ALL FOR ONE. The Toronto Football Club (TFC) motto conjures images of diehard fans donning the red, white and onyx colours of the team. Each game different from the other, yet the passion and support unchanging. The venue that’s housed this club is one with a unique history. From the ground up, BMO Field began as a concept. An intimate venue, with innovations on and off the pitch. An inclusive arena that would put Toronto on the world football map and draw in the most passionate supporters.
Toronto FC and its parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) have taken the loyal fanbase on a journey for the last 15 years. In this piece, we’ll reflect on moments from the past, from despair to euphoria and take a glimpse into the future of the stadium on the Lakeshore.
Situated upon the Exhibition Grounds on the site of the old Exhibition Stadium, BMO Field had its grand opening in 2007 with a capacity crowd of 25,000. Director of business operations at TFC, Patrick Bakker, then on game operations back in 2007, reflected on his experience at BMO Field:
“Walking in my first days to BMO Field, just being finished up in time for the first match on April 28th, 2007 it was surreal to work out of the stadium. I had no idea Toronto had (or had purchased) a soccer franchise before my first interview, but after that first match I knew there was something about this team, this brand and this building that were going to be special”.
On April 28th, 2007, in what would be an historic night in Toronto sports lore, the world got a glimpse at the soccer fans in Toronto. TFC took on the then Kansas City Wizards. Having gone their first four matches without scoring a goal, the Reds could sense the crowd urging them on to end that goalless drought.
In the 24th minute, when Danny Dichio scored on a close range shot, the TFC faithful went into a frenzy. History was made and never forgotten. In all the years since, the BMO Field crowd has sung the “Danny Dichio Song” as the scoreboard clock hits minute 24.
“It's hard to not keep going back to the first season,” said Bakker. “The seat cushion match on May 12th 2007 after Danny Dichio scored the team’s first ever goal at 23:13 and the seat cushions came raining down. Two more goals after that and a 3-1 win, easily atop my TFC moment in my career.”
Despite the team’s early growing pains, every home game sold out and media began taking notice in Toronto and across Major League Soccer (MLS). Paul Beirne, former VP of business operations for TFC recounts the campaign:
“We were bullish on the notion that we were going to get approved. It wasn’t like today where there are 12 cities lining up for two (expansion) spots. At that time, (the league) was just coming off life support. We were being asked to pay $10 million. At that moment it was a pretty high risk-proposition.”
BMO Field’s structure began as a small to medium-sized complex. The early years was met with criticism as the pitch was FieldTurf rather than natural grass. It was an international friendly matchup vs Real Madrid in 2009 when natural grass was introduced at BMO for the first time. Soon after, MLSE requested approval from Toronto City Council to permanently have a natural grass pitch. The motion was passed prior to the 2010 season, and BMO Field has been grass ever since.
Since the beginning, TFC has had the most loyal fan base in MLS. BMO Field’s south end is territory to the Supporters, the diehard fans the franchise commenced. Each match, the Supporters march from nearby Liberty Village to BMO Field, encouraging other fans to join them. Most notably recognized supporters are Red Patch Boys, U-Sector, Kings of the North, Tribal Rhythm Nation and Original 109.
Beginning in 2015, BMO Field underwent a massive renovation upgrade. The project saw the removal of the north section and the addition to an upper east grandstand with an additional 7,000 seats and concessions. Most notably, roof overheads were added above the seating areas around the stadium. This contributed to adding protection for fans from inclement weather, adding to a better experience.
“The real change came when Tim Leiweke became CEO, and put a direct focus on the success of TFC and MLS”, said Bakker. When Tim Bezbatchenko came on as GM and then Bill Manning as President, the Stadium expansion, you knew its moment was finally arriving. MLS Cup both the loss in 2016 and win in 2017 showed that this city wants championship soccer in Toronto”.
At the height of the renovations, which were completed in 2016, BMO Field was home to some of Toronto FC’s most memorable matches. Notable events include the 2016 MLS East Final (which saw TFC capture its first MLS Cup berth with a dramatic extra time win over rival Montreal Impact), and back-to-back MLS Cups, the latter of which TFC would win in 2017.
Of more recent vintage, BMO Field was the stage when Canada Men’s National Team qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – the CANMNT’s first berth in a FIFA World Cup since 1986 - with a 4-0 victory over Jamaica in March 2022.
BMO Field will soon have the honour of welcoming the soccer world, as Toronto was selected to host five matchups for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite being minimally below FIFA standards based on capacity, MLSE, Toronto and the Government of Canada have plans for BMO Field to be expanded in time for World Cup 2026, setting the stage for Toronto’s largest sporting event in its fabled history.
