CopelandвЂ™s response to those worries: вЂњWait for the first TFC game that follows an Argo game to make any judgement. That demographic does tend to include a lot of Toronto FC fans who, at present, resent the football teamвЂ™s move to BMO Field because it threatens to chew up the playing surface. He pictures a вЂњvillage atmosphere,вЂќ he says, where there will be access to beer and food - affordable beer, even - and music and people throwing around footballs and hopefully not too many fights.Д¬opeland says the opportunity for a game-day party feel is there to attract fans in that large under-40 cohort who havenвЂ™t generally paid the Argonauts any attention. Copeland says game days at BMO Field will have a major focus on what happens outside the stadium, where there will be something approximating a tailgating section even if it doesnвЂ™t include a boozy parking lot. If the Argos are to become a thing again, it is true that it will be the attraction of a full-on event that does it.

But he also says вЂњthe real key is redefining the game experience and what it means to go to an Argos game.вЂќ It is probably with some annoyance that CFL fans elsewhere in the country read that Torontonians need some other lure to bring them to see the Argos beyond the fact that a football game is taking place, but in truth people couldnвЂ™t be arsed to go to see the Buffalo Bills play at the Rogers Centre, either.

So, yes, there will be marketing, and lots of it. вЂњWe need to restore pride in the franchise, pride in the brand,вЂќ Copeland says. We need to restore pride in the franchise, pride in the brand вЂњThe cards were stacked against you, operating in the Rogers Centre,вЂќ Copeland says, but he adds that moving to BMO Field only means that there is new opportunity for success: вЂњJust opening the doors isnвЂ™t going to do it.вЂќДЄnd so, he says, the new owners and new management are going to do all they can to create a passion where one does not currently exist. Hamilton Tiger-Cats top Argonauts in messy East semifinal and put an end to TorontoвЂ™s tough, nomadic seasonД¬opeland says that while fixing the Argos was always a priority at the league, where he was most recently president and chief operating officer, he came to realize that change in Toronto couldnвЂ™t really be driven from the outside.Ottawa Redblacks advance to Grey Cup with stunning late touchdown pass.While the league flourished in many markets, in large part because of a broadcast deal with TSN of which Copeland was a major part, the Argonauts have become an afterthought in Toronto, hitting a low point in 2015 as they wandered the country in search of a stadium to host games and as outgoing owner David Braley paid for a marketing campaign that appeared mostly confined to word of mouth. Article contentД¬opeland, who spent 10 years in the front office at the CFL, is well aware of the sinkhole that the Argos had become. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Grey mother the long dark