WFCU Centre is an arena and entertainment centre in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. WFCU Centre replaced the 84-year-old Windsor Arena as the primary home of the Windsor Spitfires. It opened on December 11, 2008, in the east end of the city. WFCU Centre is owned by the City of Windsor, operated by Comcast Spectacor, and named for Windsor Family Credit Union.

History

City council approved the project on October 4, 2006, and the

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are ...

ceremony took place on January 22, 2007. The WFCU Centre was built at a cost of approximately $71 million by the Windsor, Ontario-based construction company, PCR Contractors. The land was purchased from

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

developer Farhi Holdings Corporation. The construction of this sports-entertainment centre was decided upon as a part of the city government's overall effort to add excitement to the economy. As part of that effort, Windsor city council committed to building the centre, and agreed to fund most of the cost. During the initial stages of planning, several other committees and companies proposed building arenas and venues in the area, including a privately owned skating arena, as well as proposed a relocation of the Windsor Raceway Slots to Tecumseh, Ontario, owned by the

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal ...

. In August, 2013 Windsor City Council approved a $6.5 million addition to the WFCU Centre, adding a 25-metre pool in advance of the city hosting the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) which were held inside the WFCU Centre. The WFCU Centre complies with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Sports

The WFCU Centre is home to both the OHL's Windsor Spitfires and the NBLC's

Windsor Express The Windsor Express is a Canadian professional basketball team based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The Express are an expansion team of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2012–13 season. The Express play its home gam ...

. The Windsor Spitfires won both the 2009 and 2010 OHL Championship final series on home ice, and the Windsor Express won the 2014 League Championships on home court. The WFCU Centre has played host to a variety of large-scale events in hockey including the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, the OHL All Star Game and the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. The WFCU Centre also hosted both the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating Championships and the

Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating season. The location changes yearly. Meda ...

in 2012, the latter being broadcast internationally. The WFCU Centre also played host to the Grey Power World Cup of Curling in 2010. The WFCU Centre hosted the 2017 Memorial Cup.

References

External links

WFCU Centre official websiteCity of Windsor WFCU Centre information pageEastside Arena web site, operated by arena building consortiumWindsor Spitfires, WFCU Centre Ontario Hockey League tenantPhoto gallery from the WFCU Centre's interior
{{NBL Canada Arenas Sports venues in Windsor, Ontario Indoor arenas in Ontario Indoor ice hockey venues in Canada Ontario Hockey League arenas Music venues in Ontario Windsor Express 2008 establishments in Ontario Sports venues completed in 2008 Basketball venues in Ontario