SEATTLE

They’re dollar figures Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment has never before dished out.

In the neighbourhood of a quarter-billion, according to MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, who spoke exclusively with the Toronto Sun ahead of Saturday’s Toronto FC opener here at CenturyLink Field.

Including the $100 million MLSE’s soccer club spent on a trio of players this winter, the company is also finalizing plans to spend an additional $120 million on upgrades to BMO Field this summer.

“It took a while for our board to get comfortable with this because this is the largest commitment we’ve made on a single process,” Leiweke told the Sun.

“It was critical that we take the lead, that we put up the money and we bear the brunt here,” he continued, a week after receiving unanimous approval from the Exhibition Place board of governors.

“I’m a big believer that the public sector should be worried about transportation, safety and education. We had no problem with the formula. We wanted to make sure that those who originally funded the stadium are still involved in the stadium.”

The commitment from MLSE, as Leiweke explained it, is the full $120 million, with the city, province and federal governments each contributing $10 million. The city will be paid back over 20 years, with interest. The province and feds will benefit from tax revenue.

“I don’t think it makes sense for the taxpayer to be asked to fund another stadium,” Leiweke said. “The city came along and told MLSE the conditions of a deal (to expand/renovate BMO) is you providing a permanent home for the Argos.”

A vocal minority of TFC fans hate the idea. As for the CFL’s Argonauts, they’d be homeless if MLSE elected not to move forward with the plans. The Double Blue are being kicked out of Rogers Centre in a few years’ time.

“There has been so much written about this and it amazes me that it has been this controversial,” Leiweke said. “The reality is that, originally, this stadium was meant to be a solution for the Argos as well.”

A solution for the Argos never came.

While it’s all but a lock the Boatmen will soon be playing closer to the water, the CFL club’s ownership situation is still unresolved.

News of BMO Field upgrades provided the stipulation from the city that MLSE welcomes the CFL as co-tenants has fueled speculation the Argos could soon join the Maple Leafs, Raptors and Toronto FC under the MLSE umbrella.

“People have to take a deep breath that compromise and partnership is the best way to find resolution,” Leiweke said.

“I think we owe it to the city, we owe it to the Argos to find a permanent solution. As to us buying them, on a stand-alone basis, we have no interest in the Argos. But because of the uniqueness of what we have to go through to get the stadium, we are certainly intertwined. The definition of intertwined is forthcoming.”

Also pending are construction plans. Leiweke told the Sun that shovels will hit the ground September 1 assuming the city’s executive committee and council approve.

The first phase of construction, which will include seat expansion, concourse work and the creation of suites and club seats, will end next May.

As a result, Toronto FC will likely play an additional two road games to start the 2015 season. They will not, however, be forced to find a temporary venue.

The second phase will run from Sept. 1, 2015 to May of 2016. Again, no TFC games will be moved.

As for cost overruns, MLSE is taking “100% of the risk,” he added.

Plans are for the new BMO field to seat 30,000 for soccer and 25,000 for football, with the ability to expand by an additional 10,000 seats for big events.

“When you walk into the building for a TFC game, you won’t know the Argos play there,” Leiweke said. “We’re not painting logos, so there won’t be a centre logo. The CFL logos in the end zones will be underneath the stands so you won’t see them. We’re going to work at making sure the lines go away.”

He said it was an additional $30-million commitment to make moveable stands a reality.

“We live in a different age and world now where the creativity and technology we can use to move stands in and out, to use paint that goes away, to ultimately use a turf system that gives both sides a green grass. We’re going to do all we can to protect the purity of the sport.”

Leiweke’s always speaking in soccer terms. He also quashed fears of BMO Field going back to artificial turf here Saturday, saying they’ll use an expensive hybrid surface utilized by big clubs around the world.

“We think we know how to work the schedule out,” Leiweke said. “We have eight Argos games a year. We’ll figure this out.”

He added that an MLS game will never be played the day after a CFL game, but the reverse is possible.

The high-priced off-season TFC player additions MLSE invested in were also an important first step in assuring stadium upgrades were viable.

“We have to be a good team,” Leiweke said. “The link between what we did with TFC from November on and what we’re doing with the stadium is tied hand-in-hand in order to make sure that we have a stadium that is one of the best in the league. At the same time we needed a team that guaranteed the economics of this worked so we can cover it through the private sector.”

The soon-to-be-homeless Argos are also without a training facility, meaning TFC’s Kia Training Ground at Downsview might soon have a neighbour.

“In a perfect world there’s a football field next to the Kia Training Ground,” Leiweke said. “We’ll work with Downsview to see if we can build a new facility as part of the campus.”

Which means there’s a chance, big or small, MLSE adds the Argos to their collection of teams.

“There’s always a chance,” he said. “Our first focus is TFC. Then BMO Field. We’ll see where this goes with the Argos.”

MLSE HAS EYE ON WINTER CLASSIC

BMO Field looks poised to become a year-round venue.

And, if MLSE gets its way, not only will Toronto FC and the CFL’s Argonauts share an expanded stadium, it could be the main selling point in eventually attracting a Winter Classic to a venue that will seat 40,000-plus for special events.

“We’re committed to a Winter Classic, although the NHL hasn’t committed to it yet,” MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke told the Toronto Sun in an exclusive interview prior to Saturday’s TFC-Sounders match here in Seattle.

“We’re going to give (the NHL) a very aggressive pitch and presentation on why for the Maple Leafs’ 100th anniversary, the 2018 Winter Classic would make sense in a renovated BMO Field.”

Leiweke’s vision is to turn the NHL’s marquee outdoor game into a week-long event.

“The Winter Classic would be a celebration as well,” he told the Sun. “What we envision is a massive winter festival for a week in and around Exhibition Place and Ontario Place with hockey games and youth tournaments and fan festivals and fireworks -- a celebration of our country, a celebration of the NHL and a celebration of the Leafs.”

The ability for BMO Field to stage major events is one of the main selling points in getting all levels of government onside due to the taxes generated by one-off games like the Grey Cup and Winter Classic.

Although MLSE is forking over the entire $120 million for stadium improvements, the city, province and federal government will reimburse MLSE $10 million each. The city will then be paid back for the investment over 20 years with interest.

As for the province and feds, “they get paid back very quickly,” Leiweke stressed.

“We’re asking the feds to contribute to the capacity of the stadium from 30,000 to 40,000,” Leiweke explained.

Current renderings show BMO Field expanding to 30,000 for soccer games and 25,000 for football.

Special events, though, would need to see temporary seating added to raise the seating capacity by 25%.

“The feds are giving us the resources to expand to 40,000 for our Grey Cup bids and Winter Classic bids,” Leiweke said. “That also means BMO will be eligible to be used as part of the Canadian Soccer Associations World Cup bid in 2026.”

MLSE will go before the city’s executive committee this week. It will then go to the full council in April for approval.

“This deal is completely specific to everyone ultimately participating,” Leiweke said. “MLSE has to do the work to bring the events in that gets everyone’s money back.”

The NHL’s Winter Classic has been held six times and was most recently staged at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor where the Leafs and Detroit Red Wings met in front of more than 100,000.

Reports have indicated the Washington Capitals are in line to host the event in 2015.

kurt.larson@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @KurtLarsSun