Study on Calgary outdoor venue as McMahon Stadium future bleak

Article posted by Coliseum, September 11^th, 2026

Image: McMahon Stadium, Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0

The City of Calgary (Canada) is seeking a third party to explore the potential of a new outdoor stadium as questions continue over the future of the McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

Stadium Study

The contract is expected to be awarded in October and the estimated cost of the stadium study is $875,000.

Major Project

‘Global NEWS’ stated that the City of Calgary has been seeking bids on a pair of contracts for a firm “assess the feasibility and planning of a proposed major sports and event facility project”.

The 46,020-seat McMahon Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Operational Feasibility

‘Global NEWS’ further stated that according to the contract’s description the study would look into the market, financial and the operational feasibility to help the city officials “make informed decisions regarding the future of the McMahon Stadium” as well as the broader stadium-related infrastructure.

It comes after the University of Calgary, which owns the McMahon Stadium, began looking into building its own stadium for the school’s various varsity sports earlier this year.

Dire Need of Facilities

Stated Steve Allan with the McMahon Stadium Society, the group that oversees the building’s operations and upgrades, “We have a desperate need for the facilities and the McMahon Stadium is way beyond its best before date.”

McMahon Stadium Future

The McMahon Stadium, which is home to the Canadian Football League’s (CFL’s) Calgary Stampeders and the University of Calgary Dinos (the varsity athletic teams), was built 66 years ago.

Despite lingering questions over the facility’s future it is set to host the 113^th Grey Cup game later this year.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two Divisions with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest professional level of Canadian football and is headquartered in Toronto.

The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary (Canada). The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

The 113^th Grey Cup will be played to decide the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2026 season. The game is scheduled to be played on November 15^th, 2026, at the McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.

Mounting Costs

Allan said that the costs continue to mount to maintain the stadium’s operations ahead of the big game – “We spent close to one million dollars fixing the sewage and water problem because that would’ve put the building at risk of failure, potentially, before the Grey Cup. We will continue to address the issues as they arise.”

New Stadium

According to Allan, he hopes to have a new stadium in the works within the next eight years as that is how long the newly installed artificial turf field is set to last.

Stadia Options

As the city evaluates options for the stadiums they may not have to look too far as the Calgary Stampede (a massive 10-day annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation are evaluating bids on a contract of their own to study the feasibility of multipurposing the 25,000-seat GMC Stadium in Calgary.

Field Sports

Commented Jim Laurendeau, Executive Vice-President (EVP), Park Development and Operations, Calgary Stampede, “What we’re really asking our consultants, when we’ve awarded this work, to focus on is field sports. That could be CFL football, it could be soccer.”

Master Plan

The 25,000-seat stadium on Stampede Park (the GMC Stadium) hosts the rodeo and chuckwagon races during the 10-day event, and upgrades to the facility are part of the Calgary Stampede’s 20-year master plan.

‘No-brainer’

Laurendeau said the move seems like a “no-brainer” on the surface with “half of a CFL stadium” already in existence on the site. However, any future proposal would need to limit impacts to the track.

Animal Safety

Added Laurendeau, “Animal safety is number one for us at the Calgary Stampede. We need to have a consistent surface through a whole track for our horses to run.”

The Stampede officials hope to award its contract in the coming weeks with hope a study could be complete by next summer.

Feasibility Study

According to Allan, the feasibility study will help determine what the other organizations plan to do moving forward – “The university doesn’t want to put more money into a new building if we’re going to have to keep the McMahon Stadium going on some basis or build a new stadium there. It’s the critical piece of the puzzle right now.”

Contract Work

The City of Calgary said its contract work is “early-stage due diligence” and doesn’t represent a decision or commitment to build a new facility. The study will help the city assess the potential needs, the opportunities, the risks, and the next steps in a coordinated way including how the future facilities could support sport, events, tourism, economic development, and community use.”

‘Absolutely Vital’

The Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said the need for new sports facilities is “absolutely vital” as the city continues to grow.

However, Mayor Farkas said there would need to be a return for the public investment as he sees “a lot of potential in that project” including the incorporation of commercial spaces or housing.

‘Devil in the Details’

He stated, “As we see the need for supporting the local arts, culture but also sports like the CFL, I would strongly support a replacement for that facility. But, as I say, the devil is always in the details, and I want to make sure that if the taxpayers are asked to contribute that it’s in a fair way.”

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