Mosaic Stadium

Mosaic Stadium is an open-air stadium 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]

This article is about the new Mosaic Stadium. For its predecessor, see Taylor Field (Regina).

Mosaic Stadium
Stadium's exterior
Mosaic Stadium
Location in Saskatchewan
Mosaic Stadium
Location in Canada
Location1734 George Reed Way, Regina, Saskatchewan
Coordinates50°27′1.72″N 104°37′59.58″W
OwnerCity of Regina
OperatorRegina Exhibition Association Ltd.
Executive suites38
Capacity33,350 (expandable to 40,000)
SurfaceFieldTurf Revolution 360
Construction
Broke groundJune 16, 2014
OpenedJuly 1, 2017
Construction cost$278 million
ArchitectHKS, 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

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 will host the 110th Grey Cup in 2022.

History

On July 12, 2012 during a pre-game ceremony, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Regina mayor Pat Fiacco ceremoniously 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]The re-location of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s downtown yard to the Global Transportation Hub is now in question as the Hub is now going to be privatized.

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.

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]

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. The south end zone is not covered by the roof. To protect spectators from wind, the lower bowl is situated 10 metres (33 ft) below ground level. Thirty-eight corporate suites and two levels of luxury seating are also provided. The stadium features an open concourse, circling the entire facility.[2][17]

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.[17] In May 2018, the Regina Exhibition Association's president disclosed that additional surcharges may be introduced for concert tickets in the future.[18]

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.[19][20] In 2019, Victora Square Mall was replaced by the University of Regina campus.[21]

Notable events

Football
  • In March 2019, it was reported that the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders were negotiating to bring an NFL preseason game to Mosaic Stadium on August 23, 2019. The Saskatchewan Roughriders vetoed the proposal, fearing that they would be unable to reconfigure the field back from NFL to CFL standards in time for their game the next day. The game was instead picked up by IG Field in Winnipeg.[22][23]
  • Mosaic Stadium was to host the 108th Grey Cup in 2020.[24] Due to complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced May 20, 2020 that the game will not be held at a neutral site for the 2020 season, and that Regina would host in 2022 (due to Hamilton having been awarded the 109th Grey Cup).[25]

Concerts

Hockey

Soccer
  • Valencia CF of La Liga and the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League hosted an international friendly at Mosaic Stadium on July 22, 2017. The match was played as part of an event branded as Soccer Day in Saskatchewan, which also included a women's match featuring the University of Regina Cougars hosting the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.[33][34]
  • In 2017, Mosaic Stadium was listed as one of nine possible Canadian venues in United 2026, a joint U.S.-led bid to hold portions of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada and Mexico.[35] However, Regina did not make the shortlist of 32.[36]

References
  1. "Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. loses $1 million in 2017". CTV News Regina. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  2. "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. "Deal signed for new stadium in Regina by 2017". CBC News. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  5. "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. "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. "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. "Regina stadium design unveiled". CBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  18. "New fee could be coming for Mosaic Stadium concert tickets, says facility operator". CBC News. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  19. "Normanview opts out of free stadium busing due to parking lot nightmare". Regina Leader-Post. May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  20. "How to use the city's Rider Transit service for Saturday's game". Regina Leader-Post. June 9, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  21. "Rider transit adds U of R pickup, removes Victoria Square Mall for 2019 season". CTV News Regina. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  22. "Winnipeg to host NFL pre-season game between Raiders and Packers". CTV News Winnipeg. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  23. "Attempt to host NFL preseason game in Regina stopped short of the goal line". CBC News. March 29, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  24. Taekema, Dan (February 21, 2019). "'Holy cow, we did it': The 2021 Grey Cup is coming to Hamilton". CBC News. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  25. "CFL eyes September return, changes Grey Cup format". CBC News. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  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.
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