Calgary’s McMahon Stadium is set to serve as the stage for the Canadian Football League’s biggest game for the sixth time, but it will likely be the last Grey Cup is played at the aging venue as possible replacements are considered. CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston told CTV News getting a new home for the Stamps is a “priority” for him. “We are major sports league (with) major sports teams and we deserve major league sports facilities,” Johnston said on Thursday. A new home for the Stampeders, Stewart added, “has to be a priority here in Calgary, but a priority for me personally and for the league office. The Stampeders deserve an outstanding facility.” A pair of feasibility studies are taking place over the coming months to explore those possibilities. The Calgary Stampede and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation are undertaking one of those studies to determining whether GMC Stadium could integrate a field into its rodeo and race track area at Stampede Park. “As part of our 20 year master plan, one of the important things we’re looking at is increasing the community use of GMC Stadium and looking for opportunities,” said Kerri Souriol, the vice president of Park Development and Major Projects at the Calgary Stampede. “We see field sports as one of those opportunities to increase the use of the stadium,” she added. Whether it could actually work, and what the possible price tag would be, won’t be known until the middle of 2027. The City of Calgary is also conducting early work to assess the need for “major sports and event infrastructure in Calgary.” The 66-year-old McMahon Stadium has been the home of the Stampeders since construction was completed. The University of Calgary Dinos and, more recently, Calgary Wild FC also use the venue as a home base. UCalgary is currently planning and fundraising for an on-campus stadium for its student athletes. McMahon, completed in 1960, has hosted countless events big and small, including the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1988 Winter Olympics. But the facility has far outlived its expected lifespan, said Steve Allan with the McMahon Stadium Society. “It’s past its best before date. Now we’ve got some serious problems,” Allan said. That includes the need for fixes to the stadium’s electrical, structural and lighting systems, among others. Allan said about $2 million was spent earlier this year to fix critical sewer and water issues at the venue as well. New turf was also installed at McMahon last year. “The turf has about an eight year life. So I said... we don’t want to do this again. We’re hoping to have a new building by the beginning of the 2033 season,” Allan said. In the meantime, McMahon is ready to welcome football fans for the big game on Sunday.
