CFL commissioner urges painted lines at Mosaic Stadium; Regina mayor says city will consider only if CFL pays

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CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston said Friday that Regina should reconsider its plan to stitch in field lines at Mosaic Stadium and paint them instead.

Speaking at a news conference in Calgary, where the Grey Cup is being played Sunday, Johnston said, "I would urge the city, and with the support of the Roughriders, to consider (having) a painted field."

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski responded that there is no plan to switch to painting and said the city would only consider it if the CFL is willing to pay for the change.

"If the CFL believes this is the preferred approach, it should be prepared to financially contribute," Bachynski told reporters.

Bachynski said the city’s concern was raised only through "media comments," adding, "Given the importance of the Saskatchewan market to the league, we would have expected those concerns to be raised directly and collaboratively during the consultation process, rather than through media comments."

The city is spending $1.6 million to redo the turf to adapt to the CFL’s new field dimensions, which come into effect next year, and is also spending millions more on upgrades on video display boards and systems.

Mosaic Stadium is owned by the city and is set to host the Grey Cup next year. Bachynski said the current turf has stitched-in lines and the city chose to stitch them in again for the new turf to save on painting costs and to ensure community groups can maintain enough playing time.

Bachynski said waiting for paint to dry would cause field closures, which he said would reduce access for university, junior, minor and amateur teams, including youth soccer and flag football groups.

He also described Mosaic Stadium as a venue with community access commitments, saying it supports about 2,400 hours of sports and events annually and that the city has a contractual obligation to provide a minimum of 600 hours of community access.

Bachynski said he does not know how much painting would cost, and said he is frustrated by the commissioner’s comments.

"The commissioner won't change our plans," he said. "The only people that can change our plans is consultation with community, because that's who we owe the field to."

The CFL’s decision to change field dimensions from 110 to 100 yards, along with changes to end zones and goalposts, has affected other Saskatchewan teams. Bachynski said the University of Regina Rams and the Regina Thunder plan to use another field next year rather than Mosaic Stadium because they are not adopting the CFL’s new dimensions.

When asked about community teams no longer being able to use Mosaic Stadium, Johnston said paint can be a solution and added that other CFL clubs are looking to paint their fields.

"Painting is not that difficult, and I think painting future-proofs your field," Johnston said.