Plans for a new multi-purpose stadium at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon were unveiled Tuesday.
The proposed build would take the place of the currently dormant Marquis Downs, which Prairieland decided to move on from after 50 years of thoroughbred horse racing at the grounds.
The designs were presented to a room full of hundreds of eager soccer fans, lead by Prairieland board chair Steve Chisholm who says it’s time the city invested in a international standard soccer pitch.
“We think that Saskatoon is due,” Chisholm said. “the community has changed, we’re such a diverse city now and soccer is such a huge sport and we’re only first discovering it.”
The stadium is projected to seat 5500, but will be expandable beyond that count.
Chisholm believes that the total projected cost will run somewhere around the $28 million mark, and some of those funds have already been ponied up.
Prairieland has earmarked $2 million for the project, a number that is to be matched by the CEO of Living Sky Sports and Entertainment, Al Simpson. The man who plans to bring the province’s first Canadian Premiere League team to Saskatchewan.
But, for that team to get to Saskatchewan, Simpson says a new stadium is almost necessary.
“You build a new stadium for any sport anywhere you’re going to look for an anchor tenant or you’re not going to do it, it just doesn’t makes sense,” Simpson said. “So, we were a natural fit with Prairieland.”
The group hopes if it can secure funding and city approval that the stadium and prospective CPL team could land at the location by 2024.