Mayor & Brother Want NFL In Toronto In A New Stadium
Posted January 21, 2011 8:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An American football franchise is what Toronto needs to become a world-class North American city, according to City Councillor Doug Ford. He and younger brother Mayor Rob Ford would like to see the National Football League set down roots here.
The Ford brothers told the Toronto Sun an NFL franchise would not only boost Toronto’s stature, especially if the city hosted a Super Bowl, but it would also create jobs and improve tourism. They appear in a football pose on the cover of the paper Friday.
The Fords believe Toronto should move an existing team here or try for an expansion team.
The mayor said the NFL would need a new domed stadium because the 46,374-seat capacity at the Rogers Centre, where the Buffalo Bills have played, simply isn’t big enough to accommodate the American game. Ford believes a new facility would fit well at Downsview and told the paper he believes the federal government would be on side with his plan “in a heartbeat”.
Ford said his NFL dream could come to life without the use of taxpayers’ money. The total price tag of bringing the popular game to Toronto would likely be about $1 billion.
The Ford brothers are heading down to Chicago this weekend to take in a Bears-Green Bay Packers playoff game.
