Friends of Lansdowne Park Antics

This past Monday, Friends of Lansdowne (a group against the current renovation project to Lansdowne Park) won a minor victory in getting the courts to delay legal proceedings in the ongoing legal battle over the Lansdowne renovations. FLP Park as mentioned in previous blog postings are arguing that the city council of Ottawa did not act appropriately in the bid process for the Lansdowne renovations. In their opinion because there was only one bid submitted, the City Council of Ottawa acted in bad faith in allowing the sole bid to go through without competition. As mentioned (again) before this to me is ludicrous as EVERY company was given ample time to bid on the renovations, just most every company but ONE chose not to. In addition, FLP is also arguing that Lansdowne Park should be a heritage site, and the renovation bid will not be taking that into consideration. My question to them, have they seen the proposal? The new Frank Clair looks amazing! The hearing is now scheduled for sometime in June, which will give FLP enough time to check over all the documents the bid company had sent in their submission.

This ruling has me very irritated as now the renovation process to Lansdowne will have to be put on hold until an even further date. CFL in Ottawa is still scheduled to go by 2013, but you have to wonder when they will begin the physical process of the renovations. Time is money, and time is dwindling!

FLP have a website, http://www.letsgetitright.ca. Please note that they have scheduled meeting times on their website to discuss Lansdowne Park and its future. Specifically on March 24th, the Council of Canadians are holding a public meeting at 7 p.m at the Knox Presbyterian Church on 120 Lisgar (at Elgin). At this meeting they will be discussing the privatization of public spaces. I’m sure FLP will be there, and if I was around Ottawa at this time I would definitely go! Unfortunately, I’m way over in Newfoundland at the present, so I urge anyone and everyone who would love to see CFL in Ottawa again to go out to this meeting and fight for the current bid to the renovations of Lansdowne Park!

Let’s get these renovations started ASAP!

Jeff Hunt vs The Gliebermans

Much has been said about the Glieberman's (Dad Bernard and Son Lonie) failed CFL attempts over the past two decades. If you are in the CFL know, than Ottawa can be considered a laughing stock whenever this father-son combo laid their hands on the proud Rough Rider and Renegade franchises. This born into wealth family from Detroit truly had no idea the heritage and prestige they were getting themselves into in the early 90s and mid 2000s.

The biggest mistake they made was getting the league to agree to split the 90s Rough Riders into two separate sports franchises, with one going to Shreveport, Louisiana. This was a massive failure on both the CFL and the Gliebermans. The CFL hadn’t even been heard of in the southern states, and it had to compete with the intensely popular New Orleans Saints and the LSU Tigers. Seriously, was a market study even done on this before hand, for it would have certainly reported this was a no brainer NOT to get into.

Lonie, Lonie, Lonie… the appoint of this Glieberman only makes sense if your Bernard Glieberman. Hiring a person with no CFL experience or background is a recipe for disaster. Better recruiting for the General Manager position should have been orchestrated. What makes matters worse was his quid pro quo status of dating Ottawa Cheerleaders, and terrible signings of drug addicted athletes.

What I dislike most about their tenure with the Renegades was the fact they just gave up. Average attendance was dwindling as the 2005 season progressed. The Renegades last home game brought about 16,504 fans (a depressing statistic). Instead of reaching into their wallets, or coming up with a new strategic direction, they just held their hands out to the CFL and demanded the league pay them money to continue operating the Renegades. I’m pretty sure Business 1000 teaches you that this is not the way a successful business model works. Making demands, when you have the power to change something to me seems extremely selfish.

Enter Jeff Hunt a self made millionnaire and long time CFL fan. Hunt should be seen as the “White Knight” to CFL Ottawa. His resume, character, and determination speak volumes on the type of owner the city of Ottawa should expect when their new football franchise opens again in 2013. Looking at his resume, he started his own carpet company and made millions. Then Hunt in the late 90s took over the near brink Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Ottawa 67s. He knew he had to spend marketing $ to get people interested in minor league hockey again, so he did. The attendance, and the on ice team quickly improved after his investment. Not only is he OK with splashing cash when necessary, he also gets what it takes to build a proper sports franchise. In the service industry, customer service and interaction is key! Are you likely to go back to a restaurant that served you bad food or had poor customer service… NO. The sports industry should be treated no differently. All it takes is one bad experience, and then the customer will NEVER return.

