Foothills Stadium for Soccer?
 

Just to get that discussion going... (I'm hoping this is the right forum for this)

http://www.wakingthered.com/2012/10/9/3426226/a-stadium-for-calgary

Foothills Stadium is being wasted, and there's a perfectly good baseball stadium in Okotoks with a viable WMBL team, and potentially for more higher level teams. Can a NASL or even a USL Pro or even a PDL team owned by a deep-pocketed owner, be able to use Foothills effectively?

It's been done before -- Portland did so with PGE Park, and given the soccer talents Calgary has produced, surely a team can be had in Calgary, and can use the Foothills Stadium effectively?

Discuss! Would love to hear from you all on this matter.

Although it is an interesting proposal, I'd say a new football ground might be more realistic.

Looking at how previous clubs in Calgary performed, the stadium would be too large and the seats would not be in the optimum position. In addition, the land is too valuable. It would make more sense for the City to develop this parcel and provide land elsewhere. In my opinion, the land adjacent to the Whitehorn Municipal Services building would be ideal for a small football park.

From what I know, any PDL team will need a facility that seats a minimum of 5K, no exceptions. Foothills would be a good start (renovated or not) while a Whitehorn Stadium is being built, since it's an existing facility with the necessary pieces that isn't being utilitzed much.

I say Foothills because it's not only a place where there is an existing facility, but that there are plans to renovate the whole thing. I haven't cut out baseball entirely either, since I know it's still being used for that in a smaller way...and also, it sort of fits the mantra that this current Council seems to have, about not having any more money for major sporting facilities (it comes from an interview with a certain Councillor of Ward 9)

But I do see the land next to the Multi-Services Centre, and barring no expansion of that building, I think a 5K seater there could work there. Only problem is the parking!

I don't see a good stadium being built unless we attract an MLS team.

They let the Storm use Foothills Athletics Park and I'm sure they would let another Calgary Club use it while other arrangements are made. I really doubt they would let a city/market the size of Calgary walk away because of an interim facility.

That's the best part, 100% transit use!

If parking was deemed essential, there is Whitehorn's P&R.


We might not see a large stadium until Calgary lands a professional club but a good stadium is more than possible. Some of my favourite football grounds are home to clubs from lower leagues.

It's a chicken and egg thing, unfortunately. Without a nice, small stadium, Calgary can't even show that it can support a PDL or NASL club let alone a MLS team. But without a team, it is hard to justify the investment, no matter how minimal.

With respect to previous ventures in Calgary soccer, the lack of an appropriate place to watch a game has been a major hurdle. McMahon is too big and the stands too far from the field for any sort of atmosphere, Foothills Athletic Park is junk and the stands are also too far from the pitch.

There's always a steady demand for soccer fields in Calgary, and it would need to be pitched (no pun intended) as a multi-sport, multi-use facility with a modest number of seats surrounding the field. With the higher-quality field turf available, it can be used more frequently than a grass field, and has a much longer playing season. CMSA, CUSA, CWSA, etc. could all make use of it extensively and, obviously, any future dreams of an MLS club would need to start with a well-supported lower-league team using it as well.

We need a base for sure, i.e. a lower league team. PDL would be a great start, and that league already has a number of teams in both the Fraser Valley and out in Manitoba ready to be rivals with. MLS is a distant dream that cannot happen until we get a team, with at least a semi-permanent stadium.

Whitehorn would be a great location, but again a bit off the beaten path...even if it is right next to the LRT. And given the fact that we have absolutely zero clue as to where the new Calgary arena may be, if it ends up being in the same area -- it'd sort of make the soccer team be a bit...well, out of the way.

As an asidem I was talking to someone on Twitter who thinks an indoor field would work...I had to roll my eyes at that.

Exactly. From what I recall, the stands were just simply temporary risers from the city. USL and/or NASL HQ I believe will take a very dim view of that.

And as mentioned before, if the soccer fields are moved closer to Foothills Stadium, then it could be used as a practice field IF Foothills itself is turned into a soccer/field sport facility. Right there, an almost perfect soccer facility -- an easy sell right there. BMO Field in Toronto is used not just for soccer, but also rugby (internationals) and even for a time, field lacrosse (MLL), and Jeld Wen is partially used for football.

Right now Foothills is a one-sport wonder. Converting it to a Jeld-Wen Field like configuration, or even opening it up to other field sports, should be a slam dunk.

I'd rather have minor league ball team again. Not sure if there is enough interest to support a pro soccer team but it would also be nice to have.

But If the rumours are true about the Flames building a new arena and football stadium complex west of Downtown, I think that the McMahon should be repurposed to a smaller ~10,000 seat stadium that could be shared by an MLS team along with Dinos football and soccer.

Trying hard to think where that could fit...also, a 10,000 seat stadium definitely will NOT attract an MLS team. San Jose plays out of one as a temporary measure, not as a permanent solution. NASL would fit a reconfig'd McMahon IF said rumours are true.

I like what was done at Shouldice with the Hellard, Stampeder, and Encana fields. The Hellard field actually has a capacity of 2000, which is pretty cool. Something like this for soccer would be a good start for a PDL club.

Although they are technically for soccer as well (my CUSA team has played there in the past), there are a few things that make these tricky for playing/watching soccer. First, the football markings are obscenely bright and the yellow soccer lines are difficult to see. Not to mention the soccer sidelines are a few yards outside of the giant, thick football sidelines. Second, the stands are pretty far from the field and elevated - great for football, but not ideal for soccer. But beggars can't be choosers!

I say this knowing full well that the fields were made for football first, and soccer a distant second. And I also don't think that Shouldice would be a good location for a professional club (even a small one) as transit isn't ideal and parking would be a nightmare.

SAIT has a lovely artificial field with no football markings, but no room for stands. Does anyone know if the soccer centre in the SE ever built artificial fields? I know that there were plans, but parenthood and an aging body has meant that I haven't been playing lately and I haven't been down to the soccer centre in a while. Not saying that it would be a good location for a mini-stadium, however.

Over the past few days I’ve been considering how Broadview Park could be upgraded into small ground suitable for a club like Foothill FC. If Histon FC’s Bridge Road ground served as a guide, there could be a main stand along the entire north touch line and modular stands on the east, south and west sides.

Usually I don’t give a toss about parking but I doubt public transport links around Broadview would allow the ground to be parking-less. Could anyone see the City (i.e. Roads/Transportation) allowing a parking lot to be constructed south of the eastbound carriageway of Memorial Drive between Crowchild and the pedestrian bridge?

Bridge Road

I like your idea. I have always felt that it's a prime location. But you have NIMBYs to contend with. The noise, and people spilling out in to the street. Those residents are already anal enough about the games that take place there and the traffic from the Scouts building. There would be a public outcry of massive proportions.

The thing is that this sort of thing is all over the place in Europe. Many of the older stadia are right in the middle of residential areas. Its a difference in culture for sure!