Weather a wild card in Winnipeg stadium construction

Winnipeg's new football stadium has a name but whether it will be ready for kickoff next year depends onthe winter weather.

Ossama AbouZeid, interim chief executive officer of the Winnipeg Football Club, says he will know in a couple of months if construction of Investors Group Field will be finished in time for the 2012 CFL season.

"I think realistically sometime in February, we have to say, 'How severe was the winter? What's the prognosis for the spring?' Then we can make a realistic assessment," AbouZeid told reporters on Wednesday, afterthe stadium's name was unveiled.

"If I'm not ready, I have to make a Plan B. It is not [enough] just to stand in front of you and tell you, 'Oops, I am behind.'"

The $190-million facility, located on the University of Manitoba campus in south Winnipeg, is scheduled to be open in time for Blue Bombers' season opener next summer.

The stadium will seat upwards of 33,500, with the ability to expand to 40,000 for major events. Once built, it will have canopies that will provide partial covering.

AbouZeid said the construction timeline will depend not just on weather conditions, but when construction crews can get under cover.

"Very soon, once the stadium [is] closed and once they put the roof sometime in Januaryeverything will be under my control," he said.

If the new stadium is not ready in time for the season opener, the Bombers will be forced to play atthe old Canad Inns stadiumuntil construction is finished.