Will the WWC mean a stadium from FC Edmonton?

[strobe_z]

Apparently when/if we get to help host the 2015 Women's World Cup we're having a party...

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Edmonton+party+plans+World+soccer+players/4700331/story.html

Was reading the article when I ran across this bit...

The only concern he expressed is ensuring there will be one artificial-turf practice field with soccer markings for each of the four teams that could play in a round-robin in Edmonton.

“Now that the field here (Commonwealth Stadium) is artificial turf, FIFA would expect the fields the teams train on would also be artificial turf.”

However, Farbrother said there’s already turf at Clarke and Foote fields and elsewhere in the capital region in addition to Commonwealth, and another facility is planned for Edmonton in 2013.

Just what is this facility that's being planned?

[inquiring mind]

I've heard the city planned to have the fake stuff at several parks. JP Bowl, Mill Woods, Claireview and Leger District Park to name a few. I don't know how many, if any they've followed through on though. I know they're doing a major upgrade for Claireview that would match the timeline for 2013, and I believe that does include artificial turf, so that is probably it.

[jedinathan]

I drive by the millwoods location almost everyday... While it's a really nice facility, there is no way that would be considered for anything other than a practise field.

Also if they were considering just putting in new turf at an existing facility, why wouldn't the city just say that they are going to redo the turf at (insert location here)?

I'm optomisic, but I'll believe there's a stadium being planned when I see plans and a stamp of approval.

[Drew Shaw]

Victoria has had two great opportunities - Commonwealth Games in 94, the World U20 Tournament - yet we STILL do not have a decent stadium for either soccer, football, or both. It's amazing, and makes me suspicious every time people make these promises.

[EDM Rover]

I'm sure that the Fath Group will be keeping close tabs on any possibility of the City putting money towards future soccer infrastructure - it would make a lot of sense for FCE to try to merge their future stadium concept with some level of shared public use/funding.

[Drew Shaw]

I'm sure that the Fath Group will be keeping close tabs on any possibility of the City putting money towards future soccer infrastructure - it would make a lot of sense for FCE to try to merge their future stadium concept with some level of shared public use/funding.

The problem is that soccer fields can't host basketball games, or concerts, or trade shows, or lacrosse, like ice arenas can. They can't even host football and rugby if you put natural grass in them (as you should).

[alberta white]

...They can't even host football and rugby if you put natural grass in them (as you should).

Really? I wonder what the Wigan Warriors have been doing in the JJB for all these years? Or Hull (Rugby) FC in the KC stadium in Hull for that matter, Let alone Wasp down at Vicerage road.

[Drew Shaw]

Really? I wonder what the Wigan Warriors have been doing in the JJB for all these years? Or Hull (Rugby) FC in the KC stadium in Hull for that matter, Let alone Wasp down at Vicerage road.

Well, lucky Wigan, Hull AFC, and Watford. Presumably there is a lot of maintenance that must be done by those rugby clubs to rent, and a bit of desperation from those football clubs. The fact that more FCs in the UK don't rent to rugby clubs speaks for itself, despite your ability to find three examples to the contrary.

[alberta white]

Hull's KC Stadium was built as a Joint Venture between the City Council, Hull City Football club. and Hull FC (the rugby club) as a way of getting both clubs out of a financial hole.

But I understand your point on the Maintenance side. The Advent of Summer Rugby has certainly help with the condition of dual usage fields which tend to be bedded into speciality geotextiles to help avoid the problems encountered at wembly.

Anyway other joint usage of Rugby/ Soccer Stadiums?

The Race Course Ground-Wrexham F.C and the Welsh Crusaders.

The Galpharm (Macalpine) Stadium- Huddersfield Town and the Huddersfield Giants. A similar JV to create a mulitusage stadium in the heart of West Yorkshire. I even saw Hell freeze over in that one when the Eagles played! Thats the band,by the way. Not Crystal Palace.

Norton Park- Everton reserves (don't laugh) and Widnes and St Helens (thats two seperate Rugby teams by the way).

In the Feeder League, The Rugby League football championship the following teams also 'co-share'

Halifax town and Halifax RLFC inhabit "The Shay" A stadium with a VERY intresting set up , with respect to FCEdmonton,: and the Sheffield Eagles Roost every other week at Bramall Lane, Home of Sheffield United.

Blackburn Rovers reserves and the Leigh Centurions also share the Leigh Sports Village.

Going back a while, the Hunslet Hawks played at Elland Road for many Years until the Ironically named John Charles (South Leeds) Stadium was built.

Elland Road is still a prime Venue for Test Matches Between the Great Britain Rugby League MNT and the Aussie/and New Zealand MNT's.

