Ivor Wynne Stadium

Infobox Stadium| stadium_name=Ivor Wynne Stadium
location=75 Balsam Ave. North Hamilton, Ontario L8L 8C1


opened=1930
surface= AstroPlay
owner= City of Hamilton Facility Supervisor Danny Adamson 905 546 2424 x 4252
construction_cost= Unknown
tenants= Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) (1950-present)
Hamilton Minor Football Association
McMaster Maurauders (CIS) (2005-2007)
Vanier Cup (CIS) (2004-2005)
1930 British Empire Games
architect= Unknown
seating_capacity= Football: 30,000 (43,000 with temporary seating)

Ivor Wynne Stadium (originally Civic Stadium) is a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beachwood Avenues, 2-blocks West of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was originally constructed in 1930 to host the 1930 British Empire Games, though playing fields had stood on the site since the city bought the land from a local farmer in 1913. The stadium, which currently seats 30,000 for football, has been the home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL since 1950.

It hosted the 2008 OVFL Championships August 16th, 2008.

The stadium consists of a large grandstand on one side of the field, with a small section curving around the end zone, and a separate grandstand on the opposite side of the field. The stadium was heavily rebuilt in 1970-71 and renamed for Ivor Wynne, the former chairman of the city Parks Board, in 1971. From 1971 to 1975, Ivor Wynne's 34,500 seats made it the largest stadium in the CFL.

Ivor Wynne was the second facility in Canada to use Astroturf, after Empire Stadium in Vancouver. In the 1980s, the west endzone bleachers were removed for the addition of a new scoreboard, dropping capacity to approx. 29,500. A subsequent retrofit of the north stand lower east section for handicapped access in the 1990s dropped capacity further to just under 29,000.

The stadium was renovated again after the 2002 football season and had a new AstroPlay playing surface installed. Shortly after the 2003 season, a new scoreboard was erected in the west end of the stadium; owing to sponsorship, it is known as Dofasco TigerVision. In April 2005, Ivor Wynne hosted Our Game to Give, a charity hockey game similar in concept to the Heritage Classic.

Ivor Wynne has hosted the Grey Cup twice, in 1972 (with a win by the hometown Tiger-Cats over Saskatchewan in a sell out) and 1996, when temporary west and east end zone seating raised capacity to 43,000, but actual attendance was 36,000 even with a last minute discount ticket promotion by local coffee giant Tim Hortons. With the ticket discount, and 7000 empty seats, the 1996 Grey Cup suffered at least a $2.5 million loss.Fact|date=February 2008 The '96 Cup game, perhaps one of the greatest of all time, was played in a steady snowstorm, and won by the Toronto Argos over the Edmonton Eskimos. It is believed that Ivor Wynne Stadium will host the 2010 Grey Cup as a result of Calgary getting the 2009 Grey Cup and to complete the rotation of each CFL city to host a Grey Cup game.

The stadium has also hosted some of the best-attended CIS football games,Fact|date=February 2008 including the 2004 and 2005 Vanier Cups.

Some concerts have occurred at Ivor Wynne, the biggest being Pink Floyd in 1975.

Photo gallery

ee also

*List of Canadian Football League stadiums

External links

* [http://www.ticats.ca/index.php?module=page&id=4015 Ivor Wynne Stadium profile from TiCats.ca]
* [http://www.seats3d.com/cfl/tiger_cats/ Seats3D Seat Views]
* [http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Hamilton/index.htm Ivor Wynne Stadium photo gallery]