Western Alumni Stadium (formerly TD Stadium) is an 8,000-seat

Canadian football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

located on the campus of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...

. It is home to the Western Mustangs football team and is one of the largest stadiums in the OUA provincial conference. It was built in 2000 at a cost of approximately $10.65 million by Norlon Builders London Ltd and designed by Stantec Consulting Ltd. The stadium was built as a replacement for the former JW Little Stadium, which held its last game in 1999 before demolition. JW Little Stadium had been on Western's campus since 1929. The stadium was opened on September 16, 2000, when the first Western Mustangs home game was played. During the request for sponsorship funding, the Canadian-owned bank

TD Canada Trust TD Canada Trust, frequently shortened to simply TD, is the commercial banking operation of TD Bank Group in Canada. TD Canada Trust offers a range of financial services and products to more than 10 million Canadian customers through more than 1,1 ...

gave $1.5 million towards the stadium construction. Originally named the TD Waterhouse Stadium, the name was changed in 2013 to reflect new branding for TD and then changed to its current name in 2021 after a donation of $1.4 million was given by the Alumni Association. In addition to the Western Mustangs, the stadium is also home to the

London Beefeaters The London Beefeaters are a Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) team located in London, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) which is part of the CJFL, and compete annually for the national title known as the Canadian ...

, who are part of the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profe ...

. In spring 2009, the newly formed FC London of the USL Premier Development League began playing their home games at this venue.

Facility

The stadium has a regulation

CFL 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 ...

sized field (110 yards by 65 yards) made out of FieldTurf. Surrounding the field is an 8-lane, 400-metre Mondo rubber track. The seating has two separate grandstands with a total capacity for 8,000. During large games, the stadium can accommodate 10,000 additional standing spectators. In addition to the track, the facility also as multiple

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

sand pits,

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with the ...

and a discus circle. The main building is known as the JW Little building and houses the players changing rooms, the Michael Kirkley Training Centre, coaching offices, as well as a lounge and terrace.

Renovations

In summer 2007, the AstroTurf was replaced by FieldTurf at a cost of approximately $1 million. The stadium field and track underwent renovations in summer 2021 to replace the track surface and the artificial FieldTurf. Along with those playing surfaces, the stadium lights were upgraded to facilitate better visibility during night games. The budgeted cost for this project was $4.6 million.

Notable events

The stadium hosts a number of events outside of the university. Every year, local

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

public schools through the Thames Valley School Board use the facilities often to host track and field events. The stadium also hosts local London high school football games known as ''Red Feather'' games, in which local senior high school football teams play their first game of the season. The stadium was used as the main venue for the 2001

Canada Summer Games The Canada Games (french: Jeux du Canada) is a multi-sport event held every two years, alternating between the Canada Winter Games and the Canada Summer Games. They represent the highest level of national competition for Canadian athletes. Two ...

. In 2002, the stadium was used for an exhibition

game between the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the CFL East Division, East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based i ...

and

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 Fie ...

which was a sellout at 9,178 fans. The stadium was the host of the

2004 Men's Pan American Cup The 2004 Men's Pan American Cup was the second edition of the Men's Pan American Cup, the quadrennial men's international field hockey championship of the Americas organized by the Pan American Hockey Federation. It was held between 12 and 23 May ...

for the men's international

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

championship. In 2006, the stadium hosted the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship and the game attendance was 7,735. London hosted the 2010 Canadian Special Olympics and the stadium became one of a number of venues across the city. In the summer of 2018, the stadium was the main venue for the 2018 Ontario Summer Games. The stadium is again the main venue for the 2021 Ontario Summer Games, being held in London for the second time in a row.

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, 42, 59, 59.50, N, 81, 16, 25.61, W, type:landmark_region:CA, display=title Athletics (track and field) venues in Ontario Canadian football venues in Ontario University of Western Ontario Soccer venues in Ontario Sports venues in London, Ontario University sports venues in Canada 2000 establishments in Ontario Sports venues completed in 2000