It’s a bit surprising that there haven’t, according to U of G athletics director Tom Kendall, been any discussions yet between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the University of Guelph about the possibility of the Tabbies using Alumni Stadium in 2013. Now that the Ti-Cats’ talks with McMaster University about using its stadium while the venerable Ivor Wynne Stadium is being rebuilt next year have apparently ended in failure, it’s probably about time for the Tiger-Cats and the U of G to start huddling. Why wait for third and long, or a late game Hail Mary pass situation?
Having at least some of the Ti-Cats home games next year played at Alumni Stadium would be a big deal for Guelph. It would bring lots of people to town and increase the profile of the U of G and its athletics program, Kendall observed Tuesday with what seemed to be quiet enthusiasm. So who’d pay for the “significant upgrades” that would be needed to make Alumni Stadium a viable venue for professional Canadian Football League games? Who knows? Maybe this issue is part of the reason neither the U of G nor the Ti-Cats have been in any hurry to be first to pick up a phone and make contact.
The Tiger-Cats have long had a gritty image that makes them appealing. Adding to the team’s allure is its signing of the biggest prize of CFL free agency this winter, former Saskatchewan Roughriders star receiver Andy Fantuz.
It may be just rumours so far that the team is interested in Alumni Stadium. But they’re certainly tantalizing rumours.