Commonwealth Stadium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Commonwealth Stadium

Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Edmonton Eskimos, June 29, 2013
Commonwealth Stadium Location in Edmonton Show map of Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Commonwealth Stadium Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Location	11000 Stadium Road Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Coordinates	53°33′30″N 113°28′30″W / 53.55833°N 113.47500°W / 53.55833; -113.47500
Public transit	Stadium station
Owner	City of Edmonton
Capacity	42,500 (1978–1979) 43,346 (1980–1981) 59,912 (1982) 60,081 (1983–2007) 59,537 (2008–2012) 55,819 (2013–present)
Record attendance	66,835 (U2 360° Tour)
Surface	Grass (1978–2009) FieldTurf Duraspine Pro (2010–present)
Construction
Opened	July 15, 1978
Renovated	2001, 2008
Expanded	1982, 2013
Construction cost	C$20.9 million ($80.9 million in 2021 dollars ) Expansion: 1982: CA$11 million ($28.4 million in 2021 dollars ) 2013: CA$12 million ($13.8 million in 2021 dollars ) Renovations: 2001: $24 million ($34.7 million in 2021 dollars ) 2008: CA$112 million ($139 million in 2021 dollars ) Total cost: $273.3 million in 2017 dollars
Architect	Bell, McCulloch, Spotowski and Associates
Tenants
Edmonton Football Team (CFL) (1978–present) Edmonton Drillers (NASL) (1979–1981) FC Edmonton (CC) (2011–2013)

Commonwealth Stadium, also known as The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium for some events, is a large outdoor stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It can hold 55,819 people, making it the biggest outdoor stadium in Canada. It's mostly used for Canadian football, but it also hosts track and field, soccer, rugby union, and concerts.

Construction began in 1975, and the stadium opened in 1978. It was built for the 1978 Commonwealth Games, which is how it got its name. It took the place of Clarke Stadium as the home of the Edmonton Football Team. The stadium was made even bigger in 1982 for the 1983 Summer Universiade, reaching a capacity of over 60,000 seats.

The main team that plays here is the Edmonton Football Team from the Canadian Football League (CFL). The stadium has hosted five Grey Cups, which is the CFL's championship game. For many years, it was the only CFL stadium with real grass. But in 2010, they installed a special artificial turf called FieldTurf Duraspine Pro.

Commonwealth Stadium has also hosted many soccer tournaments. This includes nine FIFA World Cup qualification matches for the Canadian Men's National Soccer Team. It also hosted the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship and parts of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The stadium might even be used for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which Canada will co-host.

Other big events held here include the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Stadium Story

Before Commonwealth Stadium, the main sports venue in Edmonton was Clarke Stadium. In the early 1970s, Edmonton wanted to host the 1978 Commonwealth Games. The original plan was to upgrade Clarke Stadium. However, by 1974, everyone agreed that a brand new, bigger stadium was needed.

In January 1975, the Edmonton City Council decided to build a 40,000-seat stadium right next to Clarke Stadium. The design was based on Jack Trice Stadium in the United States. People in the area had some concerns, but the stadium was built without a roof, even though some wanted one. A roof would have cost a lot more money.

Upper seating areas of the stadium

Construction started in December 1974. The stadium was built on the site of an old dump and a slaughterhouse. During digging, some old remains were found, leading to archaeological checks. The city also built the Edmonton Light Rail Transit (LRT) at the same time. This meant fans could take the LRT from Stadium station right to the stadium for the Commonwealth Games.

The stadium was finished on time and within its budget. When it opened on July 15, 1978, it had 42,500 seats and a natural grass field. It was one of the few major stadiums in Canada to keep real grass for a long time. In 1980, they added a few more seats, bringing the total to 43,346.

Edmonton was chosen to host the 1983 Summer Universiade (a big sports event for university students). In 1981, the city approved an $11 million upgrade. This added 18,000 more seats, making the capacity almost 60,000. This made it the second-largest stadium in Canada at the time.

The outside of the stadium

In 2001, the stadium got a $24 million makeover for the World Championships in Athletics. This included a new look for the outside, bigger walkways, better lights, a new scoreboard, and a new running track. Before the 2008 season, the seating was slightly changed, reducing the capacity a bit.

For many years, the natural grass field had to be replaced often because of wear and tear. In May 2010, the natural grass was replaced with FieldTurf artificial turf. This cost $2.6 million. The new turf helps prevent injuries, needs less water, and allows the stadium to host more events without damaging the field.

Starting in 2009, Commonwealth Stadium got a huge $112 million upgrade. A big part of this was building a new field house. This new complex, called the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre, includes:

• An indoor running track
• An artificial turf training field
• A fitness and weight room
• New locker rooms
• An aquatic center with pools and water slides

This new center was finished in February 2012.

