CFL's Bombers transferred to private owner

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a community-owned entity for 77 years, is being transferred tomedia tycoonDavid Asper, the team announced Friday.

The Winnipeg Football Club's board of directors voted unanimously to transfer ownership of the team to Asper and his company, Creswin Properties.

"I would say this is our second first down, but there's a long field ahead," Aspersaid Friday.

The move is part ofa plan whereby Asper the executive vice-president of CanWest Global Communications and a former Blue Bombers board member will finance a new stadium for the team in exchange for control of the franchise.

The football club announced in May that it was negotiating only with Asper, leaving behind at least one other proposal a $265-million domed complex by Canad Inns.

"We thought we laid out a pretty good plan in January, and over the past six weeks we've had rigorous discussions with the Winnipeg Football Club representatives," Asper said Friday.

"As of last night, we came to terms on a binding letter of intent."

Under Asper's proposal, the businessman would contribute about $40 million to the $120-million stadium project, plus $25 million more to develop retail projects near the facility.

Under the plan, the provincial and federal governments would supply therest of the money for the new facility, which is to replace the 54-year-old Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg's St. James area.

The stadiumwould be partially covered and have up to 40,000 permanent seats. Like its predecessor,itisto be a public property.

Publicwould fund a maximum of 33%: premier

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has said the province would help build a new stadium. However, early this year, he also said any call for funds would have to include a guarantee that the Blue Bombers would not leave town.

Doer said Fridayhe would not commit to any amount of money, and that he'd only consider a proposal similar to the agreement for the MTS Centre, the city's downtown arena: two-thirds private money, one-third public.

"I'll sit down in a room, as I did with [MTS Centre's] Mark Chipman, to try to get a proposal that works," he said.

"AnythingI would do,I would have to justifyto taxpayers."

Asper has said he would have it built in two phases, so the construction doesn't disrupt the 2007 football season.

He wants it completedby June 2008, in time for that year's new football season.