Calgary gets new dome for winter outdoor play

Calgary has a new place for athletes to keep playing outdoor sports in the winter with an inflatable dome at Shouldice Athletic Park.

The City of Calgary had an official opening for the Shouldice Seasonal Dome over Encana Field Wednesday, but sports teams have been using the dome since Oct. 15.

The $8.5 million structure will be inflated each year from around November to May for athletes involved in sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.

Officials say the dome will allow for all-season use and take advantage of the “outdoor atmosphere” when the seasons allow.

In addition, it is air-supported and has no supports inside and is formed by “maintaining internal pressure.”

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a statement that recreation centres “captures the heart of a community,” and snow can have a “significant impact” on sports and teams in the city, usually causing them to finish early or start late.

“A weather-proof facility like Shouldice Seasonal Dome is a much-needed space that will provide Calgarians a chance to connect and play, no matter the weather,” Gondek said.

An overhead view of the Shouldice Inflatable Dome. (Courtesy of the City of Calgary)

Funding for the dome came from the province’s Municipal Stimulus Program, the Dome Facilities Association (DFA), and The City of Calgary.

The city says it will improve the ways Calgarians can play outdoor sports in the cold months of the year.

The dome was first announced as part of the Grey Cup Legacy project in 2019, where the city and other minor sports teams and associations announced the pursuit of funds for a seasonal shelter in the winter.

Those teams are the Greater Calgary Amateur Football Association (GCAFA), Calgary Minor Soccer Association, the Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club, and the Calgary Stampeders Foundation.

“We’re proud to be part of this exciting project that will allow us to offer more sports opportunities for Calgarians,” said Greg Peterson, president of the GCAFA and the DFA, in a statement. “Encana Field has been a great space for us, and this dome takes it to the next level.”

Bill Monks, the president of the Calgary Bantam Football Association (CBFA), credits Peterson for helping to bring the project “across the finish line.” He also credits Tony Spoletini, former Calgary Stampeder and owner of Spolumbo’s, Fine Foods and Deli, who played a large role in bringing the dome to life.

“The dome is a great indicator that youth sport is alive and well and supported in the City of Calgary,” Monks said in a statement. “It represents a truly collaborative partnership between Calgary Minor Football, Blizzard Soccer, Calgary Minor Soccer, The City of Calgary, and the provincial government.”

“We will have better programs through Football Alberta, and our city’s Spring League teams’ will benefit [with] a football facility to begin their season training in February,” Monks said.

He adds the new dome will benefit the CBFA, and will provide an opportunity to “evolve and sponsor” development camps during the winter for all those involved.

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Shouldice Seasonal Dome has a 300-person capacity and will have seasonal rates from Nov. 1, 2022, until March 31, 2023. Rates will change again for the off-season from April 1 until Oct. 31, 2023.

There are fields lined for soccer and football, and field dividers to split the turf into quarters, thirds, and halves.

To accommodate football players, there are floating football uprights. However, there is no scoreboard, no sound system, no change rooms, and the washrooms are outside the dome. That being said, athletes will still have access to the existing locker rooms at the athletic park.

A floating football upright inside the Shouldice Inflatable Dome in Calgary on Oct. 19, 2022. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews photo)

Renting the whole field will cost $682.50 an hour, while a quarter is $170.63 an hour.

According to the terms and conditions, groups must also have a permit with them during bookings, and the city can revise or cancel permits at “any time.”

The city says it collects personal information through the rental application process and can do so under city policies like the Facility Booking Policy and Procedure, Facility Use Agreement, and Freedom of information and Protection of Privacy act in section 33.

Shouldice Athletic Park has two additional fields with artificial turf, lights and scoreboards for soccer and football, and they are Stampeder field and Hellard field. There are also four regulation-size soccer fields and eight softball diamonds.

Anyone looking for more information can visit The City of Calgary website.

The sun starts to set at Encana Field while a football game takes place in Calgary. (Cole Fortner, CityNews photo)

-With files from Cole Fortner and Sandra Prusina