Elks to stage May preseason game against Stampeders at Clarke Stadium

The Elks will host Calgary on May 29 at Clarke Stadium, which is the original home of the franchise.

The Canadian Football League is returning to Clarke Stadium for one night in May.

With their usual stomping grounds of Commonwealth Stadium slated for World Cup exhibition play three nights later and a temporary grass field in place, the Edmonton Elks will stage their home CFL preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on May 29.

They’re calling it the ‘Night at the Knothole,’ a throwback moniker in homage to the team’s former Woodward’s Knothole Gang club that once provided youth swag and discounted tickets to games.

“We’re excited to lean into this moment and bring football back to Clarke Stadium,” Elks President and CEO Chris Morris said in a Thursday media release. “This gives us a unique opportunity to create a throwback experience in a historic, intimate setting — a fun, energetic afternoon that connects us back to our roots and sets the tone for the season ahead.”

The Elks called the original version of Clarke Stadium home from their inaugural campaign in 1949 until 1978, when they moved into their neighbouring current home following the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

The stadium, which seated 25,500 spectators in its final years of CFL use, was first constructed in 1938 and was named for a former mayor, Joseph Clarke, who had helped get it built while in office.

Current-day Clarke was built for the 2001 World Track & Field Championships, which also saw renovations and additions to Commonwealth. The 5,100-seat Clarke facility, now used for several minor sports, was home to the defunct FC Edmonton pro soccer club until 2022. The Elks will be adding more seating to Clarke and expanding its concourse for the 7 p.m. Friday night game.

The Elks sometimes use Clarke for practices when Commonwealth isn’t available.

Following the June 1 friendly between Canada’s men’s national soccer team and Uzbekistan, crews will convert Commonwealth’s field to turf from the grass one in time for their regular-season home opener on June 20 against the Montreal Alouettes.