University Stadium, also known as Knight–Newbrough Field and formerly known as Seagram Stadium, is a

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

on the campus of

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto, but it is n ...

. The stadium has a capacity of 6,000 and serves as home to the

Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, commonly shortened to Laurier Golden Hawks, is the name used by the varsity sports teams of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario Universit ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and rugby teams. It also served for several years as the home field of soccer side K–W United FC which ceased operations in 2018. Facilities include space for recreational programs and Kinesiology classrooms; there is also a large gym and the football field. The stadium is closed to the public. The field was also used by the nearby

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

Warriors for their home football games. The Warriors played their final season at the stadium in 2008; they then moved to the new Warrior Field on the University of Waterloo north campus on Columbia St.

History

"Seagram Stadium" was built for the University of Waterloo in 1957 with a $250,000 donation from Joseph E. Seagram and Sons Ltd. and additional contributions from

Ontario Hydro Ontario Hydro, established in 1906 as the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, was a publicly owned electricity utility in the Province of Ontario. It was formed to build transmission lines to supply municipal utilities with electricity ge ...

and the City of Waterloo. It formally opened on May 7, 1958. The Waterloo College Mules played the first football game on October 5 of that year. Initially owned by

Waterloo College Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

, the stadium was sold to UW which sold it to the City of Waterloo on August 12, 1974 for $1 million, after leasing it to the city from 1968 to 1974. At that time, the stadium was in need of extensive repairs. In July 1992, the city sold the facility to

, also for $1 million.

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 ...

was installed in 1994 at a cost of $1.7 million. The stadium was renamed University Stadium and Sports Centre in March 1995. In 2007, the stadium underwent a major $5-million renovation which changed the layout; that included replacing the field's playing surface with

Fieldturf FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of French company Tarkett. FieldTurf is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its primary manufacturing facility i ...

, overhauling the bleachers, rearranging existing rooms and expansion of the entrance, concession areas and washrooms. The football field was then renamed "Knight–Newbrough Field" (although the name of the field itself has changed, the stadium as a whole retains the name University Stadium.) The name honours two influential figures in Laurier athletics history, former football head coaches for the Laurier Golden Hawks and UW Warriors

Dave "Tuffy" Knight David "Tuffy" Knight (born May 17, 1936) is a former coach of Canadian university football and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Knight was a football, track, and basketball coach at Crooksville High School in Crooksville, Ohio w ...

and Rich Newbrough. University Stadium is located near

Waterloo Park Waterloo Park is an urban park situated in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada on land within Block 2 of the Haldimand Proclamation, Haldimand Tract. Spanning 44.9 hectares (111 acres) within the Uptown area of Waterloo, it opened in 1893 and is the ol ...

on Seagram Drive. On February 18, 2023, the Golden Hawks football twitter feed announced that the stadium is being demolished, and to stay tuned for further announcements.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:University Stadium Canadian football venues in Ontario Sports venues in Waterloo, Ontario Wilfrid Laurier University Athletics (track and field) venues in Ontario Sport in Waterloo, Ontario College football venues in Canada Soccer venues in Ontario 1958 establishments in Ontario Sports venues completed in 1958