Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey<\/p>\n
Stadium Info\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFANFARE Score: 4.00<\/p>\n
Turn Up the Tempo<\/p>\n
The explosion of the WNBA has brought expansion to the cities of Portland and Toronto for 2026.\u00a0 Toronto\u2019s entry to the league, the Toronto Tempo, has been met in the city with excitement and optimism.\u00a0 Even better than that has been the reaction on the ticket sites, where Tempo tickets are increasingly difficult to come by.\u00a0 The team was founded by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment minority owner Larry Tanenbaum and a number of other investors including Serena Williams, former Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson.\u00a0 Tanenbaum reportedly attempted to get the Tempo to be part of the MLSE portfolio, but was blocked by some members of the board.\u00a0 In their inaugural season, the Tempo made a calculated free agent signing, bringing in Canadian Olympian and TSN analyst Kia Nurse to be part of the roster.<\/p>\n
The inaugural home for the Tempo is Coca-Cola Coliseum.\u00a0 Located on the grounds of Exhibition Place, it is most well-known for being the home of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.\u00a0 The building was originally built for livestock shows as part of the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair in 1921.\u00a0 A massive renovation took place in the early 2000\u2019s to convert the building into a hockey arena in an attempt to attract a professional hockey team.\u00a0 At a capacity of 8,500 for basketball, Coca-Cola Coliseum is the fourth smallest venue in the WNBA behind Atlanta, Washington and Dallas, and the Wings are moving to a larger venue in 2027.\u00a0 The Tempo are hedging their bets on the popularity of the new team with a few games at Scotiabank Arena as well as games in the big venues in Montr\u00e9al and Vancouver.<\/p>\n
Food & Beverage 5<\/p>\n
A number of recognizable brands are found throughout the Coliseum including Pizza Pizza, Smoke\u2019s Poutinerie, Tim Horton\u2019s and St. Patties.\u00a0 Traditional arena fare is found at the Food Junction stand, however some of the most unique items are also found here including Buffalo Chicken tenders, Korean Fried Chicken sandwiches, Beef Taco Loco Fries, Bacon Mac & Cheese eggrolls and Jerk Chicken Patty Sandwiches.\u00a0 Molson Canadian, Coors, Heineken and Steam Whistle are available beers.\u00a0 There are also a number of concession stands on the upper level.\u00a0 With the crowd size at the maximum, all concession stands were open.\u00a0 The Crown Royal bar has a number of spirits available as well as wine.<\/p>\n
Atmosphere 4<\/p>\n
In the massive renovation that became Coca-Cola Coliseum, the exterior of the building was maintained.\u00a0 Although it is tightly wedged between the Enercare Centre and Horse Palace, there are still some exterior spots visible with very attractive yellow brick and curved architecture.\u00a0 It is one of the most unique looking arenas out there.<\/p>\n
Most fans will enter at the southwest corner of the building, however, entry for the CIBC Club is found at the north side near the public transit.\u00a0 Upon entering the concourses fans will find that the Tempo have made a strong effort to make the Coliseum look like their home.\u00a0 Many of the markings for the Toronto Marlies are covered with temporary banners for the Tempo.\u00a0 Framed historic photos remain uncovered including some throwback prints to some agricultural shows.\u00a0 The massive wooden doors at the south entrance are also a throwback to the agricultural days.<\/p>\n
The seating bowl is a single, split-level design with the court oriented from south to north.\u00a0 The best spot for a centre court logo photo is from the east.\u00a0 A four-sided video board with upper ring and lower rectangle screens hangs above centre court.\u00a0 Unfortunately, there are no videoboards dedicated to individual statistics, leaving the statistical side of the experience below some Canadian universities.\u00a0 Suites hang above the east and west sides.\u00a0 There are a number of permanent markings for the Marlies visible from the seating bowl including the Leaf crests for players who have played for the Marlies and moved up to the Leafs.\u00a0 The end result in the seating bowl is a feeling that the Tempo are still tenants in Coca-Cola Coliseum as opposed to residents.<\/p>\n
The gameday production at a Tempo game is not too complicated.\u00a0 A DJ booth is in the upper northwest corner, right beside the TSN crew who bring the pregame and halftime shows for television.\u00a0 The Rhythm Section, the Tempo dance team, performs during some pauses in the action.\u00a0 The Tempo also employ a pair of in-game hosts who help with the promotions.\u00a0 The more simplistic approach is a bit of a refreshing change compared to the NBA, which can be sensory overload.<\/p>\n
Neighbourhood 5<\/p>\n
