Mosaic Stadium
“New Mosaic Stadium”, “Mosaic Stadium II”
Exterior of Mosaic Stadium
Location1734 George Reed Way, Regina, SK
Coordinates50°27′02″N 104°37′59″W / 50.45056°N 104.63306°W / 50.45056; -104.63306
OwnerCity of Regina
OperatorRegina Exhibition Association Ltd.
Executive suites38
Capacity33,350 (expandable to 40,000)
Record attendance33,356 (Sept 1, 2019 vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
SurfaceFieldTurf Revolution 360
Construction
Broke groundJune 16, 2014
OpenedJuly 1, 2017
Construction cost$278 million
ArchitectB+H Architects, Inc., HKS, Inc.
Project managerPCL Construction
Tenants
Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) (2017–present)
Regina Rams (U Sports) (2016–present)
Regina Thunder (CJFL) (2017–present)
Regina Riot (WWCFL) (2017-Present)
Regina High School Football

Mosaic Stadium is an open-air stadium at REAL District in Regina, Saskatchewan. Announced on July 12, 2012, the stadium replaced Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field as the home field of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was designed by HKS, Inc., in joint venture with B+H, the architects of record. Preliminary construction on the new stadium began in early 2014, and it was declared "substantially complete" on August 31, 2016. The stadium is owned by the city of Regina and operated by the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL).[1]

The stadium soft opened with a university football game between the Regina Rams and the Saskatchewan Huskies on October 1, 2016. The Roughriders moved into the stadium for the 2017 CFL season. It hosted the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic and the 109th Grey Cup in 2022.

History

On July 12, 2012 during a pre-game ceremony, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Regina mayor Pat Fiacco announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the funding of a new stadium to house the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to replace Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field. The stadium was slated for construction at Evraz Place, Regina's exhibition grounds, sharing its site with Regina's indoor arena Brandt Centre.[2][3][4] The project was officially approved by the Regina City Council in January 2013.[5]

The new stadium serves as an aspect of the Regina Revitalization Initiative, a redevelopment project which will also see the former site of Taylor Field redeveloped into a residential area, and the re-location of the Canadian Pacific Railway's downtown yard to the Global Transportation Hub project on the west end of Regina to allow for further downtown development.[5][6]

On March 14, 2014, it was announced that PCL Construction had won the bid to lead the construction of the new stadium, and that it would be designed by HKS, Inc.—a firm recently known for their work on AT&T Stadium and Lucas Oil Stadium.[7][8] The official design of the new stadium was unveiled on May 22, 2014. as also announced that The Mosaic Company, which held naming rights to the previous stadium, would renew its naming rights to cover the new stadium under a 20-year deal. As such, the new stadium will also be known as Mosaic Stadium.

Regular season Riders game in 2018.

Preliminary excavation of the stadium site began in April 2014,[9] and an official groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 16, 2014.[10] The new stadium was scheduled to be completed by August 2016, and the Roughriders were to officially move into the facility for the 2017 season.[7] Installation of the stadium's FieldTurf Revolution 360 playing surface began in July 2016; it is the first CFL stadium to feature this iteration of FieldTurf.[11] On August 31, 2016, officials declared Mosaic Stadium to be "substantially complete", with furniture, concessions, and other fixtures still being finished.[12]

The city stated that at least three test events would be held at Mosaic Stadium before the Roughriders' inaugural season at the facility; the first was a Regina Rams/Saskatchewan Huskies university football game on October 1, 2016.[13][14] Only the lower bowl was utilized, capping capacity at 16,500.[15] The second test event, Regina Rocks Mosaic Stadium, was held on May 27, 2017, headlined by Bryan Adams. The stadium was capped at 75% of its capacity for this event.[15] The Riders hosted their first game at the new Mosaic Stadium, a pre-season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on June 10, 2017.[16]

In November 2019, a stretch of 10th Avenue along the north end of the stadium was renamed George Reed Way, in honour of retired Roughriders player George Reed. The stadium's official address was also changed to 1734 George Reed Way, in reference to his #34 jersey.[17][18]

Design

Interior and grandstand.
Mosaic Stadium during a soccer game.

The stadium is intended to provide a more modern fan experience in comparison to Taylor Field,[7] utilizing a sunken bowl with a partial roof around much of its rim, designed to shield spectators. The rim's curved design is meant to prevent snow from accumulating on the roof. The stadium was built to support the construction of a full roof in the future. To protect spectators from winds which predominantly come from the north and west, the lower bowl is situated 10 metres (33 ft) below ground level and the upper deck surrounds the entire north end zone. Thirty-eight corporate suites and two levels of luxury seating are also provided. The stadium features an open concourse, circling the entire facility.[2][19]

Below the concourse of the south end zone, which is not covered by either the roof or the upper deck) are five standing-room tiers branded as "Pil Country" (as part of a sponsorship by Pilsner), with bars running across their length. The section is by general admission and limited to attendees of legal drinking age (19 in Saskatchewan). [20]

