdowne starts to look less like the building of a home for a CFL team and more like the construction of a community asset that will be used for two sports at both the amateur and professional levels.
That is surely the message the Hunt group wants to get out in advance of city council vote scheduled for Aug. 26.
The notion of bringing back Carleton football is on its own significant. John Ruddy, one of Hunt’s partners, is a former Raven from the 1970s and the city is full of ex-players from all walks of life who would love to see the team return.
The Carleton football business model is still under development, but it would be fair to assume the sides are looking at the kind of private partnership model that has been successful at places such as Laval and Regina.
Another important thing: If Raven football does come back, Hunt’s group would handle the administration and marketing of the team, putting all his experience to work in an area most CIS athletic programs come up short.
