TORONTO — For Scott Milanovich, it’s the most significant sign of stability since his arrival five years ago. For the Toronto Argonauts, it’s another chance to carve out their niche in a very crowded sports landscape.
Toronto opens the CFL regular season Thursday night hosting the rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats at its new home, BMO Field. After 27 seasons at Rogers Centre, the Argos’ move to a smaller, more intimate venue at Exhibition Place is a return to the their heyday in the 1960s and ’70s when they flourished there.
Toronto payed at Exhibition Stadium for 30 seasons before relocating to Rogers Centre in ’89. Although the dome seated over 52,000 for football, the Argos struggled to attract fans there.
Toronto’s attendance last year dropped to 12,431 after averaging 17,791 in 2014 and football fans routinely complained about the lack of atmosphere in the cavernous stadium.
The seating capacity at BMO Field is roughly 27,000. Not only does the smaller venue create more comfortable conditions for fans but puts them much closer to on-field action.
And most everything in the stadium seems new following a $150-million facelift.
The Argos are also putting a different spin on a football tradition to boost their game-day experience and appeal to a younger demographic. They’re offering tailgating near BMO Field, allowing select fans to park and fire up their barbeques without bringing alcohol as tailgaters must purchase $4 beers from the team because of provincial liquor laws.
The contest is expected to be a sellout, which Kent Austin, Hamilton’s head coach/vice-president of football operations, said benefits both teams.
"Hopefully they’ll have a great crowd there and they’ll be loud," he said. "That’s good for the game, that’s good for them, that’s good for the league.
"Our players want to play before a crowd and want there to be excitement and the challenge. That’s what makes the game great."
This will mark the second meeting at BMO Field for the two teams. Toronto earned a 25-16 exhibition win June 11.
The move to BMO Field caps a wild, sometimes bizarre ride for Toronto. In 2014, the Argos had to practise at numerous different fields before finally securing a permanent facility at Downsview Park.
Last season, the Argos had to play four home games on the road due to the Pan-Am Games and baseball playoffs at Rogers Centre. This off-season Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum and Bell Canada became the franchise’s principle owners.
The venue change comes at a time when the Argos are trying to re-establish a foothold in a sports market that also features hockey (Leafs), basketball (Raptors), soccer (Toronto FC) and baseball (Jays). Milanovich, entering his fifth season as head coach, understands the importance but admits he has more pressing issues to be concerned with.
"I concentrate really on the product and can’t concern myself too much with that," he said Wednesday following Toronto’s walkthrough. "But we’re all aware of the importance of the new beginning, the new stadium and getting off on the right foot with our fans.
"It’s not something I lay in bed thinking about but we’re all anticipating a great new start for us and we’re looking forward to Thursday."
Toronto starter Ricky Ray, also entering his fifth season with the club, offered a simple recipe for Toronto to succeed: Winning.
"Our job is to be exciting on the field and win football games," he said. "Obviously when you do that, fans get excited too and want to be a part of what we’re doing.
"We don’t feel any added pressure, the pressure is the same as it was last year … to go out and perform well and win."
Ray said the Argos don’t have to look far to find a blueprint for success, citing Hamilton’s move to Tim Hortons Field in 2014. The Ticats’ average attendance there last year exceeded 24,000 fans per game and they’re 11-4 there during the regular season and 2-0 hosting playoff games.
"It’s definitely become one of the better atmospheres in the CFL to play a game in and that’s kind of what we’re trying to do," Ray said. "We’re trying to get off to a great start in our stadium and kind of get that atmosphere that they have and just get people excited to come and watch a football game.
"They did a great job of playing really well at home and that’s going to be the key for us in trying to get that home-field advantage back, trying to get the crowd behind us and making it a tough place for other teams to come and play here."
While knowing all nine home games this year are etched in stone is big, Milanovich said the uncertainty of practice venues in 2014 was tougher to deal with.
"Our training room was in the locker-room of an indoor soccer facility," he said. "Players can adjust to some degree but when it just keeps piling on … that year became very difficult."
