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Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (SOFMC)


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#141 spanky123

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Posted 08 March 2011 - 08:12 PM

Heck they still haven't paid for the operating rights agreement (according to the financial statements) so anything is possible. You will also note that the first few years the financial statements showed income from the ticket rev share for the arena but that has now disappeard from the statements as well.

#142 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 20 April 2011 - 02:57 PM

Today they removed the four-sided video replay boards in Chilliwack. Are they headed for Victoria as part of the sale?
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#143 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 23 September 2011 - 09:12 AM

So now we've been outdone by Moose Jaw.

This weekend they will open their new $60M arena.

http://mosaicplace.c...s?view=featured
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#144 Sparky

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Posted 23 September 2011 - 09:17 AM

^ It only seats 4,465 for hockey. They just paid more that's all.

#145 jklymak

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Posted 23 September 2011 - 09:22 AM

Given the entertainment options likely on tap in Moose Jaw I think its reasonable they spend a significant fraction of their GDP on a hockey rink.

#146 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 23 September 2011 - 09:52 AM

^ It only seats 4,465 for hockey. They just paid more that's all.


I see large video screens, you know, like they have in all big-league arenas, like the one in Trail.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#147 Holden West

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Posted 31 January 2012 - 09:47 AM

Wallets, i-pods, a laptop, insulin, and an SUV were among the items stolen during an on-ice session at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre last night.


http://www.cfax1070....IIdy6PE.twitter

In other news, I was driving past the arena yesterday and saw something extraordinarily rare: upcoming events displayed on the outdoor video screen. Usually you see insurance ads and TC headlines but I actually saw that Deep Purple and Hedley were coming attractions. I was confused at first; surely it must be advertising for a show at some other arena? Perhaps some sort of fan club notice or advertisement for an upcoming album? But no, the sign actually was telling me what was going to happen inside. Remarkable.
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#148 D.L.

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Posted 31 January 2012 - 12:57 PM

gosh, that actually makes such sense I am surprised someone was actually able to come up with the idea! usually the sign displays goddam advertising or useless TC headlines, much easier to do than putting up useful upcoming area event notices.

#149 Mike K.

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Posted 31 January 2012 - 01:28 PM

I love reading splelling mistakes in the TC's digital headlines.

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#150 sebberry

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Posted 31 January 2012 - 01:30 PM

How nice of VicPD to release the licence plate of the stolen vehicle :rolleyes:

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#151 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 12 July 2012 - 08:38 AM

The liquor license thing is going back to court again.

So it's 4 years now of legal battles over a few kids having a beer. Not kids having a beer and driving off and killing someone, or having a drunken fight and injuring someone, juts a few kids that had a few sips or a whole cup of beer.

Good thing SOFMC has advertising space to trade for their legal fees. As you might have seen, the whole place is covered in Mulligan Tam Pearson ads, as you enter and leave the washrooms etc. - they are trading their legal fees for advertising space. Good times.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#152 Benezet

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Posted 12 July 2012 - 09:29 AM

Just a 7,000-seater that allegedly violated the BC Liquor Licensing and Control Act, by serving a few kids or a whole room-full of kids....

#153 AllseeingEye

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 01:12 PM

[Moderator Note: the next several posts were moved here from another thread.]

Baro is right though: that senior's complex IS ugly.

Funny city this, people continually whine and moan about any and all new proposals and put them all under the proverbial microscope. As a result one would think the final results would be utterly sterling. Yet in fact invariably what winds up being approved and built, witness said senior's facility, more often than not is disappointing to be charitable, and downright fugly to be blunt. SOFC is another prime example. Victoria finally gets its act together, decides to build a sporting facility that needs to serve the region for 40-50 years or more, and we wind up with an undersized and quite unremarkable facility on par (at best) with places like Red Deer or Kelowna. Too bad.

#154 aastra

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 04:25 PM

The exterior design of Victoria's arena is actually pretty good. In Western Canada I think the MTS Centre is the only other decent looking arena? Is there another one? Even the MTS Centre is only really decent looking on one corner.

#155 AllseeingEye

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 05:52 PM

Actually aastra I was thinking in terms of utilitarian use rather than esthetics re: the SOFC. Heck Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon (barely half the size of Victoria) even seats 11,000 plus.

For the capital city of the 3rd largest provice SOFC - IMO - is too small, was built in the wrong location, and offers only the bare minimum in terms of amenities. The city should've gone with that plan (I think it was Fraser McColl's idea originally) for a 10,000 seat venue down on the waterfront by Store Street. Would've been a catalyst for ultimately re-development of that entire part of town eventually. If Saskatoon can do it, or Halifax with its 10,000+ seat facility, why not Victoria? Ah, what could have been. Instead we settled on a solution that was so much less than it could have been. OTOH at least it got built....

