- Clarke Stadium
-
Clarke Stadium Clarke Park Location 11000 Stadium Road
Edmonton, AB T5J-2R7Opened 1938 Owner The City of Edmonton Surface Grass (1938-2000)
Artificial Turf (2000-Present)Construction cost C$7,000[1]
($109 thousand in 2011 dollars[2])Capacity 20,000 (original)
1,200 (rebuilt)Tenants Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) 1954-1976
Alberta Football League
Edmonton Drillers (NASL 1982)
Edmonton Brickmen (CSL)
Edmonton Aviators (A-League 2004)Clarke Stadium, in its original incarnation, was a Canadian football stadium located in Edmonton, Alberta.
Contents
History
The stadium was originally built in 1938 on land deeded to the City for the purpose of constructing public sports fields by Mackenzie King (a personal friend of then Mayor 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 1954-1978, following which the team moved to Commonwealth Stadium, which had been built adjacent to Clarke Stadium in preparation for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Clarke stadium was used for local and minor league sporting events after the departure of the Eskimos. The stadium was named after former Edmonton mayor Joseph Andrew Clarke. The stadium was effectively demolished on May 3, 2000.
Remodelled Clarke Stadium
The facility was rebuilt in 2000 (in preparation for use as a 'secondary' stadium for events of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics hosted in Edmonton) and now seats approximately 1,200 fans 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 can exceed 6,000 for concerts and non-sporting events.
Soccer
The Edmonton Drillers of the 1970s and the Edmonton Aviators of 2004 both attempted to draw crowds to the much larger Commonwealth Stadium before retreating to Clake Stadium when they were unable to fill Commonwealth or turn a profit. In both cases the move the Clarke Stadium was followed closely by the team folding.
The Edmonton Brickmen of the 1980s and 90s also played here but played most matches at John Ducey Park, which was primarily a baseball diamond.
References
- ^ History of Edmonton
- ^ Canadian inflation numbers based on data available from Consumer Price Index, by province (monthly) (Canada) Statistics Canada. Retrieved August 21, 2011 and Consumer Price Index, historical summary Statistics Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2010
External links
Coordinates: 53°33′26″N 113°28′41″W / 53.55722°N 113.47806°W
Edmonton Eskimos The franchise Stadiums - Clarke Stadium
- Commonwealth Stadium
Culture Nanook and PunterThe rivalries Lore - Labour Day Classic
- Battle of Alberta
- Alberta Crude
- 70th Grey Cup
Important figures - Danny Bass
- Johnny Bright
- Hugh Campbell
- Tommy Joe Coffey
- Rod Connop
- Dave Cutler
- Eck Duggan
- Matt Dunigan
- Ron "Swampdog" Estay
- Dave "Doctor Death" Fennell
- Larry Highbaugh* Brian Kelly
- Danny Kepley
- Norm Kimball
- Normie "The China Clipper" Kwong
- Moe Lieberman
- George McGowan
- Rollie Miles
- Warren Moon
- Frank Morris
- Roger Nelson
- Jackie "Ole Spaghetti Legs" Parker
- Willie "The Terminator" Pless
- Tom Scott
- Tom Wilkinson
- Henry "Gizmo" Williams
Key personnel - Owners: Community owned
- General Manager: Eric Tillman
- Head Coach: Kavis Reed
Grey Cup championships (13) Western Division championships (22) CFL Seasons (54) - 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2011
Current league affiliations - League: Canadian Football League
- Division: West
Categories:- Sports venues in Edmonton
- Canadian football venues
- Athletics venues in Canada
- Soccer venues in Canada
- 1938 establishments
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