Mosaic Field (IGF West)

[Bomber_fanaddict]

First time getting to see New Mosaic in person. First impression was a nice stadium. But like ours has its flaws. 
 

The concourses seem wider than IGF but I hate that you can’t see the field from them and they are still very packed. I like the open concept at IGF and being able to see what’s going on pretty much anywhere you stand. Long lines for food and drinks but bathrooms weren’t that bad. 
 

I like the closed in North side as it gives it a nice look. We sat in about 4 different sections throughout the game as lots of open seats. The upper 500s were windy and cold but down in the 120s and 140s the wind didn’t seem to be there at all. I don’t like all of the wierd seats with like 2,3or4 seats in a row. They just sort of looked like they stuck seats wherever they could. 
 

The roof line from inside looks nicer than outside and in talking to one of the rider fans he said it was built to eventually be closed in. Which I highly doubt. We have heard rumours they would close in IGF as well but it’s never going to happen. 
 

The crowd noise was nowhere near IGF. I get that it was a 60/40ish Toronto crowd (mainly Rider fans) but when the crowd got loud it sounded muted. Not sure if it’s the material on the roof or just how it’s designed. But IGF is way louder even at half capacity. 
 

I hate the no backpack policy and only having stuff in clear bags. We had to bag check over at the Brandt Center which was a bit of a walk from the gate we wanted to enter. And no metal detectors?? At least there were none at the gate we eventually went through which was next to the tailgate area. That was really odd. At the end of the game we left the same gate over to the Brandt Center and then couldn’t get all across the street from there. We had to walk all the way around the stadium again and the crowds were packed trying to make it through. I guess this is where the bus pick up is? IGF seems to have really figured out getting people in and out of the stadium with ease. 
 

All in all a nice venue and would definitely go back. It’s nice having two beautiful stadiums in the CFL. We need more of them!

[blue_gold_84]

I will never tire of this image at our beloved IGF West:

[Noeller]

Completely without irony, they actually put a toilet seat on the top of their stadium........ incredible. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

25 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Completely without irony, they actually put a toilet seat on the top of their stadium........ incredible. 

During the GC, when they were panning out of IG west, my son says to me, "That looks like a toilet seat." I spat out my drink all over the place... 

[Geebrr]

The ramps are small going to the upper deck, the seats are really flimsy and cheap.

I don’t get the point of the replay board that half the stadium can’t see 

[SpeedFlex27]

You guys have no idea how lucky you are to have IG Field. The Riders are lucky to have Mosaic stadium. Here in Calgary, we're stuck with the dump they call McMahon Stadium. I vowed I'll never go back to a game there 5 years ago. I'll never set foot in that old concrete rock pile of a **** hole again. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by SpeedFlex27

[CodyT]

4 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

You guys have no idea how lucky you are to have IG Field. The Riders are lucky to have Mosaic stadium. Here in Calgary, we're stuck with the dump they call McMahon Stadium. I vowed I'll never go back to a game there 5 years ago. I'll never set foot in that old concrete rock pile of a **** hole again. 

Sad to me that this is an acceptable stadium to the CFL. I understand their hands are tied but that place is like a **** high-school stadium in the states. Give it a make over at the very least

[kelownabomberfan]

52 minutes ago, CodyT said:

Sad to me that this is an acceptable stadium to the CFL. I understand their hands are tied but that place is like a **** high-school stadium in the states. Give it a make over at the very least

Braid: Smith pledges $2.4 billion of inflation relief in TV address | Calgary Herald

How about adding a few hundred million to the price tag and building a new arena and football stadium in Calgary Danielle?  You've suddenly got all this money.  Tack on a few bucks to upgrade Commonwealth while you are at it.  Just get it done.  Alberta needs new sports infrastructure.

[SpeedFlex27]

8 minutes ago, CodyT said:

Sad to me that this is an acceptable stadium to the CFL. I understand their hands are tied but that place is like a **** high-school stadium in the states. Give it a make over at the very least

The Flames owner Murray Edwards could afford to build a stadium himself as he's worth billions but he refuses to spend any money. He's a terrible owner of the Stamps. Neither Edwards or the politicians wants to spend a penny on McMahon Stadium. He's also an  absentee owner. He left Canada a number of years ago as he feels he pays too much tax & lives permanently in London, England.

