Varsity Stadium

Varsity Stadium
Aerial view 2009
Data
place	299 Bloor Street West Toronto , Ontario , Canada
Coordinates	43 ° 40 '0.1 "  N , 79 ° 23' 49.9"  W Coordinates: 43 ° 40 '0.1 "  N , 79 ° 23' 49.9"  W.
owner	University of Toronto
operator	University of Toronto
opening	1898
Extensions	1924, 1950
surface	artificial grass
capacity	5000 seats
Societies)
Toronto Varsity Blues (since 1898) Toronto Rush (2013–2017, since 2019) Toronto Argonauts (1898–1907, 1916–1958) Toronto Rifles (1966-1967) Toronto City (1967) Toronto Falcons (1967–1968) Toronto Metros-Croatia (1975–1978) Toronto Blizzard (1984, 1993) Toronto Lynx (1997-2001)
Events
Games of the 1976 Olympics football tournament 1986 World Lacrosse Championship Archery of the 2015 Pan American Games Vanier Cup (1965–1972, 1976–1988) International matches of the Canadian national football team

The Varsity Stadium is a stadium in the Canadian city of Toronto , province of Ontario .

It is owned by the University of Toronto , whose sports teams the Toronto Varsity Blues use the stadium. Sports events have been held on the site since 1898. The current stadium was built in 2007, replacing the 1911 structure. The stadium is also a former venue for the Toronto Argonauts and has hosted the Gray Cup and Vanier Cup . Furthermore, several games of the Olympic football tournament took place in the Varsity Stadium as part of the 1976 Summer Olympics . Next to the stadium is the Varsity Arena .

history

The grounds have been used as a sports field by the University of Toronto's sports teams since 1898 . In 1911 the university opened the Varsity Stadium.

First stadium

Game scene between the Toronto Argonauts and the Ottawa Rough Riders

With a time of 10.3 seconds over 100 meters, sprinter Percy Williams set a new world record during the Canadian Athletics Championships in 1930 at Varsity Stadium.

Until the opening of the Exhibition Stadium in 1959, the Varsity Stadium served as the home ground of the Toronto Argonauts . Although the Varsity Stadium has not hosted a major CFL game in almost half a century , it still holds the record for the largest number of Gray Cups . The stadium's capacity has changed over time. During the 1950s the capacity was around 22,000. The attendance record dates back to 1956, when 27,425 spectators watched the Gray Cup final between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes through the use of temporary grandstands .

During the 1976 Summer Olympics , several football games were held in the Varsity Stadium, including the semi-final between Brazil and Poland.

Until the move to the Exhibition Stadium in 1978 , Toronto Metros-Croatia also used the Varsity Stadium as a venue. Six years later, they returned as the Toronto Blizzard .

In mid-1986 the Lacrosse World Championship took place in the Varsity Stadium . In the final, the US team defeated the Canadians 18: 9.

The Canadian national soccer team also played several games in Varsity Stadium. Including the important World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica in 1985 and Mexico in 1993. In 1994 test matches against Germany and the Netherlands were also held in the stadium.

In 1997, the Toronto Lynx moved into the stadium, but had to move to Centennial Park Stadium due to the upcoming demolition of the historic complex . The stadium was then demolished in mid-2002 after the maintenance costs of the large facility were well above the income. The playing field and the running track were retained. During the renovation of the site, the university teams moved to Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough .

After the renovation

Between 2003 and 2005, around 1500 temporary seats were added to the stadium to allow games between the college teams to continue.

An original plan for the new building provided for a capacity of 25,000 seats. However, this was rejected by the city government and the University of Toronto due to concerns about the cost. Then the plan was in the room to build the stadium on the grounds of York University , but this plan was also rejected. In 2007 the new building was finally opened.

It includes an IAAF class II athletics track (400 m), an artificial turf field (FIFA 2-star surface from Polytan ) and a winter bubble, which ensures that the field can be used in bad weather. Compared to the old stadium, the seats are now closer to the Varsity Arena, which means that the two buildings almost merge into a single complex. Part of the old stadium's red brick wall along Bloor Street has been maintained for historical purposes.

During the Pan American Games in 2015 , the archery competitions took place in the stadium, and around 2000 spectators were able to attend them.

Web links

• Olympic Report ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ^ Samuel Hawley: Percy Williams: World's Fastest Human. Accessed August 2, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Beard, Randy: Blizzard Hope Revenge Snowballs The Rowdies. In: Evening Independent. April 25, 1979, accessed August 2, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Beard, Randy: Down 3 more teams, but NASL is stronger. In: Evening Independent. May 4, 1984, accessed August 2, 2020 .