Clarke Stadium

Clarke Stadium
Clarke Park
Location	11000 Stadium Road Edmonton, AB T5J-2R7
Opened	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 Edmonton Drillers (NASL 1982) Edmonton Brickmen (CSL) Edmonton Aviators (A-League 2004) Alberta Football League

Clarke Stadium, in its original incarnation, was a Canadian football stadium located in Edmonton, Alberta.

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

1. ^ History of Edmonton
2. ^ 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

• Edmonton's City Website
• Photos of Clarke Stadium
• Joe Clarke & Edmonton Stadium

Coordinates: 53°33′26″N 113°28′41″W / 53.55722°N 113.47806°W / 53.55722; -113.47806