Tim Hortons Field

The new Hamilton stadium (also known as New Ivor Wynne Stadium and Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium set to be constructed in Hamilton, Ontario. The stadium is being constructed as a soccer venue for the 2015 Pan American Games, which are being hosted by Toronto and the surrounding Greater Golden Horseshoe region, as well as a Canadian football stadium to replace Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Initial plans for the stadium were to have the stadium be the principal "Pan American Stadium" for both soccer and track and field/athletics events, but a protracted dispute between the city of Hamilton and Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young over the location of the stadium as well as a dispute over whether or not to build the running track around the playing field led the organizers of the 2015 Games to propose another stadium on the campus of York University, tentatively named York Athletics Stadium, to host the track and field events.

In 2012, the organizers of the Pan-American Games indicated that, due to financial constraints, they would be shifting focus toward venues and "clusters" that could be used for multiple events, which would seemingly eliminate the need for a new stadium that would only be used for soccer. As it stands, the only sports that Hamilton was scheduled to host are soccer and volleyball, the latter of which was to be played at Copps Coliseum. As of August 2012, the Pan American Games still intend to host soccer events at the new Hamilton stadium, although the status of women's soccer (which will be in competition with the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup) is in doubt. Volleyball was eventually moved out of Hamilton and into Toronto venues, leaving men's soccer as the only certain sport to be held at the new stadium; furthermore, the organizers of the Pan American Games temporarily renamed BMO Field as "National Soccer Stadium" despite the stadium not publicly being slated for any soccer matches and scheduled its soccer matches so that they would not conflict with the rugby sevens matches being held at BMO Field, raising doubts as to whether Hamilton will host any of the Pan American Games at all.

The soccer stadium is set to be built over the course of the year 2013 on the current site of Ivor Wynne Stadium, which will be demolished in the process, and open for football in 2014. The resulting stadium will seat approximately 24,000 individual spectators for Canadian football (the CFL's minimum) under normal circumstances, with the Tiger-Cats optimistic that this figure can ultimately be expanded to 40,000 seats for special events so that the stadium can eventually host a Grey Cup contest. Among the significant changes to be made in comparison to Ivor Wynne Stadium are an increase in the width of the field to meet FIFA's international standards for soccer pitches, reorientation of the field to a north-south direction, and increases in seat width, wireless communications infrastructure, bathrooms, luxury boxes, and other modern amenities. The team has not indicated whether the stadium will use a natural grass surface or artificial turf.

Original Proposals
Prior to the selection of the former Ivor Wynne Stadium site, there were two Hamilton locations proposed for the new stadium:

West Harbour - City Preferred
The city preferred location of the stadium was on the Hamilton waterfront in the West Harbour location on a brownfield site. This site (bounded by Barton, Hess Street North, Stuart Street and Bay Street North) is located south of Bayfront Park and located southeast of the CN Rail yard. The location is accessible to Ontario Highway 403 and Barton Street West. The city plans for the area would see the expansion of current residential growth and parkland (with future connections to both Bayfront Park and Dundurn Park) in the area around the stadium. This location is accessible to public transit:


 * 2.0 kilometers from Hamilton GO Station
 * 0.5 kilometers from nearest Hamilton Street Railway's 4 Bayfront bus stop at Colborne Street and McNab Street North (also served by nearby Routes 99 Waterfront Shuttle, 2 Barton, 3 Cannon, 8 York and 9 Rock Gardens
 * 4.0 kilometers from Highway 403 King Street West exit

East Mountain - Team Preferred
An alternate location was proposed by football business interests to relocate on a greenfield site on the East Mountain. The possibility that the stadium would be built on the East Mountain arose as the result of mediation talks between the City of Hamilton and the Tiger-Cats, necessitated by the Tiger-Cats refusal to accept the West Harbour location, previously selected by Hamilton City Council.

The East Mountain site had been subjected to criticism by Hamiltonians who cite the benefits of an urban stadium that is accessible by public transit and would remediate a brownfield property.

The East Mountain site is located along Rymal Road East near Pritchard Road in Hannon. It is located near Hamilton International Airport and close access to Red Hill Expressway. Compared to the Bayfront site, the East Mountain offers public transit access and caters to patrons driving by car:


 * HSR 44 Rymal bus stops in front of the site
 * 0.4 kilometers from Red Hill Valley Parkway exit at Mud Street West

Other
A proposal by the Whitestar Group to build a stadium may have kick-started a much needed urban redevelopment on the waterfront and blend well with future city planning. Though ambitious, especially for climate considerations, a retractable roof would have made the stadium an all season venue.

As of July 29, 2010, the prospect of a Hamilton Stadium for track and field will not likely materialize. Ongoing challenges by football business interests and political indecisiveness have motivated Athletics Canada to ask the City of Hamilton for a committed decision. AC is further concerned that the Ti-Cats will rip up the track following the games, thus negating any legacy value, and would prefer that the crown jewel of the Pan Am games be returned to Toronto.

Possible locations for track and field in Toronto could include York University, Etobicoke's Centennial Park, or possibly a location in Mississauga if not something adjacent to the future Athletes' Village on Toronto's waterfront, conceptually and aesthetically mirroring what would have been built in Hamilton.

As of August 11, 2010, Hamilton City Council voted to build a the new stadium at a proposed downtown site.