The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that the Ottawa Charge will not be playing at the smaller TD Place arena, which is part of the Lansdowne Park redevelopment plan. Amy Scheer, the league’s executive director of business operations, mentioned on Tuesday that the decision was due to the reduced seating capacity of the new arena, a concern that had been raised previously.
The recently approved $419 million redevelopment plan by the Ottawa city council includes a reduction of approximately 3,000 seats in the arena. Scheer emphasized that this decrease in capacity would be a step backward for the Charge, stating they are not willing to play in a 5,500-seat facility like Lansdowne 2.0.
Last year, the Charge averaged 5,775 fans at regular season weekday games and 8,348 on weekends. Scheer expressed the team’s desire to stay in Ottawa, highlighting the supportive fan base. However, she also expressed disappointment in the challenges posed by the city in finding a suitable solution.
The city estimated that adding 2,000 or more seats to the arena would cost between $80 million and $100 million. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe previously suggested that the league was exerting pressure during negotiations with OSEG for a new lease agreement to secure the best terms. Sutcliffe mentioned ongoing lease negotiations between the city manager, the league, and OSEG, with meetings already held and more scheduled for the future.
Sutcliffe emphasized the need for confidentiality during the negotiation process and refrained from commenting further on the matter publicly.