BMO Training Ground

Last updated
BMO Training Ground
BMO Training Ground logo.png
Kia training ground.jpg
Former namesKIA Training Ground (2012-2018)
Address85 Carl Hall Road
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Capacity 1000
Field size14 acres (57,000 m2)
Construction
OpenedJune 2012
Construction cost$21 million
Tenants
Toronto FC (Major League Soccer)
Toronto FC II (MLS Next Pro)
TFC Academy (League1 Ontario & MLS Next)

BMO Training Ground is the practice facility of Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) and its minor league reserve team Toronto FC II of MLS Next Pro, and the home of the TFC Academy of League1 Ontario and MLS Next. The facility, which opened in 2012 and features a stadium with 1000 seats, is located at Downsview Park, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

History

In March 2011, Downsview Park was selected as the site of Toronto FC's new state-of-the-art Academy and Training Facility. Construction began in May 2011, and the facility opened in June 2012. Spanning 14 acres, it includes three grass fields, one domed turf field for year round use, a 1000 seat stadium, and a field house. [1] [2] The first team facilities include a dressing room, hot tub, ice bath, rehabilitation pool, physiotherapy room, private dining, as well as seven dressing rooms for the Academy teams, and a kitchen, cafeteria, media room, classroom and offices for coaching staff. [3] Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), owner of Toronto FC, spent more than $21 million building the facility and pays rent for the land, [4] with an aim to becoming the epicentre of soccer development in Canada. [1] The facility was originally known as KIA Training Ground, due to a naming rights deal with Kia. [5]

In July 2014 it was announced that MLSE would expand the training grounds at a cost of $2 million to house a temporary practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, which would rent the facility from MLSE and practice on a nearby city owned field. [6] [7] [8] The team moved in that September, [9] [10] but later moved their practice facility to Lamport Stadium in 2018. [11]

In 2018, BMO acquired the naming rights to the training ground, renaming it to the BMO Training Ground & Academy. [12]

With their drop to the division 3 USL League One for the 2019 season, Toronto FC II moved their home games to BMO Training Ground. [13] On April 4, 2022, after the team left USL League One to join the newly formed MLS Next Pro, Toronto FC II announced that York Lions Stadium would serve as their new home stadium. [14]

Kia training ground .png
KIA TFC training ground side.jpg
KIA TFC training ground pitch.jpg

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References

  1. 1 2 "About the facility". Toronto FC. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  2. ↑ Wolstat, Ryan (2012-05-29). "TFC high on new facility". Toronto Sun . Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  3. ↑ Girard, Daniel (May 30, 2012). "New TFC facility by the numbers". Toronto Star .
  4. ↑ Girard, Daniel (2011-10-12). "Video: TFC building permanent training facility at Downsview Park". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  5. ↑ "Kia buys TFC training ground name rights". Sportsnet. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  6. ↑ "Argos partner with MLSE to build new practice facility". Toronto Argonauts. 2014-07-24. Archived from the original on 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  7. ↑ "Argos Practice Facility". The Aquila Group. Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  8. ↑ Rubin, Josh (2014-07-25). "Argonauts, MLSE partner on new practice facility". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  9. ↑ Zicarelli, Frank (2014-09-09). "New practice facility gives Argonauts some stability". Toronto Sun . Retrieved 2014-09-09.
  10. ↑ Scianitti, Matthew (2014-09-04). "Argos' players, staff grow frustrated over work conditions". TSN . Retrieved 2014-09-10.
  11. ↑ "Argonauts to relocate football-operations staff". The Sports Network. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  12. ↑ "BMO acquires naming rights to Toronto FC's Training Grounds, becomes Official Partner of Toronto FC Academy". Toronto FC. 2018-01-22. Archived from the original on 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
  13. ↑ "Toronto FC II 2019 USL League One Regular Season Schedule Announced". Toronto FC. 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  14. ↑ "Toronto FC II announce York Lions stadium as home field for 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season". Toronto FC II Communications. April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
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