| IG Field | |
|---|---|
| Investors Group Field 2014.png IG Field in 2014 | |
| Location | University of Manitoba, 315 Chancellor Matheson Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Broke ground | May 20, 2010 |
| Opened | May 26, 2013 |
| Owner | Triple B Stadium Inc. |
| Operator | Winnipeg Football Club |
| Surface | FieldTurf Revolution[1] |
| Construction cost | $210 million |
| Architect | Raymond S.C Wan |
| Former names | Investors Group Field (2013–18) |
| Tenants | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) (2013–present) Manitoba Bisons (U Sports) (2013–present) Winnipeg Rifles (CJFL) (2013–present) Valour FC (CPL) (2019–present) |
| Capacity | 33,000 |
IG Field (formerly Investors Group Field)[2] is a football stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[3] The stadium, which opened in 2013, is located on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium.[4] Owned by Triple B Stadium Inc., a consortium of the City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba, the Winnipeg Football Club and the University of Manitoba,[5] the stadium is home to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Valour FC of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the University of Manitoba Bisons football team, and the Winnipeg Rifles (CJFL).
The stadium has a capacity of 33,134 and is partially covered. The stadium contains a corrugated metal roof, restaurant, 52 suites, walk of fame and other amenities.
History[]
Development[]
The owners of Canad Inns, a Winnipeg-based hotel business and naming rights holder for the Blue Bombers' former stadium, forwarded a plan in 2007 to redevelop the entire site for commercial use and construct a football stadium for the Blue Bombers in another location. This proposal, although rejected in favour of David Asper's plan, called for a $265 million stadium at the former Public Markets site in the St. Boniface industrial park, which Canad Inns purchased from the city. The domed stadium would have been part of a $500 million complex that would have included a four-star hotel and an indoor water park.[6]
David Asper's original proposal involved both federal and provincial government financial contributions ($40 million each), as well as a transfer of assets (the publicly owned Blue Bomber franchise itself will be transferred into Asper's control, and the existing undeveloped commercial real estate surrounding the stadium). As part of Creswin's commitment to the project, Asper pledged to contribute $65 million toward the Maroons Road development. In addition to stadium construction, the Asper proposal included 217,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) of retail development and a two-level parking facility.
Logo from 2013 to 2019
The Blue Bombers' board of directors investigated the possibility of rebuilding or substantially upgrading the existing stadium, largely with funds generated from the sale or lease of the adjacent commercial lands[7] (the team holds the right to develop this property itself as part of its refinancing agreement with the city of Winnipeg and province of Manitoba). However, being a community owned business, the Bombers organization would have had difficulty in accessing the capital required to move forward with such plans directly. The board placed its plans on hold pending the outcome of Asper's proposal.
The government was unwilling to grant Asper the $40 million at both the provincial and federal levels because it believed the money to be more of a gift than a grant. Creswin drew up a second proposal, where the same 30,000–40,000-seat stadium would be built instead in south Point Douglas.[8] This new plan, they said, would greatly aid in urban renewal in what is the poorest neighborhood in Winnipeg. There was also a state-of-the-art water park and hotel, commercial buildings and several other new buildings in the multimillion-dollar proposal. However, there was controversy as well because south Point Douglas is an avid art community, and many of the residents did not want their character buildings to be destroyed or suffer the loss of their homes.[9]
An in-game photo of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on offence against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
A letter of intent was signed on September 13, 2009, between Asper's Creswin Properties and the University of Manitoba, allowing planning to continue for a stadium at the intersection of Chancellor Matheson Drive and University Crescent. The site is adjacent to the current University Stadium, which was built for the 1967 Pan American Games. The new proposal includes the construction of a 33,422-seat stadium, renovation of the existing stadium, and a world-class fitness facility. Inflatable "bubbles" covering the playing field were also proposed for both stadiums during the winter months. The cost of the new stadium, was projected to be $115 million.[10]
The new stadium would also be home of the University of Manitoba Bisons football team. The design allows for expansion to 40,000 seats for the Grey Cup (however for 2015 Grey Cup 36,500 seats were available). The stadium was approved on 2 April 2009. The province of Manitoba later agreed to loan David Asper $90 million in order to guarantee the project would break ground in 2010 and ensure the stadium would open for 2012.[11][12] CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon, Premier of Manitoba Greg Selinger, David Asper, Mayor of Winnipeg Sam Katz and U of M President David Barnard officially broke ground at the site on May 20, 2010.
