Ticats make 20 year stadium deal

Hamilton city council has voted to accept an operating agreement to lease the new Tim Hortons Field to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for 20 years.

The Ticats will be the prime tenants of the new stadium that’s supposed to be completed by the end of June, with the team playing their season home opener weeks later in July.

The city and the football franchise have agreed to sharing revenues in an arrangement that city manager Chris Murray says will keep the team sustainable while allowing the city to break even or in some cases be profitable.

“We have an agreement now that I think will certainly help the Ticats be sustainable over the long run, which means generations of Tiger-Cat fans are going to have a team to go watch and enjoy.”

“The city of Hamilton has made considerable improvements from where we were before the Pan Am opportunity even presented itself. We have a brand new stadium as everyone knows. The $60 million the city has invested has allowed it to enjoy a $150 million stadium and we have an operating agreement that is vastly different and better than what we had.”

The city and the Ticats have agreed not to release details of the new agreement until it is signed, but mayor Bob Bratina says it’s the best in the CFL.