TD Place Stadium

This article is about the stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. For the University of Western Ontario stadium, formerly named TD Stadium, seeWestern Alumni Stadium.

TD Place Stadium
Stade Place TD (French)

Toronto-Dominion Place Stadium at Landsdowne
TD Place Stadium in 2022
TD Place Stadium Location in Ottawa TD Place Stadium Location in Ontario TD Place Stadium Location in Canada
Former names	Lansdowne Park (1908–1993) Frank Clair Stadium (1993–2014)
Address	1015Bank Street
Location	Ottawa,Ontario
Coordinates	45°23′53″N75°41′1″W
Public transit	67
Owner	City ofOttawa
Operator	Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group
Capacity	10,000 (1908–1960) 30,927 (1975–2007) 26,559 (2007–2012) 28,826 (2012–2013) 24,000 (2013–present)
Record attendance	51,242 (92nd Grey Cup)
Surface	FieldTurf(2001–present)
Opened	1908
Tenants
Canadian Football Ottawa Rough Riders(CFL) 1908–1996 Ottawa Junior Riders(QJFL) 1997–2006 Ottawa Renegades(CFL) 2002–2005 Ottawa Redblacks(CFL) 2014–present Ottawa Gee-Gees football(OUA) 2022–present Soccer Ottawa Fury FC(NASL/USLC) 2014–2019 Atlético Ottawa(CPL) 2020–present Ottawa Rapid FC(NSL) from 2025 Baseball Ottawa Giants(IL) 1951 Ottawa Athletics(IL) 1952–1954

TD Place Stadium(originallyLansdowne Parkand formerlyFrank Clair Stadium) is an outdoorstadiuminOttawa,Ontario,Canada. It is located atLansdowne Park,on the southern edge ofThe Glebeneighbourhood, whereBank Streetcrosses theRideau Canal.It is the home of theOttawa Redblacksof theCanadian Football League(CFL),Atlético Ottawaof theCanadian Premier League(CPL) and theOttawa Gee-Gees footballteam ofOntario University Athletics(OUA), which represent theUniversity of Ottawa.

The playing field has existed since the 1870s, and the complete stadium since 1908. The stadium has been host toFIFAtournaments,Summer Olympic Games,and sevenGrey Cups.

The front entrance of TD Place Stadium in 2023

History

An aerial view of Lansdowne Park in the 1950s

The playing field, part of the Ottawa Exposition Grounds, was first cleared in the 1870s. It was used for equestrian events,lacrosseandrugby football.The first permanent grandstand was built on the north side of the playing field in 1908. It was demolished in 1967 to build a new set of stands with an integratedice hockeyarena underneath, then known as theOttawa Civic Centre.

A small grandstand was built in the 1920s on the south-side of the field, and it was replaced in 1960. A second deck for the south-side was added during the 1970s. As of 2008, prior to lower south-side demolition, the overall stadium had a 30,927 capacity for football.

In 1984, the grass field which had been in place from 1908 to 1983 was replaced byAstroturf,which lasted though the 2000 season.

Frank Clair Stadium in 2004

In the late 1990s, the stadium was threatened with demolition when then-city councillor (and future Ottawa mayor)Jim Watsonled a drive by the municipal government to allow a private developer to reconfigure Lansdowne Park. The proposals submitted all called for residences to be built on the site of the football stadium. Massive public opposition and the realization that the end of the stadium would mean the end of hopes to return CFL football to the capital led the regional government to step in to end the scheme.

In 2001, one year before theOttawa Renegadesbegan play, the stadium was the first in the CFL to have a next-generation artificial playing surface (FieldTurf) installed.

For many years, the stadium was known as Lansdowne Park, after the fairgrounds in which it was located. It was renamed in 1993 to honourFrank Clair,coach and general manager for theOttawa Rough Ridersduring the 1960s and 1970s.

Revitalization and reconstruction

Main article:Lansdowne Park redevelopment

TD Place Stadium after its reconstruction in 2014

In September 2007, the lower south side stands were closed because of cracks in the concrete structure. After the closure of the stands, then-Ottawa mayorLarry O'Brienwas quoted saying that this was an opportunity to do a review of the usage and the facilities of Lansdowne Park.Subsequently, a process was started called "Design Lansdowne" to get public consultations on the park and the stadium. After an engineering study of the north-side and south-side grandstands, the south-side stands were condemned. The lower section of the stands was demolished by controlled implosion on July 20, 2008 at 8:03 am.