Hunt wants to keep the Ottawa 67s in Lansdowne Park with the CFL team. This I feel is genius as the two diverse sports teams will synergize together in getting more people and more buzz to Lansdowne Park. It will become the MECA of the sports industry in Ottawa.

Determination is one of the best assets I see in people, and Hunt has it. In 2006, he was part of a failed bid to take over the suspended Ottawa Renegades. A lot of business people would say, well that was a waste of time, and never bid again. Hunt defied this mold. In some ways I’m glad it was a failure, as I think this new Ottawa model, with a new draft scheme, renovated Frank Clair stadium, and new attitude will be make CFL Ottawa a much better team.

My last plug for Jeff Hunt is simple. He is a Memorial University of Newfoundland Commerce grad back in the 80s. This is a stellar business program… How do I know this? Well I’m graduating from it in a couple months and its been great to me! Newfoundland and Memorial University Rocks (Pun intended)!

Dear Jeff Hunt… YOU GOT THIS!

Ottawa's Coaching Opportunities

There is a growing trend amongst CFL teams to promote and grow former star players to high coaching roles. In the coming year three former stars, Dave Dickenson, Marcus Crandell, and Khari Jones will become Offensive coordinators for Calgary, Edmonton, and Hamilton respectively.

All these players have worked for it, starting from bottom coaching levels within organizations and working their way up. Dickenson last year was the Stampeders QB coach and look what he did with Henry Burris. Most of all Burris's stats from 2009 to 2010 improved (Highlights- 22TDs to 38TDs, QB rating 88 to 102, and completion pct 59 to 66) and Oh he happened to win the CFL's most coveted award, the league’s "Most Outstanding Player" award. You can also see the improvement in Kevin Glenn's game under the tutelage of Jones. Teams willing to take the chance on player coaches are not only investing in proven winners, but they are creating a unique marketing opportunity. Fans love to see their former fav CFL players back on the sidelines!

Enter Ottawa in 2013, who should they have as their head coach? Well that's still up in the air and I'm sure Jeff Hunt is working on it. However, the players I'd love to see back on the sidelines helping the next Ottawa team are Kerry Joseph and Pat Woodcock. During their time as Renegades they were fan favourites, so why not bring them back to help create a little more buzz for the new Canadian team? Seems like a no brainer. The point I'm neglecting is whether or not Joseph and Woodcock would even be interested in a coaching role. Turns out they are!

Take it for what it's worth but in a recent twitter conversation I had with Kerry Joseph I asked if he'd ever be interested in a coaching position for the new Ottawa team? He answered with "I would have to see where things are in my life when that time comes. It wouldn't be a bad idea to coach where I started". I also asked Woodcock and he said he would definitely be interested in a strength and condition coach job!

Dear Jeff Hunt, sign these guys!

The Lansdowne Development Saga

(Proposed game rendition of Frank Clair)

On Tuesday June 29th Ottawa city council voted 15-9 in favour of redeveloping Lansdowne Park with the bid proposed by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). The OSEG is the consortium business group that has the CFL rights to Ottawa's next team. The new Lansdowne Park plan includes renovations to Frank Clair Stadium (where the new CFL Ottawa team will play), the building of 350,000 square feet of commercial retail space at the site (i.e. a new mall), 250 housing units, and the development of an urban park on Lansdowne's front lawn.

Many Ottawa citizens are upset with the outcome of city council. In particular, a protest group self proclaimed as "Friends of Lansdowne Park" (FLP) are the primary instigators in the fight against Lansdowne re-development. In the council decision it is outlined that the city of Ottawa (aka Ottawa taxpayers) will be paying $173 million towards the LP redevelopment, with OSEG forking out $117 million for their bit. The protesters have fought hard, even launching an application for appeal to Ontario's supreme court this past November to get the bid overturned. In February  FLP got a small victory, in that the Ontario courts ruled the city and OSEG had to open up their financial books to FLP so they could see where money was being allocated. Project redevelopment is still slated to occur soon barring more legal set backs.

