The Langley Events Centre is a multipurpose facility in the

Township of Langley The Township of Langley is a district municipality immediately east of the City of Surrey in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It extends south from the Fraser River to the Canada–United States border, and west of the City of Abbotsford. ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. The LEC debuted in April 2009, hosting the 2009 BC Gymnastics Championships. It boasts an arena bowl with a 5,276 capacity for sports, including 24 individual suites. The LEC also showcases a triple Gymnasium with a capacity of 2,200 spectators under its centre court configuration. The venue's second building houses the Field House, a dry floor arena, as well as a double gymnasium with a capacity of 1,000 spectators. Other highlights of the facility include a Banquet Hall with an 800-person capacity, an indoor walking track, meeting rooms, and the Willoughby Community Centre, while includes a fitness facility, outdoor playground and various grass and turf fields. The LEC is home to the Langley Gymnastics Foundation, a non-profit organization offering gymnastics programming for recreational and competitive athletes.

History

The Langley Events Centre, the largest sports and recreation project in Langley's history to date, opened its doors after more than two years of construction. Plans were unveiled on December 18, 2006, for what was then a $45 million multi-use facility. Costs ultimately rose to $56 million, partially funded by the Township, the province, and private builders. The first event hosted at the LEC was the 2009 BC Gymnastics Championships.

Teams

Vancouver Stealth

The

Washington Stealth The Washington Stealth were a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America from the 2010 NLL season through the 2013 NLL season. They were based in Everett (part of the Seattle metropolitan are ...

of the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United States and five in Canada. The N ...

relocated to the LEC on June 27, 2013 to become the

Vancouver Stealth The Vancouver Warriors are a professional box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. The team moved from Everett, Washington, for the 2014 NLL season. History The Warriors are based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and play at Rogers ...

. They are the second NLL team to play in Greater Vancouver, following the

Vancouver Ravens The Vancouver Ravens were the original Vancouver National Lacrosse League (NLL) franchise from 2002 to 2004. The team played their home games at General Motors Place, now Rogers Arena, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. At the conclusion of ...

from 2002 through 2004 at

General Motors Place Rogers Arena is a multi-purpose arena located at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, the arena was known as General Motors Place (GM Place) from its opening until July 6, 2010, when G ...

. The Stealth played in Langley from 2013 to 2018, until the team was purchased by

Canucks Sports and Entertainment Canucks Sports & Entertainment, previously known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, is a Canadian sports and entertainment company in Vancouver, British Columbia that owns and operates the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League, the Van ...

and moved to Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver. In the following season, the team was rebranded to become the Vancouver Warriors.

Langley Rivermen

The LEC was home to the Langley Rivermen of the British Columbia Hockey League. The team began play in 2011 after the

Langley Chiefs The Langley Rivermen are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Mainland Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). History The BCHL franchise was founded as the Richmond Soc ...

returned to their original home, becoming the Chilliwack Chiefs. In 2016, the Rivermen relocated to the George Preston Recreation Centre, due to the WHL's Vancouver Giants moving from the

Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum, known to locals as "The Coliseum" or the "Rink on Renfrew," is an indoor arena located at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its main use has been for ice hockey and the arena has been the home for several ice hock ...

to the LEC.

Langley Thunder

The LEC hosts three Langley Thunder lacrosse teams, the

Langley Thunder The Langley Thunder are a Senior A box lacrosse team, based in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. The team competes in the 7-team Western Lacrosse Association (WLA), playing their home games at the 5,276 capacity Langley Events Centre. The T ...

Western Lacrosse Association The Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) is a men's Senior A box lacrosse sanctioned by the Canadian Lacrosse Association. It consists of seven teams, based in cities throughout southwestern British Columbia. Each year, the playoff teams battle for ...

team, the Langley Thunder

BC Junior A Lacrosse League The British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League is a junior box lacrosse league based in British Columbia, Canada. The BCJALL is one of three leagues that constitute as Junior A within the Canadian Lacrosse Association as the highest level of junior ...

team, and the Langley Thunder Intermediate team.

Trinity Western University Athletics

Five Trinity Western Spartans sports teams play at the Langley Events Centre: basketball (men's and women's), volleyball (men's and women's), and hockey (men's). The LEC replaced David E. Enarson Gymnasium as the home of the Spartans.

BC Titans

The BC Titans of the

International Basketball League The International Basketball League (IBL) was a semi-professional men's basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States. In 2010 the Albany Legends became the first team in the Northeastern United States to join. The I ...

(IBL) called the LEC home from 2009-2010. Team management opted not to participate in the IBL for the 2011 season.

Vancouver Giants

The

Vancouver Giants The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup (now known as the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in t ...

of the WHL have started play with the beginning of the 2016–2017 season at the Langley Events Centre. They had previously played at the

Vancouver Bandits

On September 23, 2021 – The Fraser Valley Bandits announced that the club has chosen Langley Events Centre (LEC) as its home for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, which begins May 2022.Fraser Valley Bandits
/ref>

Vancouver FC

On April 13, 2022, the

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; french: Première ligue canadienne, links=no) is a professional men's soccer league in Canada. At the top of the Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary national soccer league compe ...

and SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP announced that

Vancouver FC Vancouver Football Club, commonly known as Vancouver FC, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Langley, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League at the top of the Canadian soccer league system. History On Novemb ...

would begin playing in Langley, British Columbia at the Willoughby Community Park adjacent to the Langley Events Centre.

Notable events

*2009 BC Artistic Gymnastics Provincial Championships *2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics Torch Relay Community Celebration site *2010 Women’s Hockey Pre-Olympic exhibition game, Russia vs Slovakia *2010

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL), 6 regular season home games *2011 NLL Pre-Season (Washington Stealth vs Toronto Rock) *2011 Mann Cup (Langley Thunder vs. Brampton Excelsiors) *2011 World Junior A Hockey Challenge *2012 World Curling Financial Group Continental Cup *2012 NLL Pre-Season (Calgary Roughnecks vs Colorado Mammoth) *2012 U23 Pan American Men's Volleyball Cup *2013 Special Olympics BC Provincial Summer Games Opening Ceremony *2013 NORCECA Men's Volleyball Continental Cup *2013 NLL Championship Game *2014 Vancouver Stealth Franchise Opener *2014 Minto Cup (Coquitlam Adanacs vs Six Nations Arrows) *Eight High School Basketball tournaments are played at the LEC each year, including the 4A Boys Basketball Championships *2018 LORDCO Road to the World Junior (Finland vs Denmark, USA vs Czech Republic) *2019 BC Compulsory Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships *2022 Canadian Ninja League National Finals *2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge *2022 CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship

Other notes

The LEC is home to a number of groups and organizations, including Tourism Langley and the Langley Sports Medicine Clinic.

References

External links

* {{Canadian Elite Basketball League, state=collapsed Langley, British Columbia (district municipality) Western Hockey League arenas