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 big sports stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was located at the Pacific National Exhibition site in Hastings Park. Many different events took place here, like track and field, Canadian football, soccer, rugby, and even music concerts!
The stadium was built especially for the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. When it first opened, it could hold over 32,000 fans. Later, after some changes, it held about 30,000 people. Famous musicians like Elvis Presley and The Beatles even performed there!
Empire Stadium was best known as the home of the BC Lions football team from 1954 to 1982. It also hosted the Grey Cup game seven times. The Grey Cup is the championship game for the CFL. The first time it was held outside of Ontario was at Empire Stadium in 1955.
Empire Stadium was also home to the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team. They played there in the 1970s and early 1980s. Another soccer team, the Vancouver Royals, also played there for one year in 1968.
Cool Stadium Features
Before the 1966 Grey Cup game, Empire Stadium got new "gooseneck" goalposts. These special goalposts were invented by Jim Trimble and Joel Rottman. They were the first of their kind to be used in a championship football game. This design soon became the standard for football leagues like the NFL and CFL.
In 1970, Empire Stadium became the first sports place in Canada to have an artificial playing surface. This meant the field was made of a special fake grass called "Tartan Turf" instead of real grass.
After the Stadium
Both the BC Lions and the Vancouver Whitecaps moved to a new stadium called BC Place Stadium in 1983. Empire Stadium was torn down in the early 1990s. For many years, the area where it stood was used as a parking lot for the Pacific National Exhibition and Playland amusement park. Later, it was turned into a soccer field and track for community use.
In 2010 and 2011, while BC Place Stadium was being fixed up, a temporary stadium called Empire Field was built. It was located right where the old Empire Stadium used to be! The BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps played their home games there. Once BC Place was ready again, the temporary stadium was removed, and the area went back to being a park and sports fields for everyone to enjoy.
The Miracle Mile Race
One of the most famous events at Empire Stadium happened during the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It was a track race called the One Mile Race, often called "The Miracle Mile."
In this race, two amazing runners, John Landy and Roger Bannister, both ran the mile in less than four minutes. This was a huge deal because running a mile in under four minutes was very rare back then.
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 stand outside the stadium. Now, it's located near the north entrance of the Pacific National Exhibition, close to where the race actually took place at the new Empire Fields.
See also
In Spanish: Empire Stadium para niños
- List of Commonwealth Games venues