As is Old Trafford, which also host the Play-offs and Grand Finals for the European Superleague.

Wembely is once again the Mecca of the "Northern Game" as the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final has return after its sorjourn to the Millenium in Cardiff.

What really F's up the pitch at Wembly is when the Pointy ball boys of the NFL turn up once a "wrong time of the" year. Hopefully the new turf which may even be a hybrid of Grass and plastic, will aleviate this problem.

To flip this list on it head you can look down Under?

Strangley enough, apart for Adelaide United and Perth Glory, the rest of the Hyundia A league is hosted in essence in Rugby Stadia, Apart from occasional marquee games where Adelaid, for instance will play Sydney and the Melbourne Victory on The Adelaide Cricket Oval!

So thats a little more than three.

Another thing to Remember here is that there are 92 football league and EPL clubs in the England. there are far less Rugby league and Union clubs which hold a similar pro status.

The Rugby Union National stadium at Twickenham notwithstanding, the Leicester Tigers (RUFC) have the Largest single use Rugby ground in England which has a capacity of a little over that of BMO field.

Speaking of Rugby Union, In the Aviva Premiership, Richmond and London Irish both inhabit Reading FC's Madejski Stadium. Funnily enough ground, Headingley, is co-shared between League and Union. Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Carnegie.

Sadly the Sale Sharks' move into and Purchase of Edgeley Park,the home of Stockport County has apparently been the undoing of the Soccer team. Relegation to the Confrence is been blamed, by a number of fans on the more afflent Rugby clubs finacial stranglehold on the purse strings. Edgeley Park was originally built for Stockport Rugby League club.

What has to be understood here is that, other than the Superleague and the Aviva Premiership, the majority of rugby clubs in the UK (both RU and RL) are community based; the structure of which is satisfied with a Stadium of a seating capacity around 200-500 in a main stand, with the rest of the crowd standing at the touchline rails or terrancing to the overall capacity of about 3500.

You also tend to find that many clubs are listed as Charitable Organisations so in their case small is good.

Because Alberta's field sports have to wait until the End of March, when most of the moisture has already rattled through the clay, the Likley hood of a Pro Soccerfield, which is profesionally maintained, been turned in a modern version of the Somme; because the Posh Pointyball boys have had a go on it would be unlikley.

Mind you, I could, and will get a second opinion from the Geo-Engineers at work.

[Drew Shaw]

Anyway other joint usage of Rugby/ Soccer Stadiums?

What really F's up the pitch at Wembly is when the Pointy ball boys of the NFL turn up once a "wrong time of the" year. Hopefully the new turf which may even be a hybrid of Grass and plastic, will aleviate this problem.

So thats a little more than three.

What has to be understood here is that, other than the Superleague and the Aviva Premiership, the majority of rugby clubs in the UK (both RU and RL) are community based; the structure of which is satisfied with a Stadium of a seating capacity around 200-500 in a main stand, with the rest of the crowd standing at the touchline rails or terrancing to the overall capacity of about 3500.

You also tend to find that many clubs are listed as Charitable Organisations so in their case small is good.

Because Alberta's field sports have to wait until the End of March, when most of the moisture has already rattled through the clay, the Likley hood of a Pro Soccerfield, which is profesionally maintained, been turned in a modern version of the Somme; because the Posh Pointyball boys have had a go on it would be unlikley.

Thanks for all that info - you're obviously a real rugby fan.

In Canada, unfortunately there aren't rugby clubs who would pay to defray the cost of stadia, so it's a bit of an irrelevelant topic. Not that I wouldn't like to see the Rugby CSL return, and this time do so with the intent of actually attracting fans. Cheers.

[alberta white]

Cant disagee with your last comment.

Most of my knowlege comes from watching the Rugby on the BBC for the best part of thirty years. You kinda pick this stuff up.

Intrestingly Spruce Grove Composite High School (AB) is running a team this year, under the guidence of a retired Semi-Pro Aussie Called Greame Dawes, mainly cause a about 20-25 of the students have been watch the EPL on Satana and Stumbled upon Pro Rugby. The Canadian Rugby League reformed last year but it still its got a lot of ground to make up.

Wierdest thing on the Rugby front. The Russians pulled their RL code and shifted all their best players over to Union in an assault on the Rugby Sevens for 2012. Yep thats right the Russians play Rugby!

[Shootmaster_44]

Cant disagee with your last comment.

Most of my knowlege comes from watching the Rugby on the BBC for the best part of thirty years. You kinda pick this stuff up.

Intrestingly Spruce Grove Composite High School (AB) is running a team this year, under the guidence of a retired Semi-Pro Aussie Called Greame Dawes, mainly cause a about 20-25 of the students have been watch the EPL on Satana and Stumbled upon Pro Rugby. The Canadian Rugby League reformed last year but it still its got a lot of ground to make up.

