Community Stadium has repoened after the completion of the turf replacement project, August 26, 2022 (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By Drew Stremick

Game on! Community Stadium officially reopens

Aug 26, 2022 | 2:29 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The University of Lethbridge (U of L) officially reopened Community Stadium for public use on Friday, August 26, 2022.

The stadium had been closed over the past few months as contractors worked to replace the 12-year-old turf with brand new FieldTurf, which not only makes the field safer for athletes, but also puts Community Sports Stadium on par with fields used in the CFL, NFL, and Fifa.

READ MORE: Turf being replaced at University of Lethbridge Community Stadium

Keegan Brantner is a graduate student, and a fifth-year player with the Women’s Pronghorns Rugby team. She’s looking forward to playing her final season on the new turf.

“Going into my fifth year, it’s really exciting actually to get to play on the first year of the new turf and getting to finish my season off on a brand new turf,” Brantner said. “It just feels like a new beginning for Pronghorn Athletics, and for our women’s rugby team.”

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The Pronghorns aren’t the only group of athletes that will be using Community Stadium, and Brantner says it’s great that the facility will be used by other athletic associations in Lethbridge in order to continue to grow the love of sport.

“It’s really important that we do share this with more people,” said Brantner. “I remember playing here when I was in high school, and it’s very exciting getting to play in the stadium, and it just feels a little bit more advanced than playing on a regular field.”

Keegan Brantner from the Pronghorns Women’s Rubgy team speaks to reporters as her teammates look on, August 26, 2022 (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

Jonas Freedman is the President of the Lethbridge Minor Football Association. He says that the kids that play in his league are ecstatic to be able to play on the brand new turf.

“The kids are absolutely jacked,” explained Freedman. “The first thing that they noticed when the field just opened, that we have our logos, and the kids are immediately drawn to go see their future high school logo in the end zone.”

Freedman stressed that continuing to invest in sports facilities in Lethbridge is important to keep kids involved.

“It’s essential,” said Freedman. “We need to keep up with the times, we need to have new turf or new facilities, and this is a fantastic place for the kids to play the sport that they love.”

The stadium was officially reopened with a “kick-off”, August 26, 2022 (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

Since community sports started to grow in Lethbridge, teams have moved around a few times since the 1950s. Initially, games were played at the Civic Centre. Afterwards, they moved onto the baseball field at Spitz Stadium (then known as Henderson Stadium), and lastly before opening Community Stadium in 2009, teams played at the fields near the ENMAX Centre.

Each field was described as being adequate, but the limitations of natural grass fields became clear each fall as temperatures dropped and the grass couldn’t keep up with the wear and tear that came along with most sports.

Exhibition matches between the University of Calgary and the Women’s Pronghorns Rugby team are taking place on Friday afternoon, August 26, 2022, and more season openers will be taking place once the fall semester gets underway at the U of L.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.