Saskatoon Minor Football Field

Last updated
Saskatoon Minor Football Field
Gordie Howe Bowl
Gordie Howe Bowl.jpg
SMF Field (Gordie Howe Bowl) in 2005
Saskatoon Minor Football Field
Address1525 Avenue P South
Location Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Coordinates 52°6′30″N106°41′53″W / 52.10833°N 106.69806°W / 52.10833; -106.69806
OwnerCity of Saskatoon
OperatorCity of Saskatoon
Capacity 5,000 [1]
Surface Artificial turf
OpenedSeptember 30, 1960
Tenants
Saskatoon Hilltops (CJFL)
Saskatchewan Selects
Saskatoon Valkyries (WWCFL)

The Saskatoon Minor Football Field at Gordon Howe Park (formerly known as Gordie Howe Bowl) is a football stadium located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was opened September 30, 1960, built on land repossessed by the city in 1931 for unpaid taxes. [2] [ full citation needed ] It is the home of the Saskatoon Hilltops, who play in the Prairie Football Conference of the Canadian Junior Football League, the Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women's Canadian Football League, and is also used for high school football. It is located on the southwest corner of the city. The park is named after Gordie Howe, a Saskatoon native and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Contents

Upgrades

New scoreboard in October 2014 SCOREBOARD SMF1774 Hilltop PlayoffS.jpg
New scoreboard in October 2014
North end of SMF Field North End of SMF Field.jpg
North end of SMF Field

The city considered closing the stadium in 2006 due to maintenance costs.

In 2008, a master plan for Gordie Howe Bowl was formulated and the facility was expected to receive $30 million for expansion and upgrades. It would have included artificial turf, an additional eight lane track complete with a throws and jump area, and expanded bleacher seating for 6500 spectators. Athletic facilities including public washrooms, change rooms and concession, and fencing were to be constructed in the first phase, costing $12.4 million. The cost would have been shared by the federal government ($4.1 million), the city ($2.9 million), corporate sponsors ($1.4 million) and admission levy ($4 million). The second phase was expected to cost $12.8 million and provide new bleachers, a new press box, additional washrooms, concessions, meeting rooms, landscaping and an entry plaza. Phase 3 of the project, pegged at $4.8 million, would have provided a paved parking lot, private boxes and more landscaping. The bowl improvements would enable hosting of soccer and track and field teams. [3] [4]

Renovations were delayed because of opposition to an admission levy by users of the facility, creating a budget shortfall. In 2009, city council considered a proposal to turn Gordie Howe Bowl into a multi-purpose events centre, capable of staging concerts, family events and trade shows. A consultant was hired to study the idea, which was expected to generate additional revenue. [5] However, by January 2011, mayor Don Atchison said the event centre plans were no longer feasible. A report to council updating the status of the project was slated for March 2011. [6]

In October 2011, the city revealed scaled-back plans worth $9.8 million to upgrade the turf, score clock, lighting, dressing rooms, washrooms, concession and sound system. The facility would not be used as an event centre, as previously proposed. [7] A group called the Friends of the Bowl Foundation was formed in 2012, which included several sports organizations that use the stadium. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the city and the foundation, which committed both parties to funding the upgrades. [8] The grass playing field was replaced with artificial turf during the first phase of upgrades. The upgrades also included new lighting, score clock and sound system. [9]

In 2014, the facility name was changed to Saskatoon Minor Football Field at Gordon Howe Park. City council approved the name change at the request of a major donor, the Yausie family. [10] [11] The upgrades to the facility were expected to be complete by September 2014. [12] On Saturday, September 6, 2014, the first Hilltop game was played on the newly installed artificial turf against the Regina Thunder. With funding by Friends of the Bowl Foundation, community donors and the City of Saskatoon, new scoreboard, lights and sound system were also new additions. A new clubhouse was opened in 2015 and includes dressing rooms for both football and softball teams, concession, office space, meeting space, banquet facilities and a concession. [13] [14] which is estimated to cost $1.5 million. [15]

The venue will see further renovations, starting in 2017. Seating for 2500 was donated by the Saskatchewan Roughriders from Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field and installed on the east side ready for the regular season. Furthermore, another 2500 seats from the old stadium were installed on the west side along with nine corporate boxes including a press box and general common room for guests. In the spring of 2018, excavation started on the grounds for building an Olympic size track and field and skating oval. A 90,000 square foot facility was also built for indoor baseball practices, along with a weight room, a new baseball ticket office and upgrades to the ball diamonds. The planning slate also has a new Nordic skiing track, another artificial football field and five paved parking lots, all to be completed sometime in 2019. [16] [17]