50 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Braid: Smith pledges $2.4 billion of inflation relief in TV address | Calgary Herald

How about adding a few hundred million to the price tag and building a new arena and football stadium in Calgary Danielle?  You've suddenly got all this money.  Tack on a few bucks to upgrade Commonwealth while you are at it.  Just get it done.  Alberta needs new sports infrastructure.

KBF, it will never happen. 

[WinnipegGordo]

11 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

You guys have no idea how lucky you are to have IG Field. The Riders are lucky to have Mosaic stadium. Here in Calgary, we're stuck with the dump they call McMahon Stadium. I vowed I'll never go back to a game there 5 years ago. I'll never set foot in that old concrete rock pile of a **** hole again. 

I was at the 2019 Grey Cup there and I couldn't believe how small the seats are.  They are probably even smaller than the upper deckers at Canada Life Centre.

[JohnnyAbonny]

16 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

You guys have no idea how lucky you are to have IG Field. The Riders are lucky to have Mosaic stadium. Here in Calgary, we're stuck with the dump they call McMahon Stadium. I vowed I'll never go back to a game there 5 years ago. I'll never set foot in that old concrete rock pile of a **** hole again. 

I was there for the LDC in 2005. It was a dump then. I’d hate to see what it looks like in person now. 

[bigg jay]

17 hours ago, Geebrr said:

The ramps are small going to the upper deck, the seats are really flimsy and cheap.

I don’t get the point of the replay board that half the stadium can’t see 

It wasn't my first time in the Toilet Bowl but this was my first time in upper deck.  How terrible & cramped the seats were (especially when everyone is all bundled up) stood out to me immediately.   

It's definitely one of the best stadiums in the CFL but it's not better than IGF (IMO).    

 

[Jesse]

14 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

It wasn't my first time in the Toilet Bowl but this was my first time in upper deck.  How terrible & cramped the seats were (especially when everyone is all bundled up) stood out to me immediately.   

It's definitely one of the best stadiums in the CFL but it's not better than IGF (IMO).    

 

This is where I'm at.

It was my first time there and I was excited to see it and make the comparisons. It is obviously a brand new stadium and incredible so everything I say is just nitpicking.

I thought it looked amazing from the exterior - it was really cool to see in the distance as we were driving up - didn't have quite the same aesthetic hit as IG for me. I think ours looks better from the outside.

I couldn't tell you if the concourses were wider or not, honestly didn't seem to be too much of a difference. I certainly don't think it was any easier/harder to move around the councourses - the endone areas with the stage were gridlock (but that's a Grey Cup issue). I definitely prefer our open concept and, I don't know if it was just me, but do they not have any signage that shows sections numbers?? Every time I left my seat I had to walk in and out of different sections to find out where I was.

Bathrooms were a disaster - though I read that some were taken over by the commissioners lounge? 

And of course, it still looks like a toilet bowl. We obviously have a similar overhang, but it just looks so much better. 

19 hours ago, Bomber_fanaddict said:

The crowd noise was nowhere near IGF. I get that it was a 60/40ish Toronto crowd (mainly Rider fans) but when the crowd got loud it sounded muted. Not sure if it’s the material on the roof or just how it’s designed. But IGF is way louder even at half capacity. 
 

I'm certainly not going to judge the crowd noise of a semi-neutral crowd during a game the Riders weren't in. 

[Bubba Zanetti]

Seating seemed to be a bit cramped but it is a beautiful stadium. Way more room in the concourse than IG Field, which is my biggest complaint with ours(well, that and location).

Edited November 24, 2022 by Bubba Zanetti

[Tracker]

31 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

It wasn't my first time in the Toilet Bowl but this was my first time in upper deck.  How terrible & cramped the seats were (especially when everyone is all bundled up) stood out to me immediately.   

It's definitely one of the best stadiums in the CFL but it's not better than IGF (IMO).    

 

Why do we need comparisons?  Mosaic is eons ahead of old Taylor field and a plus to the CFL's image. I agree that IGF is a great stadium but see no need for superlatives.

[Geebrr]

40 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

It wasn't my first time in the Toilet Bowl but this was my first time in upper deck.  How terrible & cramped the seats were (especially when everyone is all bundled up) stood out to me immediately.   

It's definitely one of the best stadiums in the CFL but it's not better than IGF (IMO).    

