The last time Canada played in Winnipeg was in a friendly against USA in 2014 just ahead of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup event. Over 28,000 soccer fans attended the friendly match.

Leading the two-time Olympic bronze medal squad is U of M alumna Desiree “The Destroyer” Scott. Scott was recently honoured as the recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Evening of Excellence for her achievements on the field and dedication to her community off the field.

Now a veteran, Scott and team superstar captain, Christine Sinclair look to boost Team Canada and continue the climb up the FIFA world rankings where they currently sit in the number five spot.

Canada Soccer is offering the U of M community the opportunity to come and cheer on their own with a great offer. Regular tickets start at $25 will be available to the University for 30% off tickets using promo code BISON by clicking here.

Canada vs. Costa Rica, June 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Hockey legends from the Jets, including Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne, will face off against Oilers’ icons, including Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, in the 2016 NHL Heritage Classic Alumni Game on Oct. 22.

On Oct. 23, the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers will play an outdoor regular season game at Investors Group Field in the 2016 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic.

Alongside the games, there will also be a Spectator Plaza set up and festivities open to ticket holders in the University of Manitoba, U Parking Lot (Student Parking).

Multiplatinum Canadian band Sum 41 headlines the Spectator Plaza entertainment on Oct. 23.

The Spectator Plaza will also feature bubble hockey three-on-three games.

More details on the variety of events and times can be found on the NHL’s website.

Parking restrictions will also be in effect on campus. More details can be found here.

The training will involve 50 officers, including emergency response teams, RCMP and WPS.

Signage around IGF will alert passersby to the training exercise.

He still sounds slightly incredulous about the new stadium facilities. “For the first time in my 39 years of coaching, we had an evening game under the lights!” Cheered on by the nearly 10,000 fans, the team took their competitors, the Alberta Golden Bears, for a win of 65-41. Last week, the team lost a close game to the Saskatchewan Huskies.

Asked to characterize this year’s team, Dobie remarks on their “great attitude.” “They all showed up here 45 minutes before the first practice!” he marvels. “And they haven’t let up. They’ve been great learners and performers. With that attitude, every day is a new day.”

As the first group to play in the new facility, the players have a lot of responsibility and ownership, Dobie notes.

“They have the chance to be pioneers and leaders. They have the power to set the precedent and establish the culture of Bison sports in this new era,” he says — much as U of M students and the rest of the university community will set the precedent for the fan culture.

“What they establish is going to be handed forward. Will the community take advantage of the opportunity provided by the new stadium, and embrace the team? It’s a wonderful opportunity,” he says.

“Bison sports is part of the university experience, and I hope that the whole university community takes pride in and takes advantage of the new stadium, and sees Bison Sports as something it wants to embrace. It’s a new era for Bison Football.

“We’re going to do it proud.”

This article first appeared in the September 12, 2013 edition of The Bulletin.

On June 27 the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will officially open the brand new Investors Group Field on the U of M Campus. The date will mark the culmination of years of planning, negotiations, construction and hard work by the football club.

It’s a date that many Manitobans have had circled on their calendars since the Canadian Football League schedule was released in early March, and a day that Garth Buchko, President and CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club has anticipated for years. “We’re very pleased that finally after two years of construction that we are able to open Investors Group Field,” said Buchko. “It’s been a long time coming, but like all Manitobans, we’re proud to be part of this.”

June 27 will also mark the official beginning of a relationship between the Bombers and the U of M, a relationship that both parties expect to be very fruitful. For the university, importance is placed on welcoming thousands of new visitors to the campus to share the passion of football tradition that comes with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Investors Group Field will serve as an exciting new facility for Bison Football. The Bisons now boast the newest and largest stadium of all Canadian university football squads.

“The completion of Investors Group Field demonstrates that we can accomplish great things when we work together as partners,” said President and Vice-Chancellor David Barnard. “We look forward to playing host to people who can come to our Fort Garry campus for Winnipeg Blue Bomber games and other special events. We are also excited about the opportunities this first-class facility provides for Bisons Football.”

“We get to work hand-in-hand with the Bison football operations,” said Garth Buchko. “Our coaches and management have been working with [Bison head coach] Brian Dobie an awful lot over the past six months, much more than we ever have before. For the Bison players to be able to walk on that field and maybe throw some passes with Buck Pierce, to be able to see how our players train, and see what’s needed to get to the next level, is tremendous for the Bisons, but it’s also tremendous for us.”