Tenants

Saskatoon Hilltops during a 2008 playoff game on the old grass turf at Gordie Howe Field PassReception.jpg
Saskatoon Hilltops during a 2008 playoff game on the old grass turf at Gordie Howe Field
TeamLeagueYearsNotes
Aden Bowman Bears Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-
Bedford Road Redhawks Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-
Bethlehem Stars Saskatoon High School Football League 2008-
BJM Saints Saskatoon High School Football League 1986-
Centennial Chargers Saskatoon High School Football League 2007-
City Park Cowboys Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-1985Changed to an alternate high school with the opening of Marion Graham; as a result dropped football.
E. D. Feehan Trojans Saskatoon High School Football League 1966-2006Suspended football after the 2006 season, with the opening of Bethlehem Catholic High School
Evan Hardy Souls Saskatoon High School Football League 1967-
Holy Cross Crusaders Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-
Marion Graham Falcons Saskatoon High School Football League 1986-
Mount Royal Mustangs Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-
North Battleford Composite Vikings Saskatoon High School Football League 1995-Joined the Saskatoon league when the SHSAA allowed schools to participate in playoffs below their league level.
Nutana Blues Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-Dropped sports when it converted to an alternate high school.
PA Carlton Crusaders Saskatoon High School Football League 1995-Joined the Saskatoon league when the SHSAA allowed schools to participate in playoffs below their league level.
PA St. Mary Crusaders Saskatoon High School Football League 2007-
St. Joseph Guardians Saskatoon High School Football League 1995-
St. Paul's Saints Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-66Closed in 1966 and was replaced by E. D. Feehan High School.
Saskatoon Hilltops Canadian Junior Football League 1960-
Saskatoon Valkyries Western Women's Canadian Football League 2015-
Tommy Douglas Tigers Saskatoon High School Football League 2008-
Walter Murray Marauders Saskatoon High School Football League 1960-

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AstroTurf</span> Brand of artificial turf

AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has marketed taller pile systems that use infill materials to better replicate natural turf. In 2016, AstroTurf became a subsidiary of German-based SportGroup, a family of sports surfacing companies, which itself is owned by the investment firm Equistone Partners Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Field (Regina, Saskatchewan)</span> Former stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Taylor Field, known in its latter years as Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field for sponsorship reasons, was an open-air stadium located in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was the home field of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1936 until 2016, although a playing field existed at the site as early as 1910 and the team began playing there as early as 1921. Originally designed primarily to house baseball the stadium was converted to a football-only facility in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paycor Stadium</span> Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Paycor Stadium, previously known as Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) and opened on August 19, 2000. Originally named after the Bengals' founder, Paul Brown, the stadium is currently sponsored by Paycor, is located on approximately 22 acres (8.9 ha) of land, and has a listed seating capacity of 65,515. The stadium is nicknamed "The Jungle"; the Guns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle", is the team's unofficial anthem due in part to the nickname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BC Place</span> Stadium in Vancouver, Canada

BC Place is a multi-purpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located at the north side of False Creek, it is owned and operated by the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), a crown corporation of the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SaskTel Centre</span> Multi-use indoor arena in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

SaskTel Centre is an arena located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The facility opened in February 1988 and is currently the home venue of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, and the Saskatchewan Rush of the National Lacrosse League, with the arena being referred to as Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre during Rush games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huskie Stadium</span> Stadium in Illinois, U.S.A.

Brigham Field at Huskie Stadium is a college football stadium in the central United States, located on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Opened 58 years ago in 1965, it is the home field of the NIU Huskies of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona Stadium</span> Outdoor college football stadium in Tucson, Arizona

Arizona Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the southwestern United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It is the home field of the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cajun Field</span> Football stadium in Lafayette, Louisiana

Cajun Field is a football stadium located on the South Campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns athletics. Cajun Field is primarily used for its American football team. Cajun Field has an official capacity of 41,426 with 2,577 chairback seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffiths Stadium</span>

Griffiths Stadium is a stadium located on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The current stadium was opened on 23 June, 1967, to host the Saskatchewan Huskies football team. There was previously a Griffiths Stadium 200 metres to the east of the current location, which operated from 1936 until the new site was opened.

Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts, on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulson Stadium</span> Football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia, U.S.

Allen E. Paulson Stadium is a 25,000-seat on-campus football stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. It is home to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team and the focal point of Erk Russell Athletic Park.

Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium is a 13,742-seat football stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It opened in 1974 and is home to the Western Carolina University Catamounts football team. The field itself is named Bob Waters Field. The football facility is located on the south end of the WCU campus and is bordered by Cullowhee Creek on the west side; Jordan-Phillips Field House and WCU Weight Room on its north end, and the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center on the south end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatoon Hilltops</span> Junior Canadian football team

The Saskatoon Hilltops are a junior Canadian football team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Hilltops play in the six-team Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) and compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. The team was founded in 1921 as a senior team in the Saskatchewan Rugby Football Union, which it played in until 1936. Two years after WWII the team reorganized in 1947. Beginning in 1953, the Hilltops have won 23 Canadian Bowl championships. The Hilltops won six consecutive Canadian Bowls between 2014 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D. B. Milne Field</span>

D. B. Milne Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida. It was home to the Jacksonville Dolphins college football team. The facility has a seating capacity of 5,000 and opened in 1998.

