Clarke Stadium is a multipurpose stadium located in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, Alberta, Canada. The stadium was originally built for
Canadian football
Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
. Over the years different sports have participated at the site.
History
The stadium was originally built in 1938 and named for then-
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
Joseph Clarke. It was built on land deeded to the city for the purpose of constructing public sports fields by the federal government (Prime Minister
Mackenzie King was a personal friend of Clarke). The original Clarke Stadium accommodated approximately 20,000 fans in the spartan conditions consistent with its era. The seating area consisted of two grandstands on opposing sidelines. Some end-zone stands were added years later. The stadium hosted the
Edmonton Eskimos (now Elks) of the
Western Interprovincial Football Union/
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
from 1949 to 1978. In the 1960s and 1970s, the stadium sold
Knothole Gang tickets for
25 cents per game.
In 1979, the Eskimos moved to
Commonwealth Stadium, which had been built adjacent to Clarke Stadium in preparation for the
1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with a ...
. Clarke Stadium was used for local and minor league sporting events after the departure of the football team.
Remodelling
The facility was almost completely demolished on June 1, 2000, and rebuilt as a 'secondary' stadium for events of the
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 and 12 August 2001 and was the first time the event ...
hosted in Edmonton. It was redesigned with approximately 1,200 seats in a single grandstand. The original grass playing surface was also replaced with artificial turf to allow for greater usage as part of the facility upgrade. The stadium is currently used for university, minor and intramural sports. Clarke Park, as the remodelled stadium is often known, is also used for concerts and other events. Including the playing surface, the capacity of the stadium grounds can exceed 6,000 for concerts and non-sporting events.
Soccer
The
Edmonton Drillers of the 1970s and the
Edmonton Aviators of 2004 both attempted to draw crowds to the much larger Commonwealth Stadium before moving to Clarke Stadium when they were unable to fill Commonwealth or turn a profit. In both cases, the move to Clarke Stadium was followed closely by the team folding.
The
Edmonton Brick Men of the 1980s and 90s also played at the stadium but played most matches at
John Ducey Park
John Ducey Park was a 6,500-seat baseball stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Originally built in 1933, it was torn down after sixty-two years of use in 1995 and replaced by Telus Field on the same site. Beginning in 1981, John Ducey Park was t ...
, which was primarily a baseball diamond.
FC Edmonton began playing their
North American Soccer League home games at Clarke Stadium with the
2012 season. In May 2013, construction was completed to expand the stadium's capacity to 5,000, using temporary seating.
In August 2013, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson and representatives of FC Edmonton met with officials of the City of Edmonton to discuss the installation of
artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...
, as the final step in converting the facility into a more
soccer-specific stadium
A soccer-specific stadium, mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium whic ...
, while still allowing for other use. The conversion of the turf was completed in time for the 2014 season.
The stadium was further renovated in advance of the 2019 CPL season, with seating increased to 5,148 and the block of temporary stands from 2013 removed in favor of permanent seating, with stands now added behind both goals along with pitch side tables beside both teams dugouts.
See also
*
List of Canadian Premier League stadiums
The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is the top-division Canadian men's professional Association football, soccer league. In the 2025 Canadian Premier League season, 2025 season, the league consists of eight teams playing in eight stadiums. The CP ...
References
External links
Photos of Clarke Stadium Joe Clarke & Edmonton Stadium
{{Edmonton landmarks
c
North American Soccer League (2011–2017) stadiums
Sports venues in Edmonton
Canadian Football League venues
Canadian Premier League stadiums
Athletics (track and field) venues in Canada
Soccer venues in Alberta
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) stadiums
Sports venues completed in 1938
1938 establishments in Alberta