OFSAA thankful for the opportunities that the City of Hamilton has provided

For 12 long years, high school players across the province would set their sights on the Rogers Centre each season. It was a place where dreams could come true, and for one shining moment players earned a chance to say they are one of the best around.

This of course was because the Rogers Centre played host to the OFSAA Bowl Festival each year, an annual event that brings the very best from across Ontario to one location in an attempt to settle things on the field.

This all changed back in 2012, however, when OFSAA hosted what would be their final festival at the Rogers Centre. Due to complications with the new turf and infield that was being installed for the Toronto Blue Jay, this meant that the sport of football would no longer be played on the Roger Centre’s surface at all. The decision left OFSAA in a bit of a scramble, searching for a new venue for the first time in over a decade. They eventually pulled it off with great success at Centennial Park in Etobicoke, and while the love of football was still in the air, OFSAA Chairman of the Board, Dan Dominico, says it wasn’t hard to tell that a certain big time feel was missing from the games,

“The one thing we found was that if teams were going to come from across the province to play, they wanted it to feel like it was a special occasion, and the Rogers Centre gave them that.”

Never ones to settle, OFSAA made a huge decision the following year to uproot the festival from Toronto, and their initial plans were to move seamlessly into the brand new Tim Hortons Field that was being built down the highway. While they may not have realized it at the time, this would be the beginning of a fruitful relationship that has survived through many trials and tribulations in a very short amount of time.

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Photo courtesy of Patrick Barry/Ticats.ca

For those not familiar with the story, the construction of Tim Hortons Field ended up being delayed for over a year, which looked like it would be another massive obstacle for OFSAA to overcome, who were once again left without a home in 2014.

At least, so they thought. Despite their professional stadium not being fit to host the games just yet, the City of Hamilton didn’t leave OFSAA hanging. A lifeline was offered from McMaser University to host the festival at Ron Joyce Stadium, which was above and beyond was Dominico expected,

“Our relationship with the City of Hamilton has been terrific. We were supposed to be here three years ago when the stadium was not open in time, but McMaster opened their doors to us right away and it was a fantastic experience. The City of Hamilton has been great, they have bent over backwards for us.”

While McMaster was gracious hosts and did a spectacular job, OFSAA still had their sights set on Tim Hortons Field and the hype that goes with hosting the games in a professional setting. Although it took one year longer than it was suppose to, Dominico says it was a big deal for OFSAA to move into a brand new stadium that could rival the atmosphere they had once created at the Rogers Centre,

“When you go to a university setting, it’s not necessarily as exciting for them because they have probably already played at their local university stadiums at some time. That’s not to downgrade the experience of a university field, we could play on beautiful fields all over the province, but it’s that if teams are going to travel, there is a different aura about going to Hamilton to play at Tim Hortons Field – which is a professional stadium – it just gives off a different vibe.”

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This will be the third year in a row that Hamilton has hosted the festival, and the second year at Tim Hortons Field, giving OFSAA the consistency they have been searching for since they left the Rogers Centre in 2012. While it hasn’t always been a smooth ride, Dominco says that OFSAA would love to continue their relationship with the City of Hamilton, and doesn’t count out the possibility of the festival returning next year,

“Last year players really enjoyed it, we thought it was a great venue plus you also have the City of Hamilton that’s right behind you backing you, which really makes for a great experience.”

Although it looked like a massive blow when the Rogers Centre closed their doors on them, the OFSAA Bowl Festival will always live on, and with the help of the City of Hamilton, they may be in better shape now than they have ever been.

Players will continue to dream about storming the field with their teammates after clinching a bowl victory, however, now they will be a little bit colder, and have the shadows Tim Hortons Field dancing in their heads.

 

 

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