The Commissioner of the Canadian Football League Randy Ambrosie still wants to expand to the Maritimes, and the attendance of the recent Touchdown Atlantic games in Nova Scotia has shown the existence of a fanbase.
However, the lack of stadium in Halifax has slowed expansion and a proposal to build a stadium in the Shannon Park area fell through when funding from the private sector or the province could not be secured.
Council did commit $20 million towards the proposal, but that money has been withdrawn due to financial hardships coming out of the pandemic.
A new stadium for Halifax is still a possibility, but momentum has slowed.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says it would be better to have a multipurpose venue that could accommodate a CFL team instead of a football specific stadium and it would be better to have a stadium in the downtown sector.
“The last proposal for a stadium in Halifax was in the range of $120 to $150 million, there just isn’t the appetite to spend that much public money on a large stadium.” – Halifax Mayor Mike Savage
Savage says one possibility is to expand the area where the Halifax Wanderers soccer team plays to accommodate a CFL team and the football stadium at St Mary’s University is also being looked at as a possible home for a team.
If interested parties could expand the seating capacity at these stadiums to least 15,000 people, they could provide a potential CFL team a home that is less expensive than the other CFL Stadiums.
More than 10,000 fans attended the CFL game in Wolfville in 2022.
“On average, you don’t get 30,000 people going to CFL games, most of the time its 20,000 or below.” Savage said in an interview about where the idea stands. “There is potential to do that in Halifax without having spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a stadium, the last proposal for a stadium in Halifax was in the range of $120 to $150 million, there just isn’t the appetite to spend that much public money on a large stadium.”
Despite the obstacles, Savage believes the city still has the atmosphere for a CFL team since they have held lots of sporting events in the past and the city has lots of sports fans.
He believes a stadium in the heart of the city instead of the outskirts would be the best option since transit is more accessible and it gives people a chance to support local businesses while they go to the game.
SMU is the location of this year’s Touchdown Atlantic Game and will be expanded to welcome over 10,000 fans.
