The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that the Ottawa Charge will not be relocating to the smaller TD Place arena as part of the Lansdowne Park redevelopment plan. This decision was communicated by Amy Scheer, the league’s executive director of business operations, who emphasized that the reduced seating capacity at the new arena was a concern.
The recently approved $419-million redevelopment plan by Ottawa city council includes a reduction of approximately 3,000 seats at the arena. Scheer expressed that playing in a 5,500-seat venue would be a step backward for the Charge and stated firmly that they will not be playing at Lansdowne 2.0.
Highlighting the financial aspect, Scheer mentioned that the smaller arena does not align with the team’s fan attendance numbers. The Charge had an average of 5,775 fans during regular season weekday games and 8,348 on weekends last year, indicating the need for a larger seating capacity.
Despite the challenges, Scheer emphasized the team’s desire to remain in Ottawa due to the strong support from fans. She expressed disappointment with the situation but affirmed the team’s commitment to finding a suitable solution to stay in the city.
The city estimated that adding 2,000 or more seats to the arena would require an investment ranging between $80 million and $100 million. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe previously hinted that the league is exerting pressure during lease negotiations to secure favorable terms. In response, Sutcliffe mentioned ongoing discussions between the city manager, the league, and OSEG to explore potential solutions and navigate the negotiation process without public commentary at this stage.