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York Lions Stadium

43°46′30″N 79°30′25″W / 43.775°N 79.507°W / 43.775; -79.507

York Lions Stadium
York Lions Stadium in 2022
York Lions Stadium is located in Toronto
York Lions Stadium
York Lions Stadium
Location in Toronto
York Lions Stadium is located in Ontario
York Lions Stadium
York Lions Stadium
Location in Ontario
York Lions Stadium is located in Canada
York Lions Stadium
York Lions Stadium
Location in Canada
Former namesCIBC Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletics Stadium
LocationNorth York, Toronto, Ontario
Public transit Pioneer Village
YRT Pioneer Village Terminal
OwnerYork University
OperatorYork University
Capacity4,000 (seated)[1]
Field size450 by 250 feet (137 m × 76 m)
105 by 65 metres (115 yd × 71 yd) (soccer)[1]
SurfaceArtificial turf
Construction
Built2012–2014
Opened2015
ArchitectCannonDesign
Tenants
York Lions (U Sports) 2015–present
York United FC (CPL) 2019–present
Toronto FC II (MLS Next Pro) 2022–present
Toronto Arrows (MLR) 2022–2023
AFC Toronto (NSL) 2025–present

York Lions Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium on the Keele Campus of Toronto's York University in the former city of North York. It is home to the York Lions, the varsity teams of York University, the Toronto Arrows of Major League Rugby and York United of the Canadian Premier League. The facility was primarily built for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games, where it hosted track and field events[2] and the opening ceremony.[3] In 2021, the stadium's running track was removed to expand the playing surface used for football and soccer.

History

York Lions Stadium under construction in September 2013

Initial plans had a multi-purpose athletics and soccer stadium to be built somewhere in the vicinity of Hamilton, Ontario; however, the final plans separated the soccer and athletics venues. The soccer stadium, Tim Hortons Field, was built on the site of Ivor Wynne Stadium, while the athletics stadium was built at York University.[4] During the games the venue was known as the CIBC Pan Am and Parapan Am Athletics Stadium.[5][6]

The stadium was expected to seat approximately 5,000 spectators – 3,000 permanent and 2,000 temporary. During the games an additional 7,500 temporary seats were added, bringing total capacity to 12,500.[7] The facility cost roughly $45.5 million, with $34.9 million attributed to the design and construction with the rest for running costs.[7]

On May 26, 2016, it was announced that the stadium would play host to the 2017 North American Indigenous Games.[8][9] The stadium will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the athletics competitions in July 2017.[10][11][12] In the same year, the stadium was also used as an event facility for the Invictus Games.

In early 2021, the stadium's track and grass field was replaced with a larger FIFA and World Rugby certified artificial turf surface.[13] The renovations also allow for the playing surface to be covered with an air-supported dome during winter months.[14]

Professional sports

The Toronto Arrows, a professional rugby union club which joined Major League Rugby in 2019,[15][16][17][18] played exhibition games in 2018 at York Lions Stadium.[19] However, during its inaugural 2019 MLR season the team split its home games between Alumni Field and Lamport Stadium.[20] They hosted their games at York Lions Stadium from 2022[21] to 2023, before the team ceased operations.[22]

York United FC, a soccer team in the Canadian Premier League, has played their home games at York Lions Stadium since their inaugural season in 2019.

Toronto FC II, a soccer team in MLS Next Pro, began playing their home games at York Lions Stadium in 2022.[23]

Major competitions hosted

Year Date Event Level
2015 July 18–26 2015 Pan American Games International
2015 August 7–15 2015 Parapan American Games International
2017 July 16–23 2017 North American Indigenous Games Continental
2017 September 23–30 2017 Invictus Games International
2019 July 18–21 2019 NCCWMA Masters Athletics Championships Continental
  • The stadium in 2015
    The stadium in 2015
  • The stadium in 2021
    The stadium in 2021
  • A panoramic of the stadium in 2021
    A panoramic of the stadium in 2021

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "York Lions Stadium Conversion".
  2. ^ "Last piece of track laid at Pan Am Stadium". The Canadian Press. May 7, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Levinson-King, Robin (2015-08-07). "Enthusiastic opening for the biggest Parapan Am Games ever". The Toronto Star.
  4. ^ Toronto 2015 bid book Archived January 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Pan.de.mo.ni.um in the stadium takes place Sept. 21". YFile - York University. September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  6. ^ "CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletics Stadium Handed Back to York University". CNW Group. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  7. ^ a b TO2015 officially breaks ground on new athletics stadium at York University Archived November 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Laskaris, Sam (June 2, 2016). "North American Indigenous Games 2017 Get $7 Million From Canada and Ontario Governments". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  9. ^ Smith Cross, Jessica (March 9, 2016). "North American Indigenous Games coming to Toronto next summer". Metro News. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  10. ^ "York University to serve as site of 2017 North American Indigenous Games". York University Y File. May 27, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  11. ^ "Government of Canada Supports the Toronto 2017 North American Indigenous Games". Yahoo! Finance. May 26, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  12. ^ "Toronto 2017 North American Indigenous Games - Venues". North American Indigenous Games. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "York University's York Lions Stadium moves from track to turf in $8.2-million transformation". The Peterborough Examiner. July 28, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  14. ^ "Coming Soon: York University's State-of-the-Art Seasonal Sports Dome, One of the Largest in Ontario". York University Athletics. August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  15. ^ "New York and Ontario in Major League Rugby talks". 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  16. ^ "Ontario Arrows to launch Elite Rugby Team in September". 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  17. ^ Davidson, Neil (2017-09-08). "Ontario Arrows take first step toward becoming pro rugby outfit". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  18. ^ "MLR reveals Finals Locations and Expansion Plans". 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  19. ^ "ONTARIO ARROWS ANNOUNCE YORK UNIVERSITY AS 2018 HOME VENUE". Rugby Canada. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  20. ^ "Toronto Arrows Announce Ticketing Details, Home Venues for 2019 Major League Rugby Season". Toronto Arrows. 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  21. ^ "ARROWS ANNOUNCE 2022 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE". Toronto Arrows. 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  22. ^ "Toronto Arrows To Not Compete In 2024 MLR Season". usmlr.com. Major League Rugby. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  23. ^ "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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