Alumni Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
at the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
in
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the
Guelph Gryphons
The Guelph Gryphons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports(OUA's), and, where applicable, in ...
varsity
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team. It was built in 1970, and has a fixed
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of approximately 8,500, including fixed seating and the grass hill on the east side of the stadium. On October 27, 2011, it was announced that the stadium would undergo an $18 million expansion and renovation that will bring fixed seating capacity up to 7,500. It was also announced that an eight-lane track would be installed as well as synthetic turf for the field.
In addition to football the Gryphons soccer teams also play their home games at the stadium.
In November 2012, the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
announced they had reached a
memorandum of understanding with the university to use Alumni Stadium as their temporary home in 2013 while
Tim Hortons Field
Tim Hortons Field, nicknamed "The Donut Box", is a multi-purpose stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Built as a replacement for Ivor Wynne Stadium, Tim Hortons Field is primarily used for Canadian football and soccer, and is the home of the Ha ...
was constructed. The stadium underwent a temporary expansion to accommodate the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
team, with seating for approximately 13,000 spectators. The Tiger-Cats played 9 of 10 home games at Alumni Stadium during their
2013 season, including the
2013 East Final against the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
, which they won in overtime 19–16. The Tiger-Cats went on to be the runners-up of the
101st Grey Cup
The 101st Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played between the East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the West Division champion Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2013 ...
at
Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field
Taylor Field, known in its latter years as Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field for sponsorship reasons, was an open-air stadium located in Regina, Saskatchewan. It was the home field of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders from 193 ...
in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...
, thus ending their tenure at Alumni Stadium.
The $10.5 million, Football Pavilion addition to Alumni Stadium was completed in October 2017. The new facility features a state-of-the-art locker room, players' lounge with kitchen, therapy room with cold and hot tubs, equipment room, coaches offices, meeting rooms and a board room. The two largest meeting rooms and the roof top double as licensed, game-day viewing areas for alumni. This facility also allows for better support to football officials and the visiting teams, as well as being a study area for the players.
References
External links
*
{{Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Buildings and structures in Guelph
Canadian Football League venues
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Multi-purpose stadiums in Canada
Soccer venues in Ontario
Sports venues in Ontario
University sports venues in Canada
1970 establishments in Canada
Sports venues completed in 1970
Canadian football venues in Ontario
College football venues
Athletics (track and field) venues in Ontario