BMO Field, the home of Toronto FC

BMO Field (pronounced "BEE-moe") or National Soccer Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure seats 20,500 spectators. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Construction is complete, with the first soccer game played on April 28, 2007, a 1-0 loss by home side Toronto FC against the Kansas City Wizards.

History

BMO Field is the fifth stadium to be located 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 the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in 1989 and was demolished in 1999.

The stadium was part of Canada's successful bid to host the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[1] The original plan was for the site to be located at York University, with the university contributing $15 million toward the cost of the new stadium. However, the university was forced to back out in May 2005.[2] The eventual site was moved to the location of demolished Exhibition Stadium and then-existing Sports Hall of Fame building.

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.[3] BMO is the stock ticker symbol of the Bank of Montreal, whose operational headquarters are in Toronto. 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 re-naming the stadium "BMO Field". The name was later announced on the team's official website. It is referred to under the National Soccer Stadium name in official references to the U-20 World Cup, as non-FIFA-supporting sponsors are not permitted references.

The grand opening celebration took place on May 12, 2007. [4] MLS's commissioner has declared that the 2008 All-Star Game will take place at BMO Field, as well an MLS Cup by the year 2012.

The first music concert to take place at BMO Field was preformed by classic rock group Genesis on September 7, 2007.

Management, ownership and funding

Toronto FC is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE), owners of the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors. In addition, MLSE contributed towards the cost of the building of the stadium. With the total costs in the realm of $62 million ($72 million including land), contributions came from multiple sources. MLSE contributed $8 million towards the construction of the stadium and $10 million towards securing the naming rights of the stadium. The Canadian Federal Government contributed $27 million, with Ontario's government adding an additional $8 million. Toronto paid $9.8 million, and has the ownership of the stadium. (All figures are in Canadian dollars.)

Stadium specifics

BMO Field uses FieldTurf rather than a natural grass pitch which has attracted some criticism.[1][2] The turf was laid in March, 2007. The seats are entirely red with the exception of a design on each of the main stands. On the east side, the design is a large maple leaf while on the lower west stand the design spells out "TORONTO", and has a portion of the Toronto FC logo. The south stand has "BMO" spelled out. Field of play dimensions are 75 yards wide x 115 yards long or 68 m wide x 105 m wide. The largest attendance at the stadium was 20,522 on August 5, 2007 when Los Angeles Galaxy played to a 0-0 draw against Toronto FC. Despite sold out games and long waiting lists, the team has no plans to expand the stadium in the near future.[3]

Structural issues

BMO Field has experienced some structural difficulties since its official opening. The Globe and Mail reported on 17 May 2007 that spectators attending Toronto FC matches detected bolts ranging from four to six centimetres in length falling from BMO Field's galvanised metal grandstands to the concrete concourse below. Emergency repairs to the locking fasteners on the stadium's grandstands were underway, with completion expected by 20 May. The stadium has been noted for boisterous fans banging on the metal floors of the stadium, which may have contributed partially. Television cameras mounted on the structure are known to visibly shake in broadcast during such moments.

Photo gallery

A view of BMO Field's south end.	One of many BMO Field private suites.	BMO Field's east stand.	BMO Field's video scoreboard.
A closeup view of the video scoreboard at BMO Field	A view of BMO Field's north end.	BMO Field's east stand.	A closeup view of BMO Field's west stand.
The concourse at BMO Field's west stand.	BMO Field's entrance.	A view from outside the stadium.