BC Place
BC Place | |
| File:BCPlaceMarketingImage.jpg | |
 | |
| Former names | none |
|---|---|
| Location | 777 Pacific Blvd, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4Y8 |
| Owner | Province of British Columbia |
| Operator | B.C. Pavilion Corporation |
| Capacity | 59,841 (Football) |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1982 |
| Opened | June 19, 1983 |
| Closed | Open |
| Demolished | N/A |
| Construction cost | $126 million CAD |
| Architect | Studio Phillips Barrett |
| Tenants | |
| British Columbia Lions (CFL) (1983-present) | |
BC Place Stadium is Canada's first domed stadium. It is located on the north side of False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia and home to the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. It is owned by Pavco, a crown corporation in the province of British Columbia.
History
The stadium, completed in 1983, was built as part of the preparation for Expo 86. It is the world's largest air-supported domed stadium and can seat 60,000 in its mixture of permanent and portable light-blue plastic seats.
The stadium hosted Grey Cup games in in 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1999, and will be held there again on November 27, 2005.
BC Place has hosted the CFL Grey Cup game on six occassions, perhaps the most thrilling account being the 1994 Grey Cup in which the hometown Lions defeated the U.S. expansion Baltimore Stallions on a last-second field goal, preventing the Grey Cup trophy from leaving Canada. It is owned by a division of PavCo (BC Pavilion Corporation), a Crown Corporation in the province of British Columbia.
Features
The field is a FieldTurf surface that was puchased from Montreal's Olympic Stadium for CDN$1 million. BC Place has been the home to the CFL's B.C. Lions since 1983, and will serve as the site for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. A monument commemorating Terry Fox is located outside the statdium.
Other uses
BC Place is busy over 200 event days per year and contributes over 40 million dollars per year in economic benefit to the Province of British Columbia. It hosts the Province's largest trade and consumer shows, community events and motorsports. For 2005, BC Place will play host to Vans Slam City Jam Skateboarding Championships, as well as the FIFA World Junior Championships of soccer on its new Fieldturf.
The stadium is served by the Skytrain's Stadium-Chinatown Station.
See Also
Other domed stadiums in Canada include:
- Rogers Centre in Toronto
- Stade Olympique in Montreal