By: Karissa Ketter, News Writer
The Stadium project at SFU Burnaby is finally open after finishing construction in Summer 2020. The stadium had a soft launch during August at the men’s soccer game against UBC where 1,000 fans attended, according to senior director athletics and recreation Theresa Hanson. In a statement to The Peak, she noted, “We are planning to welcome fans to our games this fall and deliver a comfortable, community experience in the new stadium.
“The venue will enable student groups to present events, stage concerts, and host major activities. We hope and believe the stadium will become the heartbeat of the Burnaby campus and encourage students to spend more time here.”
The stadium has a canopy roof over 1,800 seats that “will feature spectacular sight-lines” according to SFU’s website.
The project was approved in December of 2018, but was delayed due to challenges caused by COVID-19. It was originally projected to be completed in August of 2020.
Hanson noted the project was originally inspired by students and SFSS members years ago. “They envisioned a facility that would re-shape campus life,” said Hanson. Students’ hopes for this project dates back to the student referendum in 2012 that called for the stadium as well as the new Student Union Building that opened August 2021.
In 2017, the SFSS offered $10 million in student levy from 2017–2030 to complete the project. The project was given the “green light” in December of 2018. The overall cost is projected to be $18–20 million.
The project includes updates to the Lorne Davies Complex (LDC). According to Hanson, it began with “delivering amenities to the ground floor of the stadium, including a new football locker room, sports medicine taping room, and storage for outdoor varsity teams.”
The next phase in the LDC updates is set to begin in Spring 2022. This phase of the project will include renovated change rooms with increased accessibility in the washrooms and amenities, and improvements to the varsity team rooms. “Some of the less glamorous but important improvements are seismic strengthening and improvements to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems,” said Hanson.
“We have planned promotional nights that will attract and excite our students that we will be able to share once new provincial health guidelines are established next week.”
