Toronto Sceptres fans are pushing for more permanent team branding at Coca-Cola Coliseum after two seasons at the PWHL club’s home rink.
Toronto Sceptres fans are calling for the PWHL team to be more visibly represented inside Coca-Cola Coliseum, saying the club’s home rink still feels dominated by another franchise after two seasons of Sceptres games there.
The push comes as supporters point to what they describe as a near absence of Sceptres logos, photos and permanent branding throughout the Exhibition Place arena. The venue is heavily marked by the Toronto Marlies, the American Hockey League team owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, which also operates Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Season-ticket holder Jessica Tang told CBC News that the lack of Sceptres presence inside the arena is noticeable. “You go to the rink and it’s like the Sceptres don’t exist,” she said.
The City of Toronto owns the venue and directed questions about the issue to MLSE, according to CBC. MLSE did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comment. The Sceptres also directed questions about arena branding to MLSE and did not say whether the team has been seeking more permanent visibility inside the building.
“We love seeing the passion from Sceptres fans and how strongly they’re connecting with the team,” the Sceptres said in a statement.
Tang said she understands why the Marlies have such a prominent presence after more than two decades in the building. But she said the Sceptres’ growing fan base deserves to see the team treated as a true tenant rather than a temporary guest, noting that photo opportunities often rely on temporary backdrops.
The issue is landing as Coca-Cola Coliseum prepares to host another women’s professional team. The WNBA’s Toronto Tempo are scheduled to play their first preseason game Wednesday night and their inaugural home opener at the arena on May 8, CBC reported.
Ward 10 Coun. Ausma Malik, chair of the Exhibition Place board of governors, told CBC she has heard concerns from dedicated fans. This month, she moved a motion directing Exhibition Place’s CEO to bring requests to leaseholders at Coca-Cola Coliseum and nearby BMO Field aimed at improving the sports team experience, including memorabilia and team logos that better recognize women’s sports in Toronto and at Exhibition Place.
“It’s important to me that women and girls see themselves reflected in the highest levels of competition and that includes in the arenas in which they play,” Malik said in a statement.
For Sceptres season-ticket holder Tammy DeGasperis-Symes, the issue is not about diminishing the Marlies, but about making room for the women’s team that also calls the building home. Until the Sceptres logo is painted on the ice alongside the Marlies logo, she told CBC, the arena will still feel like “borrowed space.”
“These women have worked hard, these players have worked hard, the league has worked hard — they deserve their space,” DeGasperis-Symes said.
Comments (0)