Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)

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Commonwealth Stadium

11000 Stadium Road

Location Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 2R7
Opened 1978
Renovated 2001
Owner City of Edmonton
Grass (1978-2010)
Surface
FieldTurf artificial turf (2010-present)
$20.9 million (CAD)
Construction cost Reconstruction cost: $22.17 million
(CAD)
Capacity 60,081
Tenants
Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) (1978–present)

Edmonton Drillers (NASL) (1979–1981)

Canadian Soccer Association
1978 Commonwealth Games
1983 Summer Universiade
2001 World Championships in Athletics
 2003 Heritage Classic

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.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
• 2 Seating
• 3 Field
• 4 Notable events
• 5 Transportation
• 6 See also
• 7 References
• 8 Sources

• 9 External links

[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 also underwent major renovations in 2001, costing
$22.17 million.

On March 10, 2010 the city council approved the replacement of the current grass with
artificial turf. It will cost $2.6 million to change the turf and it is expected to be
completed in May 2010 before the start of the 2010 Edmonton Eskimos season. This will
be the last CFL stadium to switch to artificial turf.[3]

[edit] Seating
The stadium has permanent seating for 60,081, but can hold more with temporary seating.
[4]
On September 26, 2009, the record for largest crowd to attend a regular-season
Eskimos home game was set at 62,517 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[5] The
largest crowd in stadium history was the Grey Cup game on November 24, 2002, with
62,531 in attendance.[4] The stadium is the second largest in permanent capacity in
Canada, after Montreal's Stade olympique.

Panoramic view of Commonwealth Stadium

[edit] Field

Commonwealth Stadium during a CFL game.

The stadium was one of the few major facilities in Canada to have a natural grass playing
surface. As such, Commonwealth Stadium often played 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. Commonwealth
stadium was last resodded in April 2007 in preparation for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World
Cup. In 2010, Edmonton City Council approved the replacement of the turf with artificial
turf, which was expected to be completed in May of 2010.

[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, and River Plate and Everton
F.C. in July 2009.

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 Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Tim McGraw, The
Rolling Stones, The Police, AC/DC, U2, Rage Against the Machine, Kenny Chesney,
Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift, Lilith Fair & Edgefest.

U2 was to return on June 23, 2010, the only Albertan stop on their 360 Tour. With the
postponement of that tour, the expected date will be in 2011.

Bon Jovi's "The Circle World Tour" will hit Commonwealth Stadium on July 15, 2010.

[edit] Transportation

View of Commonwealth Stadium, from the LRT Platform.

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

• List of Canadian Football League stadiums

[edit] References
 1. ^ City of Edmonton, History of Commonwealth Stadium;
http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/sport_recreation/history-of-
commonwealth-stadiu.aspx [Retrieved:01/11/2008]
2. ^ http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Edmonton/index.htm; [Retrieved: 01/11/2008]
3. ^ Ho, Clara. "Grass cut out of Commonwealth". SLAM! Sports.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Edmonton/2010/03/11/13192021-qmi.html.
Retrieved 11 March 2010.
4. ^ a b esks.com
5. ^ "Esks blow shot at first". Edmonton Journal. 2009-09-27.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Esks+blow+shot+first/2039395/story.html.
Retrieved 2010-01-19.

[edit] Sources
• "Commonwealth Stadium facts and figures". Esks.com.
http://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Edmonton/index.htm.

[edit] External links

• City of Edmonton, Commonwealth Stadium

[show]Events and Tenants

[show]
v•d•e
Edmonton Eskimos

[show]
v•d•e
Current stadiums of the Canadian Football League
 [show]
v•d•e
Commonwealth Games stadia

[show]
v•d•e
Attractions and landmarks in Edmonton

[show]
v•d•e
NHL Outdoor Games

Coordinates: 53°33′35″N 113°28′34″W53.55972°N 113.47611°W

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Stadium_(Edmonton)"
Categories: Canadian football venues | Rugby union stadiums in Canada | Sports venues
in Edmonton | Outdoor ice hockey venues in Canada | Athletics venues in Canada |
Soccer venues in Canada | National stadiums | Music venues in Edmonton | 1978
Commonwealth Games | Stadiums of the Commonwealth Games | Temporary National
Hockey League venues | Visitor attractions in Alberta

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