TD Place StadiumStade Place TD (French)

TD Place Stadium (originally Lansdowne Park and formerly Frank Clair Stadium) is an outdoor stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal. It is the home of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Atletico Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), and the Ottawa Aces in League 1 of the Rugby Football League (RFL).

The playing field has existed since the 1870s, and the complete stadium since 1908. The stadium has been host to FIFA tournaments, Summer Olympic Games, and seven Grey Cups.

History

The playing field, part of the Ottawa Exposition Grounds, was first cleared in the 1870s. It was used for equestrian events, lacrosse and rugby football. The first permanent grandstand was built on the north side of the playing field in 1908. It was demolished in 1967 to build a new set of stands with an integrated ice hockey arena underneath, then known as the Ottawa Civic Centre.

A small grandstand was built in the 1920s on the south-side of the field, and it was replaced in 1960. A second deck for the south-side was added during the 1970s. As of 2008, prior to lower south-side demolition, the overall stadium had a 30,927 capacity for football.

In 1984, the grass field which had been in place from 1908 to 1983 was replaced by Astroturf, which lasted though the 2000 season.

In the late 1990s, the stadium was threatened with demolition when then-city councillor (and current Ottawa mayor) Jim Watson led a drive by the municipal government to allow a private developer to reconfigure Lansdowne Park. The proposals submitted all called for residences to be built on the site of the football stadium. Massive public opposition and the realization that the end of the stadium would mean the end of hopes to return CFL football to the capital led the regional government to step in to end the scheme.

In 2001, one year before the Ottawa Renegades began

This page also has a version in other languages :  Ти-ди Плэйс Стэдиум Стадион (russian)