Wierdest thing on the Rugby front. The Russians pulled their RL code and shifted all their best players over to Union in an assault on the Rugby Sevens for 2012. Yep thats right the Russians play Rugby!

Not to carry this on a further tangent. But I do hope League catches on in Canada. I can't see why it wouldn't with the similarities to football.

As for soccer teams sharing stadiums, I think it will be a long time before rugby is at the level where they would actually be playing at stadiums where NASL/MLS teams would be playing. That said, BMO Field is hosting a Rugby World Cup tuneup friendly between Canada and the US in August. So it will be interesting to see what TFC fans think of the pitch after that match. With the way they seemed to complain about the Toronto Nationals lacrosse team playing there, I expect they will really complain after the rugby game tears up the grass.

But if an MLS style pro rugby league ever comes along in North America, I do anticipate that they will look toward SSS as venues to play in. There has been a few pushes in the US for a pro RL league, so that may come to fruition sooner than later. Though, I have heard as crazy as it sounds that the league is looking at running a fall schedule, so they can try and bring in some top flight players from the NRL in Australia. So it may not conflict as much with MLS/NASL/USL teams as it would if they ran a spring/summer schedule. Of course, if the league expands into the Midwest and Northern US states and into Canada, having a good portion of your schedule in November would be financial suicide.

[jedinathan]

Hoping that I'm not bumping a thread with no reason...

So I was making my bi-weekly trip in from Spruce Grove, and I happened to notice several signs on 16A just a little East of the city dump that have a big Fath Group "Future Development" up on them. Its a pretty huge space of land, and I go past it several times a week... I don't recall seeing them before, anyone else know if they're new (Thursday I'm looking at you...)?

I mention this, as there's been a fair bit of talk about arenas in town lately, and with the WWC coming in 2015, it makes sense to make a new stadium (as previously mentioned). However, I vaugely recall hearing something about that dump closing down... Would make a pretty convienent parking lot, for a stadium about 5 min out of the city, and only 30 min from anywhere in the city (due to the proximity to Anthony Henday!!).

PURE speculation on my part, but Fath Group isn't known for buying land, or building things out in the middle of nowhere...

[Lord Bob]

Oh, god, that is the middle of nowhere. I'm all for a new stadium but can it be within, like hailing distance of the parts of Edmonton anybody ever goes to?

[jedinathan]

Oh now, its not that bad... I mean if people drive out to Enoch just so they can smoke while gambling, they'll drive a shorter distance for soccer. Not as convienent as taking over where Rexal place is now, and getting a stadium already on an LRT route I'll admit, but the way the city is expanding west, it wouldn't be long until the subdivisions west of the Henday are further than that site. I'm also a big fan of some of the industral areas between 50st and 34st (kind of where the South Soccer Center is now). But I'm WAY biased because I live close to there...

Also and edit to my previous post... Dump is set to close in a few years (almost at its max already). They'll cap it and put in grass/fake wildlife reserve like over in Goldbar. No parking lot.

[foreverthursday]

Hoping that I'm not bumping a thread with no reason...

So I was making my bi-weekly trip in from Spruce Grove, and I happened to notice several signs on 16A just a little East of the city dump that have a big Fath Group "Future Development" up on them. Its a pretty huge space of land, and I go past it several times a week... I don't recall seeing them before, anyone else know if they're new (Thursday I'm looking at you...)?

I mention this, as there's been a fair bit of talk about arenas in town lately, and with the WWC coming in 2015, it makes sense to make a new stadium (as previously mentioned). However, I vaugely recall hearing something about that dump closing down... Would make a pretty convienent parking lot, for a stadium about 5 min out of the city, and only 30 min from anywhere in the city (due to the proximity to Anthony Henday!!).

PURE speculation on my part, but Fath Group isn't known for buying land, or building things out in the middle of nowhere...

No man, I am really sorry, but I have not seen it. I tend to take hwy 19 to hwy 60 and then home on hwy 16A home.

[jedinathan]

No worries. I kinda figured you didn't take it on a regular basis, but thought maybe you had seen it on an trip in via 16a.. with the construction, you'd be stupid to take that route.

Still I'm curious. My wife looked at me like I was crazy when I told her about it today... I may have been a little excited unnecessarily. When you drive 3+ hours a day, you get a little crazy at the end of it!

[ESG Shawn]

I agree with Bob, that is a terrible location for a stadium. Adds to the ever increasing urban sprawl problem which this city has, no transit service, no pubs nearby to pre-game, no nothing. If MLS is ever a dream (massive pipe dream IMO, but whatever), they have seen the mistakes of teams past who built in suburbia, and are favoring SSS's in downtown, urban areas.

