RSV Pro Facilities Report
February, 2016
Toronto FC
40 Bay St Ste 400 Toronto, ON M5J 2X2 Phone: 416-360-4625 URL: toronto.fc.mlsnet.com Owner: Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment League: Major League Soccer, Eastern Conference
Venue
BMO Field, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON Owner: City of Toronto Managed by: Owner Built: 2007 Capacity: 20,000 Permanent concession stands: 6 Concessionaire: Team Soft drink:
Naming rights
Sold to: Bank of Montreal Price: $27,000,000 Term: 10 years Expires: 2016
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $380 to $1,406 Single tickets range from $27.00 to $121.00
Attendance
2013 average attendance: 18,131 2014 average attendance: 22,086 2015 average attendance: 23,978
Suites
Quantity: 30 Term: 3 to 5 years Price: $30,000 to $40,000 Seats: 12 to 20
Club seats
Quantity: 500 Term: 1 to 1 years Price: $1,600 to $1,700
Financing
BMO Field was built with CAN$27-million from the federal government, CAN$8-million from the government of Ontario, CAN$9.8-million from the city of Toronto and CAN$18-million from Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment, which covered cost overruns.
After a series of fits and starts, Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment worked out a deal for a new soccer stadium at Exhibition Place. The company sold naming rights to the venue and purchased operating rights to a new Major League Soccer team that began play in 2007.
The huge popularity of professional soccer – Toronto FC is essentially sold out in its second season – is driving serious talk of expanding city-owned BMO Field.
Although still in the exploratory phase, the idea is to boost capacity at the C$72 million stadium by 50 per cent to 30,000 seats from 20,000, officials confirmed.
“Our ultimate goal is not to change the experience that exists today,” said Bob Hunter, executive vice-president of venues and entertainment for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., which manages the facility for the city and owns the Major League Soccer team. “If we thought it was going to change the experience we have today, we would not be recommending to go ahead.”
In 2008, MLSE sold about 16,000 season tickets, up from 14,000, with the other 4,000 tickets snapped up by the public every game.
Initial design work is under way by MLSE on how to add 10,000 seats for soccer games, either retractable or removable. Also under consideration are changes that would lure the Toronto Argonauts football team away from the Rogers Centre.
The city put up C$9.8-million for its share of the project, with funds from senior governments and C$8-million from MLSE. (Facilities, Soccer, MLS, Professional Sports, Venue)