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Commonwealth Stadium
Location	11000 Stadium Road; Edmonton, Alberta; T5J 2R7
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); Edmonton Wildcats (CJFL) (1978–present); Edmonton Drillers (NASL) (1979–1982); Canadian Soccer Association; 1978 Commonwealth Games; 1983 Summer Universiade; 2001 World Championships in Athletics

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.

[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 26, 2009, the record for largest crowd to attend a regular-season Eskimos home game was set at 62,517 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The largest crowd in stadium history was the Grey Cup game on November 24, 2002, with 62,531 in attendance.^[3]

Panoramic view of Commonwealth Stadium

The stadium is the second largest in permanent capacity in Canada, after Montreal's Stade olympique.

[edit] Field

Commonwealth Stadium during a CFL game.

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 lacks.

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, 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 on their 30th anniversary reunion tour, AC/DC, Kenny Chesney, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Lilith Fair, Edgefest. U2 played shows on two consecutive nights on their Popmart tour in 1997, and will return to Commonwealth on June 23, 2010, the only Albertan stop on the 360 tour. Bon Jovi's "The Circle World Tour" will hit Commonwealth Stadium on July 15, 2010.

[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

List of Canadian Football League stadiums

[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 esks.com

[edit] Sources

"Commonwealth Stadium facts and figures". Esks.com. http://www.esks.com/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=861.

[edit] External links

City of Edmonton, Commonwealth Stadium

Preceded by Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla Seville	IAAF World Championships in Athletics Venue 2001	Succeeded by Stade de France Paris

Coordinates: 53°33′34.73″N 113°28′34.08″W / 53.5596472°N 113.4761333°W / 53.5596472; -113.4761333

[0] 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]

[1] ttp://football.ballparks.com/CFL/Edmonton/index.htm; [Retrieved: 01/11/2008]

[esks-2] sks.com

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