The Canada vs USA women's soccer game exhibition played in May, 2014 to a 1–1 draw.
Asper and Creswin were removed from the deal as they made significant changes to the stadium design which broke the original contract.[13] The revised cost amounted to $190 million, with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers paying back $85 million, and the provincial and city levels of government splitting the rest of the costs as previously proposed.
The naming rights were awarded to Investors Group, the leading subsidiary of Winnipeg-based IGM Financial. After Investors Group rebranded as IG Wealth Management, the stadium's name was shortened to the current IG Field.
Controversy[]
The new stadium was expected to be ready for the start of the 2012 season.[14] However, on May 2, 2012, the Blue Bombers announced that because of construction delays, the stadium would not be ready until September, thus forcing the team to play four or five home games at Canad Inns Stadium to start the season.[15] In June 2012, it was announced the stadium would not open until the 2013 season.[16] In December 2013, it was reported the previously-announced inflatable dome had been dropped from the plans in 2012.[17]
In 2014, the builder, Stuart Olson Dominion, put a $1.9 million lien on the stadium because it claimed it was owed for some of the cost overruns.[18] This dispute was resolved later that year, with the province contributing an additional $1.5 million to cover additional costs incurred during construction, bringing the total cost to $210 million.[19]
On March 4, 2015, the stadium's ownership group, Triple B Stadium Inc., announced its intention to sue architect Ray Wan and builder Stuart Olson Dominion.[20] In the statement of claim, it cited water damage caused by insufficient drainage in the building, as well as inadequate insulation and "extensive" cracking in the concrete among a total of 42 deficiencies.[5] On April 23, Stuart Olson filed a statement of defence denying most of Triple B's allegations, stating the shell company — which represents the city, province, university and the Winnipeg Football Club — made all the key construction decisions, in concert with the province, which paid for most of the construction up front. Stuart Olson also alleged political and financial factors led the province to rush the job and reduce its budget.[21]
On October 27, 2015, the government of Manitoba announced it would pay $35 million to repair the stadium. It would then seek compensation for this further outlay of money from the proceeds of the aforementioned lawsuit.[22]
Notable events[]
Canadian football[]
The Blue Bombers played their first home game at Investors Group Field on June 27, 2013, losing 38–33 to the Montreal Alouettes.[23][24]
Investors Group Field hosted the 103rd Grey Cup in 2015.[25]
American football[]
IG Field hosted an NFL preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders on August 22, 2019.[26][27] The teams largely avoided playing starters in the game. In attempting to move the goalposts back five yards from each's position to accommodate their NFL positioning (behind the endzone, as is customary in the American game), it left holes in each end zone that the NFL deemed a safety hazard; since this discovery came too late to put the goalposts back and repaint the field, each ten-yard line was hastily converted to a goal line by adding pylons to shorten the field to 80 yards (from the standard 100 yard field/10 yard endzones used for American rules football), and kickoffs were eliminated.[28] The changes did not have an appreciable impact on the game according to Raiders coach Jon Gruden, and most of the coaches and players otherwise praised IG Field's playing surface.[29][30]
| Date | Away | Score | Home | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 22, 2019 | Green Bay Packers | 21–22 | Oakland Raiders | Recap |
Hockey[]
Investors Group Field hosted the fourth instalment of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Heritage Classic on October 23, 2016, in which the Winnipeg Jets lost 3–0 to the Edmonton Oilers in front of a sold-out crowd. The Classic's customary alumni game was played a day earlier and featured players from the former Jets franchise returning to Winnipeg to play the Oilers alumni team. The Jets alumni, led by Teemu Selänne and Dale Hawerchuk, defeated Wayne Gretzky's Oilers squad 6–5 in a shootout.[31]
Association football[]
The Canada women's national soccer team played their first match at Investors Group Field on May 8, 2014, against the United States, with the result in a tie (1–1); this match was the stadium's first soccer game.[32] In June 2015, Winnipeg was one of six Canadian cities that hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup. The first four matches of Group D—between the United States, Australia, Sweden and Nigeria—were contested at Investors Group Field, followed by three matches from various other groups.[33] Due to FIFA's policy regarding commercial sponsorship of stadium names, the Investors Group Field was referred to as "Winnipeg Stadium" during the World Cup.[34]
In 2019, IG Field became the home of Valour FC in the Canadian Premier League.[35]
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 June 2015 | Template:Fbw | 3–3 | Template:Fbw | Group D | 31,148 |
| Template:Fbw | 3–1 | Template:Fbw | 31,148 | ||
| 12 June 2015 | Template:Fbw | 2–0 | Template:Fbw | 32,716 | |
| Template:Fbw | 0–0 | Template:Fbw | 32,716 | ||
| 15 June 2015 | Template:Fbw | 4–0 | Template:Fbw | Group B | 26,191 |
| Template:Fbw | 2–2 | Template:Fbw | Group A | 26,191 | |
| 16 June 2015 | Template:Fbw | 0–1 | Template:Fbw | Group C | 14,522 |
Other events[]
The stadium hosted its first event on May 26, 2013, with the One Heart Winnipeg celebration, a multi-denominational church service organized by several local church groups.[36]
Nitro Circus Live came to the stadium in 2017.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Stadium Information. www.bluebombers.com.
