Fans 'making this accord get done'

They were accustomed with authoritative a new amphitheater possible, and they mostly reacted to the account with jubilation.

Saskatchewan Roughriders admirers animated Saturday's pre-game advertisement that arena is to breach on a new football amphitheater in Regina next year. Premier Brad Wall expects the openair, "roof-ready" amphitheater will accessible for the Riders and its admirers in 2017.

Regina's Stephanie O'Soup larboard Saturday's matinee bold doubly contented afterwards the home aggregation baffled the league's arresting best B.C. Lions 23-20.

"It's amazing. It's about time," O'Soup said of Wall's confirmation. "It's able-bodied deserved; the admirers accept been so admiring and loyal for so abounding years. We deserve it as fans, as a city-limits and as a province."

The 33,000-seat, $278 million, amphitheater is to be advised to lath a approaching roof. Funding will be breach amid the province, which has committed $80 million, the city-limits of Regina, at $73 actor additional a accessible $100-million bigoted loan, and the Roughriders organization, which will accord $25 million.

Roger Brandvold, administrator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders lath of governors, batten of the role Riders admirers accept played in the new amphitheater activity that he said was consistently the board's top priority.

"Thank you to you, Rider Nation, because you are authoritative this accord get done," Brandvold said in his pregame address.

Not all Riders admirers reacted to the account with dizzying enthusiasm.

Ben Quesnel, of Regina, questioned the project's call as he larboard Mosaic Amphitheater afterwards Saturday's game.

"I'm not abiding whether we charge it or not," Quesnel said. "... Do we absolutely accept to go draft $270, $280 actor on architecture a aboriginal amphitheater that holds maybe a little bit added than this amphitheater afore the expansions? Do we charge to do it? I don't know."

Like endless added fans, however, he alleged the advertisement "pretty exciting" because Saskatchewan's analogously baby population.

Ben's cousin, Gregory Quesnel, cited the province's citizenry as a abeyant accountability should affairs move advanced on a retractable roof.

"Maybe we don't accept the citizenry (to pay for it)," Gregory said. "We're not accepting the roof. It's not gonna happen."

B.C. Place and the Rogers Centre in Toronto are the alone two roofed stadiums in which CFL teams play. Both are multi-use accessories that are home to two able sports teams.

For her part, O'Soup isn't affairs into the skepticism. She said the aggregation deserves a world-class amphitheater that she believes will allure added football fans.

"This is a time for celebration," she said. "It boosts our abridgement every time a bold is played here," she added, citation admirers who biking beyond the province, as able-bodied as from out of province, to watch the Roughriders.

Before Saturday's bold started, O'Soup reflected on her 20 years' account of watching Riders amateur as a video played on the maxtron awning which showed highlights of the amphitheater through the years. She said she will be sad to see the 80-year-old Mosaic Amphitheater burst but hopes pieces will be congenital into the new website at Evraz Place.