Media mogul David Asper still wants a piece of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The executive vice-president of CanWest Global Communications is preparing to make a proposal to invest in the Canadian Football League team before the end of January.

David Asper, right, seen in a 2003 photo with his late father Izzy, helped save the Blue Bombers from bankruptcy with a debt-relief plan nearly five years ago.
(Ken Gigliotti/Canadian Press)

Asper, co-chair of the 2006 Grey Cup festival, first made his intentions known last September. He has already met with Bombers vice-president and chief executive officer Lyle Bauer, and board member Gene Dunn.

"I seriously respect the members of the Bomber board who are going to have to consider and make this decision," Asper said Tuesday from his home in Winnipeg. "It's not going to be an easy decision, although I think the proposal has many benefits for the community.

"It's potentially a 50-year decision."

Sources close to the deal told the Winnipeg Free Press that Asper would assume control of the Blue Bombers, and help fund the construction of a $100-million-plus football stadium and retail complex on the site of the current Canad Inns Stadium.

The 53-year-old facility lacks sufficient space for revenue-generating concessions and isn't condusive to hosting non-football events.

The team looked into a new stadium on the Red River Exhibition grounds in 2004, but the proposal wasn't received well by the city or province, despite the backing of a feasibility study last year.

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz have declined comment on the Asper proposal.

"We prefer to leave this discussion with the two principal negotiators," said a spokesman for the premier.

Plan helped reduce Bombers' debt

The Blue Bombers are owned and run by a non-profit organization managed by a board of directors.

Asper helped bail out the Blue Bombers five years ago when the club nearly folded as a result of a $5.4-million debt and declining attendance.

The plan, which also included assistance from Bauer, the city, province and others in the business community, helped the Bombers reduce their debt to $700,000 and increase ticket sales to almost 19,000.

Bauer realizes the team has to change the way it does business and diversify.

"David [Asper] and I have met, and one thing we both know is we want what's best for the football club for a sustainable future," Bauer said Tuesday night from Calgary.

"The issue of ownership has to be discussed by the board, but I know it will certainly be open to partnership or investment opportunities. That's no secret."

With files from the Canadian Press