During the summer of 2008, a consortium of investors was formed to pursue a new CFL team in Ottawa. They bid successfully and received a conditional franchise from the CFL, with the condition that the stadium would need to be upgraded before the franchise could be activated.Jeff Hunt,one of the principal investors and owner of theOttawa 67'swho play in the attached arena, stated that the venue and location are ideal, with over a million people in Ottawa. The organization had reportedly already pre-sold 5,000 season tickets.

In the fall of 2008, the consortium, known as Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), approached the City with a plan to redevelop Lansdowne Park and rebuild the stadium using the proceeds from turning a section of the park into commercial and retail space. The plan, entitled Lansdowne Live! was ambitious and included plans to redevelop all sections of the park. The City, which had received a competing stadium proposal located inKanata,reviewed the plans and agreed to a conditional agreement with OSEG. OSEG would concentrate on the stadium and commercial/residential precinct, and Ottawa would return the rest of Lansdowne Park to green space. Faced with opposition to the plan, the City proceeded slowly with the proposal, seeking out legal opinions, traffic studies, and an urban park design competition for Lansdowne.

In June 2010 it was announced that Ottawa City Council had approved a redevelopment plan put forward by OSEG to renovate Frank Clair Stadium and build 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m²) of commercial retail space, 250 housing units and an urban park on the site. The stadium, which was the catalyst to bring the CFL back to Ottawa is to be rent-free to developers for 30 years. Proceeds from the retail and commercial precinct would be shared, and the retail and commercial precinct brought under City control after 30 years. Completion of the overall development was scheduled for 2015.

The OSEG proposal for the stadium envisioned tearing down all of the south-side stands, replacing the stands with a new structure with private boxes and a unique wood-wrapping around the exterior. The north-side stands were to be renovated to current standards, and the north-side exterior expanded to include a retail component. In September 2010, the management group of what would become Ottawa Fury FC joined the plan to redevelop Lansdowne. On June 20, 2011, Ottawa was awarded a professional soccer franchise in theNorth American Soccer League(NASL) to start play in 2014.

In November 2011, demolition of the rest of the south side stands started. The contract to demolish the stands was awarded for $550,000. Unlike the lower stands, the upper stands structure was demolished piece-by-piece rather than controlled implosion.The concrete and steel from the structure was recycled, and the seats re-used at a new skating and hockey rink atOttawa City Hall.Demolition was completed by January 2012.

On January 7, 2014, Frank Clair Stadium and the Civic Centre Arena were renamed TD Place under a new sponsorship deal with theToronto-Dominion Bank.

The stadium was completed for the firstOttawa Redblackshome game on July 18, 2014. TheOttawa Furyopened theirfall seasonon the same weekend after playing their previous home games that year atKeith Harris StadiumatCarleton University.

On October 29, 2014, thepress boxand media centre at the stadium were named forErnie Calcutt,a former broadcaster for the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Tenants

TheOttawa Rough Ridersfootball team and its predecessors played at the field from their inception in 1876 until 1996, when the team ceased operations. A successor team, theOttawa Renegades,played at the stadium from 2002 until 2005. Ottawa's third CFL team, the Redblacks, have played at the stadium since 2014.

From the 1870s onward, the field was also home toUniversity of Ottawa'sGee-Geesfootball team. The stadium is home to thePanda Game,an annual game between the cross-city rivals, theCarleton UniversityRavensand the Gee-Gees. At the Panda Game in 1987, the game was marred by an accident when at least 25 students were injured when a section of railing collapsed and the result was forfeited.

The stadium has also been home to theOttawa Junior Ridersof theQuebec Junior Football Leagueand the Ottawa Bootleggers of the Empire Football League.

The field was also the home of minor-league baseball. The stadium was the home venue of theOttawa GiantsandOttawa Athleticsminor-league baseball teams.

Ottawa Fury FCwere the first professional soccer club to play in the renovated TD Place Stadium, playing from the start of the 2014 fall season of theNorth American Soccer Leagueuntil the end of the 2019 fall season of theUSL Championship.The top-tier Canadian professional clubAtlético Ottawajoined theCanadian Premier Leaguein the 2020 season. The women'sNorthern Super League,set to begin play in 2025, will includeOttawa Rapid FC.

