SCHOONERS LOOKING FOR FEDERAL FUNDING
By: Dave Heintzman
HalifaxToday.ca
The company planning to bring a CFL team to Halifax has launched a lobbying effort in Ottawa to get federal financial support.
Schooner Sports and Entertainment (SSE) hired three consultants from Summa Strategies to set up meetings with government officials.
According to iPolitics, SSE is looking for federal dollars to help with the construction of the stadium, estimated to cost between $170 – $190 million.
Shannon Park, a former military housing complex in Dartmouth has been identified as the preferred location for the 24,000 seat facility but the HRM has not yet received any formal proposal about the site.
Meanwhile, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie says SSE has committed $60 million toward bringing the team to Halifax.
As part of ‘Randy’s Road Trip’ across the country to visit and speak with football fans, Ambrosie will be at the Double Tree on Wyse Road in Dartmouth on March 30th. Also in attendance will be members of the SSE team, there to update the public on this year’s Atlantic Touchdown game, as well as the franchise expansion.
If successful, the Atlantic Schooners would be the tenth team in the league.
SSE has said they want to have players on the field as early as 2020, but until construction is completed on the Halifax Stadium, the team will likely stage their games out of Moncton, New Brunswick.
