Edmonton City Council green-lights new $1.25M turf for Clarke Stadium

Yellow lines, football lines: Action from Clarke in 2013.

Edmonton’s city council has unanimously green-lighted the plan to tear up the existing turf at Clarke Stadium, and replace it with a new surface in time for the NASL fall season.

The plan will see the existing turf, which has football lines, taken out after the spring season. A new $1.25 million turf surface, with improved underpinning, will then be installed at Clarke, the home of NASL’s FC Edmonton. That new surface should be ready for the fall season.

The new surface will have permanent soccer lines. Football lines will be painted and removed as necessary, with FC Edmonton bearing the cost of those changes.

After some debate, council approved the recommendation from committee for the plan to go ahead. Football Alberta and various amateur football clubs, some which have used Clarke since before the Second World War, had expressed reservation about the plan. They were concerned that, in cases of scheduling pileups or poor, wet, weather, the painting would not be done in time and they’d be forced to look elsewhere to play their games.

Council was told by administration that Commonwealth Stadium, the nearly-60,000-seat venue located next door to Clarke Stadium, could be used in cases of emergency. But council was advised not to entrench the use of Commonwealth at the same rates as Clarke with a motion, as it may send a message that Commonwealth would be available at a discounted rate to all amateur sports teams. In fact, administration wanted to make it clear that Commonwealth should only be a “last resort” if there are issues with Clarke and football lines.

FC Edmonton owner Tom Fath has fronted the money to put in bleachers, which has expanded Clarke from a 1,200 to a 5,000 capacity. But a rivalry has been built between football supporters, who see Clarke as their historical home, and soccer users. Administration told council that, between amateur games and FC Edmonton, Clarke is used more for soccer than it is for football.

“We are delighted that city council has shown its support for professional soccer,” said FC Edmonton general manager Rod Proudfoot. “They understand the important role that a professional soccer team can play in the community.”

Council also looked at the long-term plan for a medium-sized stadium in the city. Phases I and II of the plan focus on the improvement of Clarke; Phase II states that, if demand warrants, that Clarke be expanded to 10,000 seats.

But council voted to remove Phase III from the plan; that was the part that called for a new medium-sized stadium that could even meet the standards set by Major League Soccer. It’s not that council has shut the door on Phase III; the members simply didn’t think it was right to approve such a measure at this stage.

Coun. Bryan Anderson said that it would be unfair for this current council to vote on a Phase III plan that was “at least three council terms away” from being considered. Council’s decision to omit Phase III was to allow a future council and possibly even a future mayor to make those decision on a stadium for themselves.

“That’s fine with us,” said Proudfoot. “If we can get Clarke to 10,000, and we’re selling out for years, that will mean we are doing just fine.”