After the 98th Grey Cup in 2010, all the old seats were replaced. The new seats are wider and changed color from red and orange to green and yellow, which are the Edmonton Elks' team colors. This upgrade cost $12 million. Because the new seats are wider, the stadium's capacity was slightly reduced to 56,302.

In 2016, the field itself was named "The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium" for CFL events, thanks to a partnership with a company called The Brick.

Stadium Features

The field level at Commonwealth Stadium

Commonwealth Stadium has 56,302 seats, and every seat is a bucket seat (no benches). There are two large sections of seats along each side of the field, and single sections in the corners and end zones. The seats on the sides are wider and have cup holders. The seats are arranged in a cool pattern using different shades of green and yellow.

The stadium has a modern artificial turf system that was installed in 2016. It has extra cushioning to make it safer for players. The turf doesn't have permanent lines, so it can be marked for different sports like football or soccer. There's also a special running track around the field.

Next to the stadium is the Field House, which is a large, three-story training building. It's part of the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre, which also has a swimming pool area and a fitness center.

Getting to the stadium is easy! The Stadium station on Edmonton's LRT (Light Rail Transit) Capital Line serves the stadium. On game days, the train service runs more often. The city also has a "Green & Go" program, which offers free transit rides from special parking lots to the stadium. This helps reduce traffic and parking issues around the stadium. If you have a game ticket, it's also valid for free LRT travel two hours before and after games.

Big Events at the Stadium

Track and Field

Commonwealth Stadium was the main place for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. These games brought together 1,474 athletes from 46 countries. Canada had its best performance ever, winning 45 gold medals! The stadium hosted all the track and field events, plus the opening and closing ceremonies.

Because the Commonwealth Games were so successful, Edmonton also hosted the 1983 Summer Universiade. Commonwealth Stadium again hosted the track and field events and the ceremonies.

In 2001, the stadium hosted the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, with athletes from 189 countries.

Canadian Football

The Edmonton Football Team has played at Commonwealth Stadium since 1978. When they first moved, attendance for their games jumped up a lot! The biggest crowd for a regular season game was 62,517 people in 2009.

The stadium has hosted the Grey Cup, the CFL's championship game, five times:

Soccer

The Edmonton Drillers, a soccer team, played at Commonwealth Stadium from 1979 to 1981.

The stadium has been a popular place for the Canadian Soccer Association to host national team games. The Men's National Soccer Team has played 18 games here, including World Cup qualifiers. The record attendance for a men's game was 51,936 when Canada tied Brazil 1–1 in 1994.

The Canada women's national soccer team has also played many games here. In 2015, a record crowd of 53,058 watched Canada beat China 1–0 in the first match of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Commonwealth Stadium also hosted the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship. The final game, where the United States beat Canada, had 47,784 fans. This is still a world record for a youth women's soccer game!

The stadium was one of six Canadian places to host the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Nine games were played in Edmonton, including a quarterfinal and a semifinal.

Here are the games played during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup:

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Date	Time (MDT)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Attendance
6 June 2015	16:00	Canada	1–0	China	Group A	53,058
	19:00	New Zealand	0–1	Netherlands		53,058
11 June 2015	16:00	China	1–0	Netherlands		35,544
	19:00	Canada	0–0	New Zealand		35,544
16 June 2015	15:00	Switzerland	1–2	Cameroon	Group C	10,177
	18:00	Australia	1–1	Sweden	Group D	10,177
20 June 2015	17:30	China	1–0	Cameroon	Round of 16	15,958
22 June 2015	18:00	United States	2–0	Colombia		19,412
27 June 2015	14:00	Australia	0-1	Japan	Quarterfinals	19,814
1 July 2015	17:00	Japan	2–1	England	Semifinals	31,467
4 July 2015	14:00	Germany	0–1	England	Third place play-off	21,483

Concerts

U2 performing during its U2 360° Tour on June 1, 2011. This concert had a record attendance of 65,000 people.

Many famous music artists have performed at Commonwealth Stadium. Some of them include:

• Pink Floyd
• Beyoncé
• David Bowie
• The Rolling Stones
• U2
• AC/DC
• Metallica
• Taylor Swift
• Bon Jovi
• Guns N' Roses
• One Direction

The U2 360° Tour concert on June 1, 2011, had a record attendance of 66,835 people!

Ice Hockey

The 2003 Heritage Classic was a special outdoor ice hockey game played at the stadium on November 22, 2003. It was the first regular-season NHL game ever played outdoors! The Montreal Canadiens beat the Edmonton Oilers 4–3. Even though it was very cold (about -18°C), 57,167 fans came to watch.

Rugby Union

Commonwealth Stadium has hosted several Churchill Cup rugby matches. In 2006, the finals of the Churchill Cup were played here. The stadium also hosted the final matches of the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Images for kids

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  Elks flags

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  Side entrance

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  The stadium before its 2013 renovations.

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  The Eskimos playing the Montreal Alouettes on August 26, 2005.

See also

In Spanish: Estadio de la Mancomunidad para niños