Empire Stadium (Vancouver) facts for kids
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1955 Grey Cup at Empire Stadium
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| Location | East Hastings Street, Vancouver |
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| Owner | City of Vancouver |
| Capacity | 32,729 |
| Surface | Natural grass (1954–1969) Artificial turf (1970–1993) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | start 1954 |
| Demolished | 1993 |
| Tenants | |
| BC Lions (CFL) (1954–1982) Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL) (1974–1983) Vancouver Royals (USA/NASL) (1967–1968) |
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Empire Stadium was a famous sports field in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was built at the Pacific National Exhibition site in Hastings Park. Many different events happened there, like track and field, Canadian football, soccer, rugby, and music concerts.
The stadium was first built for the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It could hold over 30,000 people. Even famous stars like Elvis Presley and The Beatles performed there!
Empire Stadium was mainly the home of the BC Lions football team from 1954 to 1982. It also hosted the Grey Cup championship game seven times. The first time was in 1955, which was a big deal because it was the first Grey Cup held west of Ontario.
The stadium was also home to the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team in the 1970s and early 1980s. Another team, the Vancouver Royals, played there for one year in 1968.
Cool Stadium Features
Empire Stadium was known for some cool new features. Just before the 1966 Grey Cup game, it got new "gooseneck" goal posts. These goal posts became the standard design for football games everywhere.
In 1970, Empire Stadium was the first place in Canada to get an artificial playing surface. This special turf was called "Tartan Turf" and was made by 3M. It meant games could be played even in bad weather.
Moving On and What's There Now
Both the BC Lions and the Vancouver Whitecaps moved to a new stadium called BC Place Stadium in 1983. Empire Stadium was taken down in the early 1990s.
For many years, the old stadium site was used as a parking lot for the Pacific National Exhibition and Playland. Today, it has been turned into a soccer field and track for the community to use.
In 2010 and 2011, while BC Place Stadium was being fixed up, a temporary stadium called Empire Field was built on the same spot. The BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps played their games there. After BC Place was ready, the temporary stadium was removed, and the area became community sports fields again.
The Miracle Mile Race
One of the most famous events at Empire Stadium was during the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It was the One Mile Race, often called the "Miracle Mile." In this race, two amazing runners, John Landy and Roger Bannister, both ran a mile in less than four minutes. This was a huge achievement in sports!
A statue was made to remember this famous race. It showed Landy looking over his shoulder as Bannister passed him to win. This statue used to be outside the stadium. Now, it is at the north entrance of the Pacific National Exhibition, very close to where the race happened.
See also
In Spanish: Empire Stadium para niños
- List of Commonwealth Games venues
