BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Professional Sports Venues on Waymarking.com

BMO Field is a Canadian soccer stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 21,566 spectators in its standard configuration for soccer. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. It opened on April 28, 2007 with a 1–0 loss by home side Toronto FC against the Kansas City Wizards.

BMO Field is the fifth stadium to be built at its exact location at Exhibition Place. The most recent was Exhibition Stadium, former home of the Toronto Argonauts and Toronto Blue Jays, which lost its permanent tenants with the opening of SkyDome (Rogers Centre since 2005) in 1989. Exhibition Stadium was demolished in 1999.

When the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) applied to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the governments of Canada and Ontario agreed to provide a combined $35 million to fund a new stadium in Toronto for the games if the bid was successful. At the time, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) was looking for a stadium for their new MLS team to play in, as were the Toronto Argonauts. The three groups originally agreed to partner on building a new 25,000-seat, $80 million Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto. Aside from the government funding, $15 million was to come from the UofT, which would own the stadium, and a $30 million loan would be taken out by the University with the annual $2.1 million financing charges paid by the Argos. However, MLSE backed out of the stadium due to a lack of financial return, and the deal ultimately fell through in 2004 when the University's new President withdrew his support after its cost rose over $100 million.

Later that year, the Argos announced plans to build a 25,000-seat, $70 million stadium at York University, which would contribute the land and $15 million, with the Argos adding $20 million to the government funding, though MLSE not involved in the project. However, the Argos pulled out of the stadium after signing a new 15 year lease at Rogers Centre with significantly reduced rent.

The eventual site was moved to the location of demolished Exhibition Stadium and then-existing Sports Hall of Fame building. When City of Toronto approved funding BMO Field, the proposal was for a stadium that was "capable of a conversion to a football format. The Argos wanted to join Toronto FC at BMO Field, but MLSE, citing budget and time limitations (even though the budget didn't change after the City gave their approval), constructed the stadium such that it was incompatible with CFL football without demolition and reconstruction of the endzone stands.

On May 11, 2006, Major League Soccer announced that Toronto FC would join the league as its thirteenth (and first Canada-based) team in 2007. The league considers soccer-specific stadiums to be a critical part of its strategy; MLS commissioner Don Garber has been adamant that expansion teams must have plans for a soccer-specific stadium in place to be granted a franchise. These facilities are thought to improve overall crowd atmosphere (because they are smaller than stadiums built primarily for NFL football or CFL football), and may allow teams to control most revenues generated by their facilities.

On August 31, 2006, the Toronto Star reported that BMO Financial Group purchased the naming rights to the stadium, known then as the National Soccer Stadium. BMO is the stock ticker symbol of the Bank of Montreal, whose operational headquarters are in Toronto, despite its Montreal name (though the bank still has its legal corporate headquarters in the namesake city). The symbol is often pronounced "BEE-moe", as are references to the bank itself. On September 20, 2006, stadium webcam viewers watched as a banner was raised on the West Grandstand renaming the stadium "BMO Field". The name was later announced on the team's official website. It was referred to under the National Soccer Stadium name in official references to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, as non-FIFA-supporting sponsors were not permitted references.

BMO Field is currently undergoing renovations and expanding the seating capacity of the venue.

(source: Wikipedia)

Address:
BMO Field
170 Princes' Blvd
Toronto, ON M6K 3C3

It's the home of which team(s)?: Toronto FC Which professional sports are played here?: Soccer (Rugby, Lacrosse and CFL Football has also been played here) Capacity (number of seats): 21, 566 Opening Date: 04/28/2007 Venue's Website or Team's Website: [Web Link] Guided Tours: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
1) Tell how was your visit. Were you at a game, which one? Have you just visited it by the outside, on a guided tour maybe? Are you a fan?

2) Pictures:
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- Upload one photo, at least. It would be great if you'd upload one of the venue and one with you on the photo.
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- Extra credits for photos inside, with the teams playing.

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