12,000-seat Cavalry FC soccer stadium and field house part of future vision of Spruce Meadows

A new 12,000-seat soccer stadium to replace the current Cavalry FC ground, ATCOField,is apossibility being outlined as part of an area structure plan for the future of SpruceMeadows.

Foothills County councillors just passed first reading oftheplan, which outlines where Spruce Meadows is heading in terms of future growth and vision.

The plan, which is updated every 10 years, also includes the possibility of a field house and a boutique hotel at the world-famous equestrian venue that sits just outside of Calgary's city limits on the city's southwest side.

"It's important to look down the road and to recognize the evolution of a property and venue like Spruce Meadows,"said president and chief operating officer of Cavalry FC, Ian Allison.

Cavalry FC haveenjoyed a flyingstart in theinaugural season of the Canadian Premier League under manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Cavalry, currently sitting in second place in the league, alsoenjoyed an impressive run in the Canadian championship competition,hosting and giving higher-tierMLS teams, includingtheVancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact, a run for their money. Cavalrywere the first CPL league team to win againstan MLSoutfit when theydefeatedVancouver.

Allison says if the fanbase continues to grow, there iscapacity to add another 2,000 seats at ATCO Field, taking thecapacity up to around 6,000, andif the demand is there then a new stadium will be built in a different part ofSpruce Meadows in the future.

"The placethat's been put forward in the area structure plan is the existing All-Canada Ring, which is the original show jumping ring of Spruce Meadows. It would be the venue we'd likely look at if we were to build a new stadium," said Allison.

Allison says the covered stadium would remain agrass surface, but wouldn't be an encloseddome-style stadium.

Allison adds it would would be a gradual processto avoid losing the atmosphere at Cavalry home games.

"One thing we don't want to be doing is playing before empty grandstands so we have to understand the market, we have to understand the utilization, the length of season," Allison said.

Allison says Spruce Meadows can support12,000 soccer fans, despite a few early seasongrowing pains earlier this season around parking and accessing the ground.

"I think we can handle it and I look forward to that challenge in the future," Allison said.

The area'scouncillor says there have been some concerns expressed around increased traffic around Spruce Meadowsin the future but he sees the area structure plan as a big positive.

"It's basically going to take us into the next 30 years. Our council has put them under a direct control designation which allows our council to the be development authority on the building of the area," said Division 5 councillor Alan Alger.

"There will be more traffic and more events, but there was very little pushback from the neighbours when we had a public hearing," Alger said, although a handful ofpeople in rural properties nearby did have some concerns.

"Some people might hear this and think it's all going to happen in the next year, but it's not. It's over 30 years and the soccer stadium will come as the fanbase for soccer continues and the equestrian side of things will continue to grow also," he added.

FoothillsCouncil willaddress second reading once it hasbeen approved by the Calgary Metropolitan Regional Board.