Coca-Cola Coliseum is located on the grounds of Exhibition Place in the Niagara neighbourhood of Toronto.\u00a0 It is immediately south of Liberty Village, which is the closest neighbourhood for fans to get some pre- or post- game food.\u00a0 It is easily walkable.\u00a0 Some options in Liberty Village include Liberty Village Market & Cafe, Local Public Eatery, Brazen Head, Chiang Mai, NODO, and Fox And John\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Coca-Cola Coliseum is shared with the Toronto Marlies<\/a>\u00a0and Toronto Sceptres<\/a>.\u00a0 BMO Field is across the parking lot and is home to the Toronto Argonauts<\/a>\u00a0and Toronto FC<\/a>.\u00a0 A few minutes east, and fans could take in the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, Maple Leafs<\/a>\u00a0or Raptors<\/a>.\u00a0 Toronto Metropolitan University is northeast and fields Bold hockey<\/a>\u00a0and basketball<\/a>\u00a0teams in the former Maple Leaf Gardens.\u00a0 The University of Toronto also fields a full complement of Varsity Blues athletic teams, including football<\/a>, basketball<\/a>\u00a0and hockey<\/a>.\u00a0 There are also a ton of other tourist options in Toronto.\u00a0 Medieval Times and RBC Amphitheatre are close.\u00a0 However, hockey fans must take in the Hockey Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n Fans wishing to stay near Exhibition Place can choose Hotel X, Radisson Blu, The Neptune or a host of other options nearby.<\/p>\n Fans 4<\/p>\n It is difficult to assess fans of the Tempo at this point.\u00a0 At the time of writing, the Tempo played only their second home game.\u00a0 As expected, the first home game brought in over 8,200 fans.\u00a0 As compared to the previous WNBA season, the Tempo would have had the 11th best attendance in the league.\u00a0 The venue is a bit restrictive, but offers the opportunity for the team to possibly grow into a larger venue.\u00a0 Ticket sales have been very strong thus far so a favorable mark is given for fans with some room to grow with longevity.\u00a0 Fans in attendance are louder than the typical Ontario fans, who tend to be more reserved.<\/p>\n Access 4<\/p>\n Coca-Cola Coliseum is located on the grounds of Exhibition Place in the Niagara neighbourhood of Toronto.\u00a0 It is on the south side of Manitoba Drive, and immediately south of the Gardiner Expressway.\u00a0 Although it has a very close proximity to the expressway and is easier to get to from the west than the rest of Downtown Toronto, it can still be a challenge, as Toronto traffic can be a significant issue.<\/p>\n There is plenty of parking on site, which will require payment at a kiosk or on a parking app.\u00a0 Fans should be cognizant of what other activities are taking place at Exhibition Place, as this can drastically affect parking.\u00a0 At the time of writing, parking was limited due to the upcoming World Cup which has lots blocked off for fan fests and construction.\u00a0 For fans wishing to take public transit to the Tempo games, they have a couple of options.\u00a0 A GO Transit station is at the north end of Exhibition Place.\u00a0 There are also buses and streetcars that can be found at Exhibition Place.\u00a0 Fans should consult the GO Transit<\/a> and TTC<\/a> websites for fares, schedules, and maps.<\/p>\n Getting around the\u00a0Coca-Cola Coliseum is not too difficult; however, initially, the concourses can get congested during pregame.\u00a0 Once people start to utilize the upper concourse, it thins out a bit.\u00a0 The washrooms are adequate for the facility.<\/p>\n Stadium Journey strongly suggests fans consult the Toronto Tempo<\/a>\u00a0and Coca-Cola Coliseum<\/a>\u00a0websites for the most up-to-date security information, including prohibited items and bag policy.\u00a0 Coca-Cola Coliseum is a cashless facility.<\/p>\n Return on Investment 3<\/p>\n Tickets for the Toronto Tempo start at $30 for limited games.\u00a0 Most games start at $56 for standing room.\u00a0 Seats for most games start at $137.\u00a0 Dynamic pricing makes face value difficult to determine, but the initial popularity of the Tempo have driven ticket prices up.\u00a0 Parking at the Ex can go for $18.\u00a0 Concession prices are about what one would expect.\u00a0 The gameday experience in Toronto is good, but the outlay seems to be high for an expansion experience.<\/p>\n Extras 3<\/p>\n An extra mark for the Toronto Tempo ownership investing in the team right off the bat.\u00a0 Before their first game, the ownership group announced that the building of a multi-million-dollar practice facility was in the works at Exhibition Place, reportedly the cream of the crop in the WNBA.<\/p>\n An extra mark for Brittney Sykes scoring the first points in Toronto Tempo history.<\/p>\n An extra mark for the Tempo Impact outreach program with focus on not only developing players but coaches as well.<\/p>\n Final Thoughts<\/p>\n Right out of the gates the Toronto Tempo have acquired a solid following making tickets difficult to come by.\u00a0 The gameday atmosphere at Coca-Cola Coliseum is solid for the first season.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see if the Tempo can maintain their following and force themselves into a larger venue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 4.00 Turn Up the Tempo The explosion of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48945,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[48],"class_list":{"0":"post-48944","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto","8":"tag-toronto"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}