SASKATOON – A big piece of the old Mosaic Stadium is coming to Saskatoon. At the end of the 2016 CFL season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will donate 4,100 seats to the Friends of the Bowl Foundation. Those seats will then replace the benches that are currently installed at SMF Field.
“It’s so exciting,” said Roughriders president and CEO, Craig Reynolds. “We had the vision of trying to get these seats and have a legacy around them and get them to amateur sports fields across the province.”
The plan is to have the seats installed by Aug. 15, 2017, prior to the start of the Saskatoon Hilltops season. However sports fans won’t have to wait any longer to enjoy some of the new upgrades at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.
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The brand new 24,000 square foot clubhouse is now fully operational.
“I once heard a Rider say that it’s going to be the second nicest facility, after the new Mosaic Stadium,” chuckled Johnny Marciniuk, a member of the Friends of the Bowl Foundation.
All joking aside, this new facility does have an awful lot to offer the fans and athletes that will be putting it to use this summer.
- 125 person capacity heated outdoor patio;
- Elevated wheelchair accessible seating;
- 9 dressing rooms;
- Umpire room;
- Referee room; and
- Therapist room.
And last, but not least, “huge” washrooms.
“I always told myself when we were planning we have 21 stalls in the ladies washroom, so if I see someone standing outside, I’m going to buy some portables.” joked Marciniuk.
The Friends of the Bowl Foundation estimates that they are $4.1 million shy of reaching their fundraising goal to complete the redevelopment of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.