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(Update)
The owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats says the team will play the Labour Day Classic at Tim Hortons Field. But a CFL source has confirmed to CHCH News that the team has a contingency plan ready which involves moving the game to Toronto and pushing it back a day. Bob Young answered questions during a news conference this afternoon. We have two reports.
There was speculation all day that the Ticats were going to announce the Labour Day Classic would not be held at the new Tim Hortons Stadium and wouldn’t be on Labour Day. But both the owner of the team and Mayor Bob Bratina insisted the game will go on as planned.
Ticats Caretaker Bob Young: “We are very confident that we will be open for Labour Day — 1 o’clock. Gates open at 11.”
It was all smiles and good news at a press conference held at Ticats head office today. Team Owner Bob Young insisting that the Labour Day Classic is a go and it will be at the new Tim Hortons Field: “Failure is not an option. We are determined to play Labour Day at Tim Hortons Field.”
But CHCH News has learned that behind the scenes, management is preparing a back-up plan. Our sources say if Tim Hortons Field is not ready, the game will be played in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on September 2nd.
Young dodged any questions about a backup plan: “I have no interest in discussing back-up plans we are committed.”
Mayor Bob Bratina also brushed off questions about a contingency plan: “Failure is not an option and September 2nd is not an option.”
The stadium was to be ready for the teams home opener on July 26th.
Young also announced that the Ticats organization is also now in the business of concert promotion: “We have Keith Urban and Darius Rucker coming to the first music event at the stadium.”
The Ticats say they hope to sell 22 to 24-thousand tickets to the show. They are working with a promoter out of Toronto called Feldman Agency. They represent acts like The Tragically Hip, Three Days Grace and Natalie Macmaster. They say they will hold a number of shows a year.”
“Urban is scheduled for September 27th and if the stadium’s isn’t ready. No backup plan for that either says Bob Young: “We’ve written the cheque to Keith and Darius to come to Hamilton, there’s no cancellation option here.”
And it’s a pretty big cheque — one million dollars the team has paid up front to bring Keith Urban here.
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The turmoil continues for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their fans. As of right now there’s still no guarantee the Labour day classic will be played inside the new Tim Hortons Field. And now, we’re not even sure if it’s actually going to be played “on” Labour Day.
If you were at the 2013 Eastern Final at the Rogers Centre, you can attest to the fact that the Ticats fans were just as loud, if not louder, than the Argonauts fans. But will that same support be on hand if the Ticats are forced to play the Labour Day Classic in Toronto next Tuesday night, September 2nd, if their stadium isn’t available on Labour Day?
We just might find out, because Tiger-Cats officials have confirmed that this is their contingency plan.
Unfortunately, the team would not confirm it for us on camera, and both team owner Bob Young and Team President Glenn Gibson, chose to remain optimistic instead: “In our view, it’s a low probability that something might happen. Then we’ll execute on another plan and I think the plan will be respectful of our fans and we’ll be making the best of the situation.”
The one thing that Bob Young was able to confirm was the Ticats’ practice schedule: “I know that I am going to the Ticats practice at THF on Wednesday. So we will be practicing this week at THF.”
But playing at Tim Hortons Field is still a big question mark. The answer is expected to come at a Pan Am sub-committee meeting being held at Hamilton city hall on Tuesday morning: “There will be a list of things that, if we don’t get done, we will not play on Labour Day. But that’s just a list of stuff we have to get down between now and Monday at 10:59am, and we understand there’s no reason why we won’t get those things done between now and Monday morning.”