The $173 taxpayer allocation breakdown looks like this:

• $124 million for the stadium renovation and parking
• $35 million for the urban park (including $5 million for moving the Horticulture building)
• $8.5 million for the new trade show and exhibition hall at Albion Road
• $3.8 million to relocate the sports Dome
• $1.2 million for life cycle renewal. 

The main thing the breakdown doesn't include is interest on the $173 million! That interest could be HUGE considering City council expects to be paying this over the course of 30 years. 

(Proposed inside of Frank Clair)

Another reason of FLP's fight comes down to business ethics. OSEG was the only bid that the city council of Ottawa had to choose from. Some see this as unfair, as you would like to see more bids and more competition to get the financial costs down and quality of bids improve. I feel this is completely fair as other companies were given ample notice to bid on the LP redevelopment, they just chose not to.

Many Ottawa residents feel the new redevelopments will cause an eye sore right along the Rideau canal. The proposed architect renditions say otherwise however. The new Frank Clair Stadium will be designed with a wood focus. All the exterior designs show elegant wood styles covering the stadium, creating a nice picture for any person strolling along the Rideau canal trails.

 

 

(Proposed Frank Clair renos at night by the Rideau Canal)

 

 

I feel the city of Ottawa and OSEG are heading in the right direction. They know what the public wants and are willing to give it to them! I truly hope they start the renovations soon however, as if the aim is to get the CFL franchise in Ottawa back up and running by 2013 they need to start NOW!

Next Sunday I will be posting an article on potential coaching staff for the new Ottawa team, stay tuned!

3rd Time's a Charm

Jeff Hunt (Head of the development group for the new Ottawa franchise- 2nd left) with Mark Cohon (CFL Commissioner- middle) and the rest of the development group.

On March 28, 2008 Ottawa was given the go ahead for their third professional CFL franchise. The move was greeted with high phrase but cautious optimism. On one hand, the rambunctious fans of Ottawa were getting a new CFL team! However, on the other hand hesitation was apparent as CFL had lived and died twice already in the nation's capital! What would make this third time any different?! Well there are many things that make this third attempt stand out in my mind: 1) The new owners led by Jeff Hunt, 2) The renovations of Lansdowne Park, and 3) The newly structure expansion draft.

Jeff Hunt is a self made millionaire and huge CFL fan. This bodes well from an ownership perspective, as to be truly successful in any sports league you need a passionate owner that is willing to open his pocketbook (or business "knowledge-book") and help the team in any way shape or form. Hunt has already proven to be highly successful in the sports leagues. In 1998 he bought the Ottawa 67s (an Ontario Hockey League team), the impact was felt instantly. Seemingly over night the attendance to the 67s near quadruple, and Hunt spent an average $25,000 on marketing for the first couple of weeks to promote the team (a significant number considering the 67s budget for promotion marketing was $25000/year in 1997). This shows that Hunt knows how to run a successful sports franchise and is willing to do what it takes for it be a winner!

There is much debate in the social media world on whether or not Frank Clair stadium should be renovated. Some feel a complete change of scenery could go along way in getting this franchise off the ground. Call me old fashion but I'd rather see Frank Clair and Lansdowne Park be adjusted to fit the needs of the fans. I remember being at a game at Frank Clair in 2004, Montreal Alouettes vs the Ottawa Renegades. The atmosphere for that game was phenomenal, and the crowd I felt truly energized the Renegades to a massive upset 43-38! When building a new stadium it's sometimes hard to capture the old building's atmosphere again. Fans may have been loyal specifically to the old stadium itself!

Finally, the expansion draft plans for the new Ottawa team are much better than the 2002. The expansion draft is set for sometime in December of 2012, rules and regulations can be read here Ottawa CFL Expansion Draft- Rules and regulations. In addition to the expansion draft the new Ottawa franchise will get the top pick of the 2013 CFL draft! This will allow the 3rd Ottawa to hit the ground running with a truly competitive team!


Though the team is 2 years away from "being", I'm really excited for the CFL! More details will come in coming blog posts on Lansdowne Park development issues (as there are still many kinks becoming worked out with the city and development group), potential draft prospects, branding, and more!