[jedinathan]

I understand and totally agree with you, but Edmonton isn't exactly laid out for a good SSS... Where would you stick one (now that Katz has his mansion downtown)? The probably with Edmonton is that it has been built outwards for so long, there isn't really many places to go. I can only see Fath buying a building, pulling it down and building from there. I would love to see something around Rexal Place, but I have no clue as to how feisable it is.

Basically this is all speculation... For all I know, Fath bought it to build new barns for his fleet of street sweepers (Speaking of which, why doesn't he put FCE ads all over those! I see them all the time, and its free advertising!)

[Drew Shaw]

If MLS is ever a dream (massive pipe dream IMO, but whatever)

Personally, I'd like to see a solid NASL as a good dream for its own sake, and not just as a place where people dream of MLS. There will never be a fourth Canadian MLS team, because there are too many US cities of 2 million+ people (San Diego, Phoenix, Minneapolis, St Louis, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, Long Island New York) that will get an MLS team before Edmonton, Calgary, or Ottawa ever will.

That being the case, teams in cities of 1 million people need to build a good 2nd Division in North America. It can be done. Montreal (and Rochester in the past) has provided the example of such a team attracting crowds of 10,000 to a Soccer-Specific Stadium of that size, even without the imminent prospect of joining MLS. Solid NASL teams can also challenge MLS teams in the Canadian Championship and US Open Cup for places in North American competition, as they have shown numerous times. Being a fan of soccer should be more about the team, and less about the league they are in. Cheers.

[ESG Shawn]

Interesting article from Steve Sandor on this very topic.

http://the11.ca/2011/05/20/new-fc-edmonton-gm-already-talking-about-new-stadium/

[foreverthursday]

Personally, I'd like to see a solid NASL as a good dream for its own sake, and not just as a place where people dream of MLS. There will never be a fourth Canadian MLS team, because there are too many US cities of 2 million+ people (San Diego, Phoenix, Minneapolis, St Louis, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, Long Island New York) that will get an MLS team before Edmonton, Calgary, or Ottawa ever will.

That being the case, teams in cities of 1 million people need to build a good 2nd Division in North America. It can be done. Montreal (and Rochester in the past) has provided the example of such a team attracting crowds of 10,000 to a Soccer-Specific Stadium of that size, even without the imminent prospect of joining MLS. Solid NASL teams can also challenge MLS teams in the Canadian Championship and US Open Cup for places in North American competition, as they have shown numerous times. Being a fan of soccer should be more about the team, and less about the league they are in. Cheers.

I agree with you and I don't. I like the idea of the NASL as being a good league to stay in as it grows into a stable Division II. But Edmonton has far more money then Atlants, San Diego, Detroit, etc... those cities are slum ghettos where a couple hundred fans might be able to all chip in for a two dollar hot dog.

Edmonton and area has more money then God. A high school failure earns forty a year picking their butt right out of the gate. Edmonton is a far more brilliant location for sports based on corporate and individual money.

[Trident]

I agree with you and I don't. I like the idea of the NASL as being a good league to stay in as it grows into a stable Division II. But Edmonton has far more money then Atlants, San Diego, Detroit, etc... those cities are slum ghettos

oof.

[Macksam]

Personally, I'd like to see a solid NASL as a good dream for its own sake, and not just as a place where people dream of MLS. There will never be a fourth Canadian MLS team, because there are too many US cities of 2 million+ people (San Diego, Phoenix, Minneapolis, St Louis, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, Long Island New York) that will get an MLS team before Edmonton, Calgary, or Ottawa ever will.

That being the case, teams in cities of 1 million people need to build a good 2nd Division in North America. It can be done. Montreal (and Rochester in the past) has provided the example of such a team attracting crowds of 10,000 to a Soccer-Specific Stadium of that size, even without the imminent prospect of joining MLS. Solid NASL teams can also challenge MLS teams in the Canadian Championship and US Open Cup for places in North American competition, as they have shown numerous times. Being a fan of soccer should be more about the team, and less about the league they are in. Cheers.

Never say never. It all depends which cities get their ducks in order.

[Footy Lad]

The problem is that soccer fields can't host basketball games, or concerts, or trade shows, or lacrosse, like ice arenas can. They can't even host football and rugby if you put natural grass in them (as you should).

Not having a multi-use facility doesn't seem to be a problem for BMO Field in Toronto or the one in Montreal and Vancouver or any other field in the NASL. There are may community use soccer fields in Edmonton that are on prime land and not used for anything else. A soccer stadium should be just that. Let's get on with it.