Scottish Society’s soccer dome a step closer to reality
What was once considered a pipe dream is nearing reality for the Edmonton Scottish Society and could benefit the entire city.
The group cleared a large hurdle earlier this week in regards to building permits and it’s full steam ahead on the Edmonton Soccer Dome located on the grounds of the society in the far south of the city.
The Dome is expected to be completed in August and will be the largest of its kind in Canada, measuring 152 metres by 82 metres with a height of nearly 23 metres. The dome will be a stateof-the-art sports facility to be used year-round.
“We started thinking about this project four years ago this October,” said Edmonton Scottish Society president Peter Dolan. “We’ve been talking about having an indoor soccer facility at the society for many, many years. We decided we should take the bull by the horns and start practicing what we were preaching.”
The dome will feature a fullsized soccer field and will also be divided up into smaller fields to accommodate multiple users.
Originally, the plan was to build a structured facility to accommodate a full-sized soccer field.
“We enlisted a couple of other bodies to help us and in October four years ago, we went to Saskatoon to see their indoor soccer centre,” Dolan said. “We met with an executive out there named Jodi Blackwell and Jodi just opened the books and showed us everything she had, how they ran it and what they did. Initially, our thought was that we could build something similar to what Saskatoon had, but the price tag at the end of the day was probably $25-30 million.
“In January of last year, we decided to change the tact a little bit, because we knew the asking price was too much, and changing from a permanent structure to a bubble, the revenue model is identical. So for a quarter of the investment we would recoup the same benefits at the end of the day.”
Construction on the dome began in August when the society removed an outdoor field. The project is part of the development of the entire site, home to the Edmonton Scottish United soccer club.
“There is a 21-acre site here so once we finish developing the entire site, I think it’s going to be up to around $10 million,” said Edmonton Soccer Dome general manager Antony Bent. “But we’ll have a full-size indoor field, four premium outdoor grass fields, a new banquet hall, a large bar and a banquet area.
“The Edmonton Scottish Society has a mortgage against the property to build the dome and the city is a partner — we got a lot of funding from the city. I think up to $3 million has been put in by the city to build new facilities and have more place for kids to play and give an opportunity for the game to grow.”
The plan was to have the dome completed by last November. Delays with permits pushed it to January, then to August.
“The foundation for the dome is currently in place, and the next phase of the project will see a stateof-the art turf laid down over the 135,000-square-foot facility,” Bent said. “It’s a very ambitious project, and we think it’s going to put Edmonton on the map. It’s going to be the biggest billboard in the city, if you look at it. We’re right on the airport flight path, you’re going to come over it when you land and the first thing you see when you drive into the city will be this enormous, white, beautiful soccer dome.”
A number of groups have approached the society inquiring about a completion date.
“There are people champing at the bit to get in this dome and just have a facility where they can really run at full speed and play the proper game all year round,” Bent said. “There is such a short season in Edmonton to play soccer, so now to be able to play the real game, the 11-vs-11 game, indoor all year round instead of being enclosed inside warehouses and school gyms, that’s the advantage.
“And this will not just be for soccer, but for every sport. It’s a sports dome, really. Now we’re part of the 2026 World Cup bid as well, and hopefully if the North American bid wins, this will be a team base camp. We could see England maybe or Scotland, if they qualify, at this location.”