Investors Group Field's press box woes blamed on CFL
The Canadian Football League is being blamed for an inadequate media facility at Winnipeg's new stadium, which must be renovated if the city wants to host the Grey Cup.
Investors Group Field has been touted by Blue Bombers brass and Manitoba politicians as a state-of-the-art facility since it officially opened earlier this year.
I've been to stadiums across the country and this is the worst one I've ever sat in.- Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
"Better to get it right because it's going to be there for decades to come," Premier Greg Selinger said in June 2012, in response to questions about lengthy construction delays.
But when working journalists walked into the new stadium's press box this past spring, they discovered it is squeezed down near an end zone, meaning they cannot see some of the field from inside.
"Before my first game I heard how bad it was and I thought, it can't be that bad. And then I got there and it was worse," said Judy Owen, a freelance sports reporter with The Canadian Press.
"I've been to stadiums across the country and this is the worst one I've ever sat in."
According to construction reports written by BBB Stadium Inc. — the consortium that oversees the facility's construction — the press area was an issue throughout the time the stadium was being built.
"The enclosure of the press suite has been put on hold," the construction team wrote in a report dated Oct. 14, 2011.
In a report from Nov. 18, 2011, the team wrote, "West side suite level is currently being redesigned to see if the press box could be constructed at lower cost."
Must be renovated
The media facilities at Investors Group Field must now undergo renovations to meet CFL guidelines, if Winnipeg wants to qualify as a host city for the Grey Cup final.
When asked about how the $204-million stadium could be opened with a press box that will have to be fixed, officials with BBB Stadium Inc. blamed the football league.
"The CFL did not have design guidelines in place for press box design and neither the CFL nor TSN provided the requested input regarding press box design," officials told CBC News in an email.
George Jergeas, a civil engineering professor at the University of Calgary, said massive amounts of planning and consultation must happen before construction starts.
"If you rush it, you forgot about it, or didn't think about it, you didn't consider it — later, you're going to be forced to include it," he said.
The Blue Bombers organization announced this past fall that a private donor will pay the $350,000 needed to make changes to the stadium so it can qualify for hosting the Grey Cup.
In an email, a spokesperson for the CFL said, "The important thing is the Bombers are currently undertaking a process to make modifications to their press box. This will be ready for the 2014 season.
"Investors Group Field is one of the very best facilities in not only our country, but North America, and we look forward to it hosting the Bombers, and major events such as Grey Cups in the years ahead."