Cairns Field is a stadium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home of the Saskatoon Yellow Jackets of the Western Major Baseball League until they folded in 2014. The stadium currently does not have a tenant, but will be the home of the Saskatoon Berries of the Western Canadian Baseball League starting in 2024.

University Stadium, also known as Knight–Newbrough Field and formerly known as Seagram Stadium, is a football stadium in Waterloo, Ontario with a capacity of 6,000. It is home to the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football, rugby, and lacrosse teams. It also served for several years as the home field of soccer side K–W United FC which ceased operations in 2018. Facilities include space for recreational programs and Kinesiology classrooms; there is also a large gym and the football field. The stadium is closed to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium</span> University track and field stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada

Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium, formerly Moncton Stadium, is a track and field stadium on the campus of the Université de Moncton in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, built to host the IAAF 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics. The $17 million venue opened in 2010. Although seating capacity had fluctuated early in construction, the stadium has 8,300 permanent seats, and is expandable to 25,000 via temporary seating. It is the home field for the Moncton Aigles Bleus soccer teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Beefeaters</span> Canadian Football team in Ontario, Canada

The London Beefeaters are a Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) team located in London, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) which is part of the CJFL, and compete annually for the national title known as the Canadian Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schoonover Stadium</span> College baseball stadium in Ohio, U.S.

Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium is a baseball venue located on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is home to the Kent State Golden Flashes baseball team, a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Division I and the Mid-American Conference East Division. The field opened in 1966 and was previously known as Gene Michael Field from 1990 to 2003. The field was renamed in late 2003 and renovated in 2005 with additional upgrades made from 2006 through 2008 and again in 2013 to 2014. It has a seating capacity of 1,148 people with a Shaw Sports Turf synthetic playing surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordie Howe Bridge (Saskatoon)</span> Bridge in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

The Gordie Howe Bridge is a vehicular freeway bridge that spans the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a steel girder bridge, built as part of the Circle Drive freeway system in southwestern Saskatoon. At the time of construction, it was projected to cost $272.5 million to build. It is the southernmost road bridge in the city. The bridge is located adjacent to the Grand Trunk Bridge. It is also the longest of Saskatoon's bridges at 440 metres (1,440 ft) in length, and the first to have a concrete road surface. The bridge was scheduled to open with the completion of the entire Circle Drive South project on September 30, 2012. However, record rainfall, high water tables and an early snowfall made that deadline unfeasible. The actual completion and opening date was July 31, 2013.

References

  1. "Gordie Howe Sports Complex". gordiehowesportscomplex.ca. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. Mitchell, Kevin (2013-11-07). "Gordie Howe Bowl's turf wars are over". The StarPhoenix . Postmedia Network . Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  3. Wolfe, Cory (2008-08-30). "Gordie Howe Bowl awaits facelift". The StarPhoenix . Canwest . Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  4. Nickel, Rod (2008-09-03). "Council gives preliminary nod to Howe Bowl, arena expansion". The StarPhoenix . CanWest. p. A4.
  5. Wolfe, Cory (2009-12-08). "Howe Bowl eyed as events centre". The StarPhoenix . Canwest . Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  6. Hutton, David (2011-01-19). "Gordie Howe Bowl plan 'isn't feasible'". The StarPhoenix . Postmedia Network . Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  7. Hutton, David; Nugent-Bowman, Daniel (2011-10-11). "Gordie Howe plans scaled back". The StarPhoenix . Postmedia Network . Retrieved 2011-10-01.
  8. "Regular Meeting of City Council - Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at 6:00 P.M." (PDF). City of Saskatoon. 2012-11-14. p. 167. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  9. "Players say goodbye to grass at Gordie Howe Bowl". CBC News. 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  10. "Gordie Howe Bowl campaign receives $2-million donation". CTV Saskatoon . Bell Media. 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  11. "Field named for minor football". The StarPhoenix . Postmedia Network. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  12. "Gordie Howe Bowl upgrades nearly ready for football season". CBC News. 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  13. Streck, Aaron (2014-08-21). "New turf rolled out and almost ready to go at Gordie Howe Park". Global News . Shaw Media . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  14. Pillar, Thomas (2014-09-08). "Hilltops break in new Saskatoon Minor Football Field". Global News . Shaw Media . Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  15. "Gordie Howe Bowl needs final $1.5M for clubhouse". CBC News. 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  16. Streck, Aaron. "New turf rolled out and almost ready to go at Gordie Howe Park". Global News. Shaw Media.
  17. Pillar, Thomas (September 8, 2014). "Hilltops break in new Saskatoon Minor Football Field". Global News. Shaw Media. Retrieved October 19, 2014.