Your Guide to Investors Group Field

June 2013

A guide to the new home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Investors Group Field

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28 Your Guide to Investors Group Field CROWN JEWEL Continued from page 27 Equipped with top-notch training and medical facilities, which include a giant hot tub, underwater training equipment and an on-site medical centre that rivals any sports-medicine facility, Mack said he expects all of the Bombers – staff and players alike – to thrive in their new environment. "The facilities the players and coaches have to conduct their business are firstclass now," Mack said. "Each coach has his own office plus there are so many different meeting rooms with technology to watch all sorts of video and film." Mack said the 100-seat theatre style meeting room is really an eye-opener, with two projectors coming down from the ceiling in the front. The locker room is nearly double the size while the new weight room alone is the size of what the combined weight and training rooms used to be at the old building. Head athletic therapist Al Couture, said going to work is much more enjoyable these days. "The biggest difference for us is space," he said. "We have a larger area to work on injured players and the weight room is four times the size of the old one, so the players actually have room to move around." He added that the new fitness/rehab tubs allow him and his team to do even more things at once. "The players love it," he said, "especially the ones who can compare it to the old stadium. They know Investors Group Field is the real deal." The Bombers' locker room at Investors Group Field is twice the size of the old one and also boasts a players' lounge that gives them an opportunity to spend more time with their teammates and coaches. "It has been nothing short of a wow factor for everybody who has come through this building," Mack said. "We had some players here for our mini-camp in April and the rejuvenated attitudes said a lot. A few of them who have played in the NFL made reference to these facilities being as good or better than some down south." 'IT HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF A WOW FACTOR FOR EVERYBODY WHO HAS COME THROUGH THIS BUILDING.' When it comes to building a Grey Cup contending team, Mack says having a top-notch facility can't hurt in attracting players who can take the Bombers to the top of the CFL mountain. "Many of our own players are very excited to get up here, see the building and be a part of the inaugural season," Mack said. "I think it's fair to say that these new facilities make Winnipeg a much more desirable location." Mack also mentioned that the facilities were designed not only with the Big Blue in mind, but also their co-tenants – the University of Manitoba Bisons – who now have some of the best facilities in the CIS. "There's nothing like feeling respected as part of a first-class operation," Mack said. "From the moment a player walks into Investors Group Field, they know the Winnipeg Blue Bombers mean business."

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