Soccer stadium, Canadian Premier League team might come to Saskatoon by 2024

From community programs to elite soccer and concerts — Prairieland is planning to build an open-air stadium in Saskatoon, which would also be home to a Canadian Premier League franchise team.

The multi-use facility with 5,500 seats is estimated to cost around $28 million total to build, according to Steve Chisholm, board chair of Prairieland.

"We do anticipate that this is a generational facility," he said on Tuesday.

"We're not just building it for the group that's going to be here in the next five years. But we certainly hope that it will expand and grow as well."

The new stadium would have the potential to expand to 8,000 seats in the future, according to the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority's Canadian Premier League soccer stadium economic impact study from 2021.

The proposed site of the stadium is Marquis Downs, the former space used for horse racing in the city.

Prairieland is supporting the project with over $2 million in cash as well as "hundreds of thousands of dollars in staff support," said Chisholm in a news release.

It is now looking for additional support from the community and all levels of government, he added.

Prairieland though has already an anchor tenant for the new stadium. 

The Saskatchewan company that owns the rights to develop and launch a CPL expansion team in Saskatoon is on board as a private investor and partner.

Al Simpson of Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. has pledged $2 million toward the construction of the stadium, in addition to covering the franchise and team startup costs, Chisholm said in a news release.

"We are an immigrant nation," said Simpson on Tuesday. "The sport of soccer is universal. That's not going to change. Soccer is the world's game."

Chisholm