#156 jonny

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Posted 16 July 2012 - 07:52 PM

Actually aastra I was thinking in terms of utilitarian use rather than esthetics re: the SOFC. Heck Saskatchewan Place in Saskatoon (barely half the size of Victoria) even seats 11,000 plus.


IMO, SOFC is a great arena in a good location. It looks great from the outside and has a fantastic presence along Blanshard Street. It's right downtown which makes pre and post event festivities

easy, parking is a breeze, and there isn't a bad seat. My major complaints with the arena are that there aren't enough bathrooms (I have never been in a stadium that has enough bathrooms), the beer service is horrible (but seems to be getting better) and there aren't nearly enough events (this seems to be getting worse after some great shows in years past). My other major complaint was the lack of a video board, but this has of course now changed.

Perhaps it is a bit on the utilitarian side, but don't forget it is a city owned arena with no major professional sports tenant. It would be pretty infuriating had the city spent unnecessary coin on nice to have amenities with only a minor league tenant.

Out of curiosity, have you been to the arenas in Saskatoon and Halifax? After a quick search I can say they don't look like anything special. As far as watching a sports even goes, I'd rather a full 7,000 seat arena then a 15,000 seat arena that's half empty.

#157 D.L.

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 01:02 AM

To me the arena design is too dull, but I realize this was probably the result of the costs involved to build the arena.

It doesn't help though that the first design released as a replacement for the old arena was quite flashy.




Then the design got duller




And duller




As for the catering service in the arena I find that it is too slow, that the lines are too long. I often don't buy anything because it's too much of a hassle. (There's also the high price, but that's another issue.) I don't think that the solution is to have more people on staff as this would cost more and the extra staff probably aren't needed constantly. What I think needs to be done is to teach the catering staff to be quicker and efficient. Crack that whip management!

#158 tedward

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 07:47 AM

...built in the wrong location...down on the waterfront by Store Street. Would've been a catalyst for ultimately re-development of that entire part of town eventually.

I agree that the waterfront could use a landmark facility of some sort but I think an arena would have been the worst possible use. The nightmare of traffic with any special event in around the inner harbour would be replicated every single time an event was held in such a facility. The logistics of moving large numbers of people into and out of an arena in that location would be a nightmare.

What would make sense is something like an art gallery or new maritime museum that spreads visitors over a longer time span rather than focusing them into short term events.

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#159 AllseeingEye

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Posted 17 July 2012 - 01:30 PM

IMO, SOFC is a great arena in a good location. It looks great from the outside and has a fantastic presence along Blanshard Street. It's right downtown which makes pre and post event festivities

easy, parking is a breeze, and there isn't a bad seat. My major complaints with the arena are that there aren't enough bathrooms (I have never been in a stadium that has enough bathrooms), the beer service is horrible (but seems to be getting better) and there aren't nearly enough events (this seems to be getting worse after some great shows in years past). My other major complaint was the lack of a video board, but this has of course now changed.

Perhaps it is a bit on the utilitarian side, but don't forget it is a city owned arena with no major professional sports tenant. It would be pretty infuriating had the city spent unnecessary coin on nice to have amenities with only a minor league tenant.

Out of curiosity, have you been to the arenas in Saskatoon and Halifax? After a quick search I can say they don't look like anything special. As far as watching a sports even goes, I'd rather a full 7,000 seat arena then a 15,000 seat arena that's half empty.


We'll just have to disagree on what constitutes "great" :D.

To reiterate again however my main issue is not esthetics or "how it looks" but the size of the facility, or lack thereof, and with no ability to expand beyond 7000 seats. And yes I have been to both the Saskatoon and Halifax arenas and both are more impressive and more critically provide more services (and seating) than does SOFC. Again - IMO - for the capital of BC I simply think on balance it was a disappointing result, much less than it could and should have been. No offence intended at all to Red Deer AB but when Victoria's new arena is closer in scale to their 20+ year old "Centrium" than a city of comparable size (Halifax) I simply think the bar is set too low.

#160 Bernard

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 02:38 PM

With a 15,000 seat arena there would be more events that could happen in Victoria. Larger concerts, more sports events etc...

We have an arena that is big enough for a city of 100,000 people, not 330,000 people.

SOFMC 7,006 to 9,000 people

In comparison
Spokane 10,771 to 12,638
Halifax has an arena with 10,595 - 13,000
Saskatoon 13,000 to 15,195
Kelowna 6,886 to 8,000
Red Deer 6,706 to 7,210
Prince George 5,967 to 7,000

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