Major events

Football

The stadium has played host to sevenGrey Cupgames, the first occasion being in1925when Ottawa won its first Grey Cup title. It later held Grey Cup games in1939,1967,1988,and2004.On July 31, 2016, the CFL awarded Ottawa the105th Grey Cupgame, to be played at TD Place Stadium in 2017, as part ofcelebrations to mark 150 years of Confederation.The 55th Grey Cup in 1967 was similarly played at Lansdowne Park as part ofcelebrations to mark the Centennial of Confederation.

The stadium has hosted thePanda Game,a Canadianrivalryfootball game between the two OUA football teams in Ottawa, theUniversity of OttawaGee-GeesandCarleton UniversityRavens,in the years the game has been played while the facility has had a CFL tenant. This is one of the oldest and richest rivalries in Canadian university football, and currently the most attended Canadian university football game. Because these universities are not beneficiaries of the naming rights agreement with the bank, some sources prefer to use the name "Lansdowne Park" for the Panda Game venue, although unlike for international soccer (see below) this is not official policy.

Soccer

AnAtlético Ottawamatch in theCanadian Premier League

During the1976 Summer OlympicsinMontreal,the stadium hosted fivesoccermatches.

In mid-2007, the stadium was one of six hosts in the2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.Capacity was then listed at 28,826.

In 2014,Ottawa Fury FCjoined theNorth American Soccer League(NASL) and made an agreement to use the stadium as its home grounds.

The stadium was one of six chosen to host matches for the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup;it hosted a total of six group stage matches, two Round of 16 matches, and one quarter-final match. Due to FIFA policy forbidding commercial sponsorship of stadium names, the stadium was known as "Lansdowne Stadium"during the tournament.

A portion ofFieldTurfand some field-level stands set up for soccer matches suffered minor fire damage on July 18, 2018, during theFury FChome leg of the2018 Canadian Championshipsemifinal againstToronto FC.The cause was lit flares brought in by some members of a Torontosupporters' group,the "Inebriatti",which ignited one of their banners.Also, at least one firework was detonated during the incident.

In 2019, Ottawa Fury ceased operations after it lost its sanctioning to play in theUSL Championshipand refused to join theCanadian Premier League(CPL). In 2020,Atlético Ottawajoined the Canadian Premier League representing Ottawa, using TD Place Stadium as its home grounds.

Rugby union

On 27 February 2024, it was announced that TD Place Stadium would host twoCanadianinternationalrugby unionmatches, againstScotlandon 6 July 2024and againstRomaniasix days later.

Hockey

On March 17, 2017, theNational Hockey Leagueannounced that it would hold anoutdoor gameat TD Place Stadium between theOttawa SenatorsandMontreal Canadienson December 16, 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of their inaugural NHL game.Due to sponsorship issues (Scotiabank, a competitor in Canadian banking, was the title sponsor of the game itself), the venue was known as "Lansdowne Stadium" for the game.

Date	Away team	Result	Home team	Spectators
December 16, 2017	Montreal Canadiens	0–3	Ottawa Senators	33,959
December 17, 2017	Gatineau Olympiques	4–1	Ottawa 67's	11,671

Concerts

Date	Artist(s)	Opening act(s)	Tour	Tickets sold	Revenue	Additional notes
August 28, 1987	David Bowie	Duran Duran Eight Seconds The Northern Pikes	Glass Spider Tour	29,000	—	This concert drew the largest crowd for an Ottawa concert ever at the time.
September 9, 1987	Pink Floyd	—	A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour	26,062 / 35,000	$495,099
August 5, 1990	New Kids on the Block	—	The Magic Summer Tour	30,000 / 30,000	—
August 14, 1998	Various Artists		Lilith Fair	—	—
August 28, 2005	The Rolling Stones	Les Trois Accords Our Lady Peace	A Bigger Bang	43,000	—
September 3, 2015	AC/DC	Vintage Trouble	Rock or Bust World Tour	32,000 / 32,000	—	The first major concert event at the renovated TD Place Stadium.
August 21, 2017	Guns N' Roses	Our Lady Peace	Not in This Lifetime... Tour	21,204 / 25,714	$2,144,550

Gallery

• 
  The now-demolished south side stands during a soccer game
• 
  TD Place Stadium viewed from across the Rideau Canal in 2014
• 
  TD Place Stadium at night in September 2021
• 
  North stand
• 
  South stand
• 
  Field
• 
  Snowy stadium in 2023

See also

• List of stadiums in Canada
• List of Canadian Football League stadiums
• List of Canadian Premier League stadiums
• TD Place Arena

External links

• Official website