City of Calgary looking into potential McMahon Stadium replacement: report
The City of Calgary is exploring the possibility of building a new outdoor facility to serve as the replacement for McMahon Stadium, Global News reported on Wednesday.
There have been rumblings about a new stadium coming to Calgary, as McMahon, which was built in 1960, has become quite outdated compared to many CFL stadiums.
Steve Allan of McMahon Stadium told Adam MacVicar that the cost of maintaining McMahon, which is set to host the 113th Grey Cup this November, is getting out of hand. Allan revealed that it has cost nearly $1 million just to fix the sewage and water issues that otherwise would’ve put the building “at risk of failure.”
“We have a desperate need for facilities, and McMahon Stadium is way beyond its best before date,” Allan said.
The City is now looking to bring in a third party to assess the feasibility of a new facility in Calgary. It is currently in the midst of seeking bids on a pair of contracts for a firm to examine the costs and planning of a proposed major sports and event facility project.
According to MacVicar, the contract will be awarded in October, with the estimated cost of the new stadium study being roughly $875,000.
This past March, Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Crowley suggested a plan that would see the City build a new stadium at Stampede Park. That could still be on the table for this soon-to-be-announced third-party option.
Several members of the Calgary Stampeders organization have been vocal about needing a new home, and it sounds as though the City agrees. That said, these deals are never easy to put together.
“As we see the need for supporting local arts, culture, but also sports like the CFL, would strongly support a replacement for that facility,” Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said.
“But as I say, the devil is always in the details, and I want to make sure that if taxpayers are asked to contribute that it’s in a fair way.”
Should a new stadium be agreed upon, it would mark another much-needed replacement in Calgary.
The other, of course, was the Scotiabank Saddledome, which has also become quite outdated since being built in 1983. An agreement for a new facility was agreed upon in late 2023, with construction beginning in the summer of 2024. The new building, Scotia Place, is expected to be ready to rock for the 2027-28 NHL season.
While there is still a ways to go before a potential replacement for McMahon Stadium gets underway, there appears to be a real chance that Calgary could have two new professional sports venues in the coming years.
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