- ↑ Dacey, Elisha (May 10, 2019). Investors Group Field changing name to IG Field. Global News.
- ↑ "Blue Bombers to get new stadium and new owner", TSN.
- ↑ Peter Caulfield (March 28, 2011). Winnipeg football stadium to be ready for 2012 season. Reed Business Information.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sean Kavanagh. "Lawsuit alleges Winnipeg's IGF stadium leaky, mouldy", CBC Manitoba, 5 March 2015.
- ↑ "Canad Inns proposes domed stadium for Winnipeg", CBC News, 10 April 2007.
- ↑ McGowan Russell Group.
- ↑ "Asper unveils new stadium vision", 27 June 2008.
- ↑ Gary Lawless. "Selinger grabs ball on stadium", 27 March 2010.
- ↑ Bombers stadium costs climb higher.
- ↑ Bartley Kives. "Manitoba gives $90M loan for new Bombers stadium", 31 March 2010. [dead link]Template:Cbignore
- ↑ Ed Tait. "Sod turns on new stadium", 20 May 2010.
- ↑ "Asper out of Blue Bomber stadium plans", CBC Sports, December 13, 2010.
- ↑ Ross Romaniuk. "Blue Bombers stadium taking shape", Winnipeg Sun, 2011-09-07.
- ↑ Gary Lawless and Bruce Owen. "First game in new stadium could be as early as Sept. 9: Bombers", 25 May 2012.
- ↑ "Bombers to play entire season at Canad Inns Stadium", June 15, 2012.
- ↑ Bartley Kives. "Winter stadium bubble deemed impractical", 6 December 2013.
- ↑ Bartley Kives. "Construction firm slaps lien on stadium", 10 January 2014.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcost - ↑ Bartley Kives. "Stadium owner to sue architect, builder over water drainage, insulation problems", 4 March 2015.
- ↑ Strife over Investors Group Field is hurting the Bombers.
- ↑ Premier Greg Selinger defends $35M loan guarantee to fix Investors Group Field.
- ↑ "CFL releases 2013 regular season schedule", CBC, March 5, 2013.
- ↑ Paul Wiecek. "Bombers late to the party", 28 June 2013.
- ↑ Judy Owen. "CFL to show off Investors Group Field as Winnipeg picked to host 2015 Grey Cup", 26 March 2014.
- ↑ Winnipeg to host NFL pre-season game between Raiders and Packers.
- ↑ Attempt to host NFL preseason game in Regina stopped short of the goal line. CBC News (March 29, 2019).
- ↑ Packers, Raiders forced to play on shortened field with different rules due to unsafe conditions in Canada. CBS Sports..
- ↑ Gordon, Grant (August 22, 2019). Raiders, Packers play preseason game on 80-yard field. NFL.com.
- ↑ Raiders beat Packers in Winnipeg on reconfigured 80-yard field. Sportsnet (August 23, 2019).
- ↑ "Winnipeg Jets beat Edmonton Oilers 6-5 at Heritage Classic alumni game", GlobalNews.ca, October 22, 2016.
- ↑ Ed Tait. "World's best can't beat Canada", May 9, 2014.
- ↑ Ed Tait. "Winnipeg to host FIFA Women's World Cup", 5 May 2012.
- ↑ FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015™ Destination: Winnipeg. FIFA.
- ↑ "'Total excitement' as Canadian Premier League announces Valour FC, Winnipeg's new professional soccer team", Canadian Premier League, June 6, 2018.
- ↑ Alexandra Hall. "Church service a first look at Bombers' new digs", May 27, 2013.