Statues honouring Roughriders players Ron Lancaster and George Reed were erected at the west end of the stadium site.[18]

Budget

Mosaic Stadium was estimated to cost around $278 million to build.[2][4] Funding would be provided by multiple sources; the government of Saskatchewan provided a grant of $80 million, and a $100 million loan being paid off through a $12 surcharges on all Roughriders tickets. The city provided $73 million in funding, which will be subsidized through property tax increases. The remainder of the budget was covered by the Roughriders themselves, primarily through naming rights.[19] In May 2018, the Regina Exhibition Association's president disclosed that additional surcharges may be introduced for concert tickets in the future.[21]

In 2022, the provincial government announced that the existing exemption of the provincial sales tax for sports tickets would be abolished on October 1, effectively adding an additional six per cent charge to tickets for all events at venues in the province including Mosaic Stadium. The government cited the previous funding it had provided to build the stadium among the justifications for this change.

Accessibility and transportation

A white bronze statue of a Roughrider receiving a pass, supported by fans at the base, is located on the stadium grounds

Regina Transit offers free shuttle bus and parking service to and from Mosaic Stadium for Roughriders games and other major events, with drop-off points including Northgate Mall, Southland Mall, the University of Regina, two downtown locations and three locations in the Warehouse District. In 2018, Normanview Crossing dropped out of the program, as its businesses objected to the site's parking lots being wasted by its users. The site was replaced by a third downtown pickup location near the former Sears outlet store on Broad Street, which was criticized for removing coverage of the service from the city's northwest neighbourhoods.[22][23] In 2019, Victoria Square Mall was replaced by the University of Regina campus.[24]

Notable events

Football

Concerts

Hockey

Mosaic Stadium during the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic.

Soccer

References

  1. ↑ "Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. loses $1 million in 2017". CTV News Regina. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Design of new Regina stadium revealed". CJME.com. Rawlco Communications. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Regina unveils concept design for new stadium to house Roughriders". Canadian Press. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Deal signed for new stadium in Regina by 2017". CBC News. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Council gives go ahead for Stadium project to proceed". City of Regina. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Canadian Pacific Railway major tenant of Regina's Global Transportation Hub". NewsTalk650.com. Rawlco Communications. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Regina's new stadium to put city "on the international stage"". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  8. ↑ "PCL CONSTRUCTION NAMED THE PREFERRED PROPONENT FOR THE REGINA REVITALIZATION INITIATIVE - STADIUM PROJECT". Riderville.ca. Saskatchewan Roughriders. Archived from the original on May 22, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Work underway at site of new Regina stadium". CBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Let the building begin: Groundbreaking at Regina's new stadium site". Global Regina News. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  11. ↑ "'Best of the best': Work begins on turf at new Mosaic Stadium". CBC News. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ "New Mosaic Stadium 'substantially complete'". CBC News. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Three events to test out new Mosaic Stadium". Regina Leader-Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  14. ↑ "It's like a 'major league' venue: Test run of new Mosaic Stadium wins praise". CBC News. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 "Bryan Adams to play new Mosaic Stadium on May 27". Regina Leader-Post. April 4, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Finally! Roughriders to play 1st game in new Mosaic Stadium". CBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Avenue near Mosaic Stadium renamed George Reed Way to honour legend". Global News. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Road outside Mosaic Stadium renamed in honour of George Reed". leaderpost. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  19. 1 2 "Regina stadium design unveiled". CBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  20. ↑ "What you should know ahead of Game Day". Global News. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  21. ↑ "New fee could be coming for Mosaic Stadium concert tickets, says facility operator". CBC News. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Normanview opts out of free stadium busing due to parking lot nightmare". Regina Leader-Post. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  23. ↑ "How to use the city's Rider Transit service for Saturday's game". Regina Leader-Post. June 9, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Rider transit adds U of R pickup, removes Victoria Square Mall for 2019 season". CTV News Regina. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  25. ↑ "'We have this forever.' The Argos are Grey Cup champions after a wild night in Regina". thestar.com. November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Guns N' Roses headed to Regina in August". CBC News. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  27. ↑ "The Eagles announced as next headliner at Mosaic Stadium". Regina Leader-Post. December 4, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Tickets sold out for Garth Brooks' Mosaic Stadium show". Regina Leader-Post. June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Bettman announces that Regina will host 2019 Heritage Classic". Regina Leader-Post. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Pats reveal Prairie Classic jerseys, other details on outdoor game". CTV News Regina. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Pats moving outdoor games to Brandt Centre". Regina Leader-Post. January 4, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Pats announce 'once-in-a-lifetime' centennial spectacle". Regina Leader-Post. October 7, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  33. ↑ "New Regina stadium to host international soccer match". CBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Regina's soccer community welcomes international match". Regina Leader-Post. May 9, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Regina could be a 'dark horse' in 2026 World Cup bid: Sask. Soccer Association". CBC News. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Local roundup: Regina out of the running for 2026 World Cup". Regina Leader-Post. October 4, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Toronto FC U23 team is coming to Regina | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
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