Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)
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| Location | 11000 Stadium Road File:Edmonton-flag.png Edmonton,  AlbertaT5J 2R7 |
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| Opened | 1978 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Owner | City of Edmonton |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $20.9 million (CAD) Reconstruction cost: $22.17 million (CAD) |
| Capacity | 60,081 |
| Tenants | |
| Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) (1978–present) Edmonton Huskies (CJFL) (1978–present) |
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Commonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.
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[edit] History
Commonwealth Stadium was built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton. Initially, when Edmonton was chosen to host the games, thought was given to rebuild the existing Clarke Stadium. In January 1975, the Edmonton City Council decided to build a new over 40,000-seat stadium adjacent to Clarke Stadium.
Construction began in March 1975. Construction was completed in 1978, prior to the start of the Commonwealth Games on August 3, 1978.[1] The stadium cost $20.9-million to build, and the original capacity was approximately 42,500.[2]
The stadium was expanded by about 18,000 seats to a total capacity of 60,081 for the Summer Universiade Games held in 1983.
The stadium underwent major renovations in 2001, costing $22.17-million.
[edit] Seating
The stadium has permanent seating for 60,081, but can hold more with temporary seating.[3]. On September 5, 2003, the record for largest crowd to attend a regular season Eskimos home game was set at 62,444 against the Calgary Stampeders. The largest crowd in stadium history was the Grey Cup game on November 24, 2002 with 62,531 in attendance.[3]
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The stadium is the largest in permanent capacity in Canada.
The stadium currently has the largest and most advanced video screen JumboTron in the world. It measures 40 feet (12 m) by 24 feet (7.3 m) with a 16:9 picture format.[3]
[edit] Field
The stadium is one of the few major facilities in Canada to have a natural grass playing surface. As such, Commonwealth Stadium often plays host to international soccer matches and tournaments, and is the home field for the country's national soccer teams.
Despite the completion of the soccer-specific BMO Field in Toronto, Commonwealth Stadium remains a major venue for soccer in Canada due to its capacity and, more importantly, its natural grass playing surface which BMO Field fails to offer.
Commonwealth stadium was last resodded in April 2007 in preparation for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
[edit] Notable events
The stadium has hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1983 Universiade Summer Games, the 2001 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the final match of the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2002, and the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The stadium was the host of the first regular season outdoor NHL hockey game in 2003, called the Heritage Classic.
It had also been the home field for Canada's men's national team until the 2007 opening of BMO Field in Toronto. It hosted an international friendly match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps in May 2008.
In rugby union, the stadium has hosted Churchill Cup matches and hosted some 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup matches, including the final.
The CFL Grey Cup game has been played at Commonwealth Stadium on three occasions: in 1984, 1997 and 2002. It will host the Grey Cup in 2010.
It has also hosted many concerts, including U2, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Tim McGraw, the Rolling Stones, The Police on their 30th anniversary reunion tour and is to host AC/DC, Aerosmith and ZZ Top concerts in August 2009.
[edit] Transportation
It is served by Stadium Station along the LRT (201) line and the Stadium Transit Centre (served by Routes 2, 120 and 127) adjacent to the LRT station
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ City of Edmonton, History of Commonwealth Stadium; http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/sport_recreation/stadiums_sports/history-of-commonwealth-stadiu.aspx [Retrieved:01/11/2008]
- ^ http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Edmonton/index.htm; [Retrieved: 01/11/2008]
- ^ a b c esks.com
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla Seville |
IAAF World Championships in Athletics Venue 2001 |
Succeeded by Stade de France Paris |
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Coordinates: 53°33′34.73″N 113°28′34.08″W / 53.5596472°N 113.4761333°W
