Rogers Centre Grass Could Leave Argos Out In The Cold

With 50,000 or so seats, the Rogers Centre has long been far to big for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts football team.  The league as a whole has had much greater success in smaller more intimate venues, and for the longevity of the oldest professional sports franchise in North America a move to one of these smaller stadiums is essential.

With the Blue Jays stating their desire to install real grass to attract top talent, the Argos may have just received the push they needed to look at other housing options.  The logistics of real grass at the Rogers Centre would make it impossible to keep converting between the two sports leaving the Argos on the outside looking in.

The upcoming season would have been a perfect time for the Argos to host the annual Labour Day game against the rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats with Hamilton’s stadium under construction and the team playing home dates at alternate venues.  A scheduling conflict though with the Blue Jays (who have prefered date status at the stadium as Rogers owns both the team and the facility) has dashed any hope that may have existed. The dilemma only emphasises the need for the Argos to come up with a plan for long-term viability in Toronto.

The Grey Cup-champion Argos are in the middle of re-negotiating a deal to remain at the Rogers Centre, since their contract expired at the end of 2012. Argos president Chris Rudge says the negotiations are going well, and he expects it will be more substantial than simply a year-to-year deal.

Rudge says his club is exploring options for a new home venue, stressing they would be silly not to. But he declines to say what they are right now. He says he and Beeston often discuss the notion of the Jays wanting to install grass. It’s no secret. But they have never been told it’s imminent or discussed a firm timeline for the Argos to move out.

Maybe not officially but it quite clear to all involved its only a matter of time, and for the Argos the sooner the can find a new home the better.