 

The personal space at IGF is awesome - it is very comfortable.

[Noeller]

the very first time I was ever at IGF, the jammed concourses was the first thing I noticed. Now, after nearly a decade, it seems fine to me. Our tickets this year were between 226-230, depending on the game, so we spent a lot of time up in that area, and I found it to be a TON of room, both on the concourse and in our seats. IGF is just a spectacular facility and I can't wait to one day be a full time STH...

[Geebrr]

I don’t even notice the concourses 

I’m just used to it being packed. I seek out the Rum Hut crowd so I am numb to crowded. 

[Noeller]

One thing they've worked out really well, is the line to the pissers. No matter how long the line is, it moves fast. I've never had to wait very long, and that's a testament to the engineering of the place. 

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

the very first time I was ever at IGF, the jammed concourses was the first thing I noticed. Now, after nearly a decade, it seems fine to me. Our tickets this year were between 226-230, depending on the game, so we spent a lot of time up in that area, and I found it to be a TON of room, both on the concourse and in our seats. IGF is just a spectacular facility and I can't wait to one day be a full time STH...

As a football venue, IG has a much better design than Mosaic. Mosaic is nice and has some cool stuff, but for fan immersion I would pick IG every day and twice on Sunday. I love the concourses that allow you to get stuff without missing any of the game and still feel part of the crowd. Like you, I have never noticed them being overly packed with the exception of the Rum Hut area. Even at stadium concerts of 40k+, I have never felt cramped at IG. Are Regina's concourses bigger? Yes...but they take you completely out of the action and rhythm of any event and to make concourses that big they had to put seating further back and it feels like you are sitting a mile away at all times in that stadium. Our nosebleeds give us a better view of the field and are closer to the action than many of their good seats. It's also why they just simply cannot generate noise in comparison to us.

Edited November 24, 2022 by GCn20

[Bomber_fanaddict]

19 hours ago, Geebrr said:

The ramps are small going to the upper deck, the seats are really flimsy and cheap.

I don’t get the point of the replay board that half the stadium can’t see 

Ah yes I was going to mention both of those as well. The ramp up to the 500s reminded me of the old Canad Inn days. The wait for the elevator was too long and we couldn’t find stairs (if there were any). And the “Jumbotron” in the northeast (I think my basement tv is bigger) seems out or place and hard to really see any replay on it from across the field. Not sure what more they could have done with it though. If you go any bigger you lose seats and then here doesn’t look like any other place to put it. 

[SpeedFlex27]

I sit in the upper deck Sec 208 & it's cramped & crowded in the concourse but they have tv screens for fans stuck in line getting concessions. I wish they'd have designed the upper concourse wider & had it open like the lower bowl. But that would have meant the stadium would have been larger & higher to open it up so it would have cost more money. Conservative politicians & taxpayers at the time were bitchibng about cost overruns so they had to cut back. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by SpeedFlex27

[GCn20]

12 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I sit in the upper deck Sec 208 & it's cramped & crowded in the concourse but they have tv screens for fans stuck in line getting concessions. I wish they'd have designed the upper concourse wider & had it open like the lower bowl. But that would have meant the stadium would have been larger & higher to open it up so it would have cost more money. Conservative politicians & taxpayers at the time were bitchibng about cost overruns so they had to cut back. 

The stadium build was a complete fiasco from day one. Eyebrows were raised by a lot of Manitobans, not just conservatives, about the cost over runs and delays. Unfortunate because it did lead to some cut backs as costs began to spiral out of control. Without turning this into a political thread, it was a completely mismanaged project. Glad we ended up with the awesome stadium we did though.

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2022-11-23 at 8:57 PM, CodyT said:

Sad to me that this is an acceptable stadium to the CFL. I understand their hands are tied but that place is like a **** high-school stadium in the states. Give it a make over at the very least

Living here for 32 years, I don't understand why the politicians hands are tied. As far as Calgary & a new stadium is concerned. using the words "Calgary" & "New stadium" in the same sentence is an Oxymoron. I'll also say it in  the language that the Mayor of Halifax uses when describing if they'll build a new stadium there. "There is no political will to build it". Sadly, I can't see that changing as long as Murray Edwards owns the Stamps through CSEC. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

You know... 

We could just change the title to simply:

"IG Field West"

Everyone would know what stadium you are talking about.