The excitement of a new state-of-the-art athletic facility has already begun to affect the campus and surrounding community, and the Bombers delight in becoming part of a lively community. “This is a vibrant part of the city, and a lot of people don’t understand how vibrant this campus is,” added Buchko. “For us to be part of the vibrancy of the student body, the faculties, and everything else, is exciting for all of our staff.”

The hope is that this new relationship between the Bombers and Bisons will be a boon for football in Manitoba. Winnipeg Football Club is dedicated to developing athletes and fans alike, starting at the grassroots.

“The more we can do to build football from a minor league level, be it junior football, high school football, peewee football, to university football, the more we can build that, and build the infrastructure of athletes in our city and province, the better we will be long term,” said Buchko.

“It’s all about building that next level of athlete to play football, and also building that next level of fan.”

Investors Group Field Facts

Construction:

–          Approximately $200 million price tag

–          Broke ground May 20, 2010

–          Arch trusses support 8 acres of roof, which is the largest and highest in Canada, spanning 190 meters, rising to 200 feet in the air

–          Roof provides coverage from elements for 80 per cent of patrons

–          9000 tons of steel

–          28,000 cubic meters of concrete

–          450 pieces of precast bleachers

–          272,000 concrete blocks

–          8 acres of indoor floor space

–          33,500 seats (expandable to 40,000 for major events)

–          Playing field dips 25 feet below ground

–          400,000 man hours

–          2 HD video boards (30’ x 123’)

–          240 TV monitors

–          6 elevators

–          4,000 square-foot retail store

–          46 executive suites

–          More washrooms, concessions, legroom and amenities than the former CanadInns Stadium

Major Events

–          June 12, 2013: First Bombers’ preseason game

–          June 22, 2013: Taylor Swift Concert

–          June 27, 2013: Winnipeg Blue Bombers Home Opener & Grand Opening

–          August 12, 2013: Paul McCartney Concert

–          Friday, August 30: Bisons Football Home Opener

–          June 2015: FIFA Women’s World Cup

This article first appeared in the June 6, 2013 edition of The Bulletin.

This June, Investors Group Field will welcome football fans for their first game-day experience, ushering in a new era of athletics at the University of Manitoba. The Manitoba Bisons will play four home games at the impressive stadium this year, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will host 10 games, starting with an exhibition game against Toronto on June 12.

Boasting eight acres of roof — making it the largest canopied structure in Canada — Investors Group Field is built to impress, with every effort made to enhance the event day experience for football fans and concert-goers alike.

In an effort to ensure that getting to and from the stadium, as well as the rest of campus, on event days is a similarly positive experience, the University of Manitoba partnered with the City of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Football Club to create an Event Day Transportation and Parking Plan.

The main things that members of the university community should remember on event days are that:

–          The event day plan goes into effect 90 minutes before an event begins and ends 60 minutes after it concludes.

–          U of M parkers are encouraged to leave via King’s Drive when the plan is in effect.

–          There will be no casual parking spaces available on campus beginning 90 minutes before an event, until an hour after the event concludes.

–          When the event day plan is in place, parking for those with U of M parking permits will be limited to A Lot, L Lot (except L Residence), B Lot, AC Lot (southeast corner of Freedman Crescent) and CT Lot at the Crop Technology Centre.

–          About a half hour after an event starts, traffic will open up and vehicles can enter and exit campus as they wish.

To keep staff and students apprised of event day parking and other transportation-related news, the university will be sending out regular communications via email and the @UMoutstanding Twitter account.  The U of M map has also added a handy stadium layer, which outlines U of M-only parking on event days.

The plan, which includes information for regular parkers, casual parkers, transit riders, cyclists and pedestrians, can be found at:

>>investorsgroupfield.ca

>>U of M map: umanitoba.ca/maps/

Upcoming events

Wednesday, June 12: Winnipeg Blue Bombers; event starts 7:00 p.m., parking restrictions begin 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 22: Taylor Swift Concert; event starts 7:30 p.m., parking restrictions begin 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 27: Winnipeg Blue Bombers home opener; event starts 8:00 p.m., parking restrictions begin 6:30 p.m.

This article first appeared in the June 6, 2013 edition of The Bulletin.