Blue Bombers’ stadium delays may or may not turn into a league-wide problem

Building a new stadium can be a difficult proposition, and it's not particularly surprising that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have run into delays on the construction of their new facility, Investors Group Field. However, there's disagreement over the extent of those delays, with the official line being that they're likely to be only a couple of weeks and other sources suggesting that delays could take months. The first scenario really isn't much of a problem, as the as-yet-unreleased CFL schedule could be rearranged to have the Bombers start the year on the road. The second would be much more problematic, though, as there may not be another acceptable place for the team to play.

One of the big issues here is that Winnipeg may not have another acceptable option if there's a long delay. Unlike the potential delays that arose with B.C. Place last season, there's no backup here: much of the infrastructure has already been removed from the old Canad Inns Stadium, and the team has said they're not considering games at any place other than the new builidng. However, as The Winnipeg Sun's Kirk Penton reports, Winnipeg Football Club CEO Garth Buchko is saying that just because the project's currently behind by a couple of weeks may not mean it opens late at all.

There's some optimism there, sure, but there's also some logic. Weather does make a difference in major construction projects like this, and that can particularly matter in an area like Winnipeg where the winters are often pretty intense. As Adam Wazny of The Winnipeg Free Press wrote Tuesday, weather's been one of the prime issues with the delay thus far.

If the weather improves, it's easy to envision that turning around. Weather can be fickle, though, and it also may not be the only issue at hand. As Wazny goes on to report, not everyone thinks the delay will only be a matter of weeks.

A delay of two to three months would be extremely problematic, as Winnipeg doesn't really have another place to play. However, a delay of a couple of weeks really isn't much of a problem, particularly as Buchko is saying the stadium will be ready to the degree that it can host a pre-season game before the year starts.

A couple of weeks on the road is easy enough to fit into the schedule, and it's worth pointing out that it may not be much of a competitive disadvantage either. Two-week road trips happen reasonably often (Winnipeg had one in September last season), and while a longer span on the road could be a difficult start to the season, it would also provide the Bombers with more home games down the stretch, which might be an edge heading towards the playoffs. Essentially, a delay of two weeks to a month probably isn't a major issue, but anything beyond that would cause serious league-wide concerns. We'll see which proves to be the case.