The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that the Ottawa Charge will not be playing at the downsized TD Place arena in the newly approved Lansdowne Park redevelopment plan. Amy Scheer, the league’s executive director of business operations, explained the decision on Tuesday, attributing it to the reduced seating capacity at the new arena, which has been a point of contention previously.
The recently approved $419 million redevelopment project by the Ottawa city council includes a decrease of approximately 3,000 seats at the arena. Scheer expressed that this reduction would be a setback for the Charge, stating, “We will not play in a 5,500-seat building.” She emphasized that playing at Lansdowne 2.0 is not an option they are considering.
Scheer highlighted the financial implications for the team, noting that a smaller arena would not align with the Charge’s fan attendance numbers. The team recorded an average of 5,775 fans for regular season weekday games and 8,348 on weekends last year.
Despite the challenges, Scheer emphasized the team’s desire to remain in Ottawa due to the strong support from fans. However, she expressed disappointment in the city’s stance on the matter, stating, “But the city hasn’t made it easy for us and it’s disappointing.”
The city estimated that increasing the arena’s seating capacity by 2,000 or more seats would come at a cost of $80 million to $100 million. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has suggested that the league is exerting pressure during negotiations with OSEG for a new lease deal. In response, Sutcliffe mentioned ongoing discussions between the city manager, the league, and OSEG to explore potential solutions. Sutcliffe refrained from commenting further on the negotiation process while it is ongoing.