Seats with obstructed views sold to Pan Am soccer fans

Jairo Arango and Jane Whittington came from Toronto to watch a Pan Am soccer game in Hamilton. But when they got here, it wasn't what they expected.

The couple bought regular-price tickets to see Colombia play Mexico. Each cost $20. But on arriving at Tim Hortons Field, their seats in the first bowl — row 21, seats 1 and 2 — had "Obstructed seat not available" signs on them.

Fortunately, there were two empty seats right next to them. The couple sat there and had a great time. They have no complaints otherwise.

"It's well organized," Whittington said. "People are friendly."

But it begs the question: what if it was a sold-out game?

The presence of obstructed seats has been an issue for months as crews finished the long-overdue stadium. The Ticats are now balking at paying what it owes the city over the seats and other issues, and the city is hoping to get financial credit from the province over the seats.

The stadium itself — called CIBC Stadium for the purposes of the Pan Am Games — was nearly a year late. The original deadline for Ontario Sports Solutions — the consortium Infrastructure Ontario (IO) hired to build the $145-million facility — was June 30, 2014. But the stadium wasn't substantially completed until May.

The delay even prompted city council to write a panicked letter to the premier, saying that city's ability to host Pan Am soccer matches in the new stadium was "in jeopardy."

The seats are spread out all over the stadium.- Scott Mitchell, president of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Obstructed seats were a late issue. In April, IO said some 700 seats had insufficient views because crews installed solid panels that should have been glazed.

In the case of Arango and Whittington, their seats were behind railing, and they would have had to watch the game through a row of metal bars.

Pan Am organizers do their best to not sell tickets for obstructed seats, spokesperson Heather Irwin said in an email.

"We do our best to anticipate where there may be obstructions and not sell those tickets," she said. "Individual concerns are addressed (at the venue)."

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have issues with the obstructed views too. The club has a licensing agreement with the city that takes effect once the stadium is adequately finished. But the Ticats say that hasn't taken effect yet because these issues still aren't fixed.

It doesn't make the experience very helpful.- Coun. Lloyd Ferguson

Until that agreement takes effect, said president Scott Mitchell, neither does a $1.4-million letter of credit, or $100,000 for rent for a June event.

Complaints include issues related to the draft beer lines, camera positions, the media room and other issues, Mitchell said. But obstructed seats are part of it.

The builder promised 22,500 unobstructed seats, Mitchell said. But more than 1,000 are obstructed. And it's not just solid panels causing the problem, he said.

"The seats are spread out all over the stadium."

This is fairly common for stadium projects like this, Mitchell said. Those seats will remain obstructed, and tickets offered at a "severe discount."

As for Pan Am, "I can't speak to Toronto 2015 or city events," he said. "But we had to relocate our season seat holders to different seats."

The Ticats will meet with the city Tuesday to discuss the licensing agreement, said Coun. Lloyd Ferguson of Ancaster, who chaired the city's Pan Am subcommittee.

The city also hopes to get financial credit for the obstructed seats.

Ferguson attended a soccer game on the weekend noticed minor issues, such as the caterers running out of food. And he wasn't happy to hear about Arango and Whittington's ticket glitch.

"It doesn't make the experience very helpful," he said.

Otherwise, he said, "it's a great facility."