Woodbine Entertainment to provide land for soccer-specific stadium, training facility

Jim Lawson says Woodbine Entertainment wants to provide Canadian soccer with a national training centre.

Woodbine announced Wednesday it is partnering with private investors to build a soccer training facility and soccer-specific stadium. Woodbine has designated a portion of its land for construction of the venues with the goal of creating a centre of excellence for the sport in Canada.

"With Canada on the brink of qualification for the 2022 FIFA men's World Cup, the women's national team's Olympic gold medal win and Canada co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, it's certainly the right time," said Lawson, the CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. "We've got the potential investors here, we have politicians at all three levels [municipal, provincial and federal] who appreciate the value of sport and are community minded.

There's certainly a buzz these days about soccer in Canada.

The 33rd-ranked men's team can clinch a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as early as Thursday in Costa Rica. Canada's only previous trip to the World Cup was in 1986 in Mexico.

Last summer, the sixth-ranked Canadian women's squad struck Olympic gold in Tokyo. And the 2026 men's World Cup will be staged in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

For Woodbine, the project would be an opportunity to get involved in a sport that's definitely on the rise in this country while also making Woodbine a more desirable destination. Canada Soccer, in recent years, has used Toronto FC's training centre in Downsview, Ont., or moved its teams further north to Alliston, Ont., to prepare for games.

And Lawson said a legacy of Canada co-hosting the '26 World Cup could be the establishment of a home base for a women's pro circuit.

The soccer venues would be located on Woodbine's property