Clarke Stadium
| Clarke Park | |
Clarke Stadium with Commonwealth Stadium in the background
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| Location | 11000 Stadium Road Edmonton, Alberta |
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| Coordinates | 53°33′26″N 113°28′42″W / 53.55722°N 113.47833°WCoordinates: 53°33′26″N 113°28′42″W / 53.55722°N 113.47833°W |
| Owner | The City of Edmonton |
| Capacity | 20,000 (original) 5,000 (rebuilt) |
| Surface | Grass (1938–2000) Artificial Turf (2000–present) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1938 |
| Renovated | 2001 and 2013 |
| Construction cost | C$7,000 ($115 thousand in 2017 dollars) |
| Tenants | |
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Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) (1949–1978) Edmonton Drillers (NASL) (1982) Edmonton Brickmen (CSL) (1987–1990) Edmonton Aviators (A-League) (2004) FC Edmonton (NASL) (2012–present) |
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Clarke Stadium, is a multipurpose facility located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The stadium was originally used for Canadian football. Over the years different sports have participated at the site. Presently, it is the home of the FC Edmonton soccer team of the North American Soccer League, the Edmonton Huskies and the Edmonton Wildcats of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).
The stadium was originally built in 1938 and named for then-Mayor Joseph Clarke. It was built on land deeded to the City for the purpose of constructing public sports fields by Mackenzie King (a personal friend of Clarke). The original Clarke Stadium accommodated approximately 20,000 fans in the spartan conditions consistent with its era. The seating area consisted of two grandstands on opposing sidelines (no "endzone" stands originally, but these were added in later years). The stadium hosted the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League from 1949–1978, following which the team moved to Commonwealth Stadium, which had been built adjacent to Clarke Stadium in preparation for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. It was used for local and minor league sporting events after the departure of the Eskimos.
The facility was almost completely demolished on June 1, 2000 and rebuilt as a 'secondary' stadium for events of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics hosted in Edmonton. It was redesigned with approximately 1,200 seats in a single grandstand. The original grass playing surface was also replaced with artificial turf to allow for greater usage as part of the facility upgrade. The stadium is currently used for university, minor and intramural sports. Clarke Park, as the remodelled stadium is often known, is also used for concerts and other events. Including the playing surface, the capacity of the stadium grounds can exceed 6,000 for concerts and non-sporting events.
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