Frank Clair Stadium

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Frank Clair Stadium
nickname =


location = Lansdowne Park
broke_ground =
opened = 1908
owner = City of Ottawa, Ontario
operator =
surface =
construction_cost =
architect =
tenants = Ottawa Rough Riders (CFL) (1908-1996)
Ottawa Renegades (CFL) (2002-2005)
University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (CIS)
Carleton University Ravens (CIS)
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
seating_capacity = 26,559

Frank Clair Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Lansdowne Park, on the southern edge of The Glebe neighbourhood, where Bank Street crosses the Rideau Canal.

The stadium was the home of the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League from 1908 to 1996, when the team went defunct. It was the home of the Ottawa Renegades from 2002 until 2005. A previous incarnation of the stadium served as the home venue of the Ottawa Giants minor-league baseball franchise.

The original stadium, which was completed in 1908, as part of the Ottawa Exposition Grounds, sat 30,927 for football. It consisted of a single-decked grandstand on one side of the field and a double-decked grandstand on the opposite side. The north side stands are located above the Ottawa Civic Centre. There is frequently a rivalry during sporting events between the two grandstands dubbed the "Northside" and the "Southside". "Northside sucks!" and "Southside sucks!" chants break out during football games regularly. The "Northside" has always been known as the more sophisticated side, while the "Southside" is a much rowdier side.

For many years, the stadium was known simply as Lansdowne Park, after the fairgrounds in which it was located. It was renamed in 1993 to honour Frank Clair, coach and general manager for the Ottawa Rough Riders during the 1960s and 1970s.

The stadium is also home to University of Ottawa's Ottawa Gee-Gees, and prior to the disbanding of the Ravens football programme at Carleton University in 1998, was the site of the "Panda Bowl", when these rivals played each other with rowdy fans hurling insults across both sides of the stadium. At the final Panda Bowl game in 1997, the year following the departure of the Riders from Ottawa, the game (forfeited) was marred by an accident when drunken students fell from a grandstand.

In the late 1990s, the stadium was threatened with demolition when then-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 and end the scheme.

Frank Clair Stadium has played host to five Grey Cup games, the first occasion being in 1925 when Ottawa won its first Grey Cup title. It later held Grey Cup games in 1939, 1967, and 1988, before playing host to the 92nd Grey Cup in 2004, in which the Toronto Argonauts defeated the B.C. Lions to become the 2004 CFL Champions.

During the winter months, a private company rents the field and places an inflated dome over the field area, renting the covered/heated surface for use by amateur sports teams.

In mid 2007, the stadium was one of six hosts in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Capacity is now listed at 26,559.

The stadium was also the host of several outdoor concerts with the last major one in 2005 when the Rolling Stones performed in front of a crowd of 43,000.

In September 2007, the lower south side was closed, due to cracks in the concrete structure. Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien was quoted at the time that this was an opportunity to do a review of the usage and the facilities of Lansdowne Park. [cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2007/09/06/ot-frank-clair-070906.html |title=Ottawa closes stadium section due to cracks in structure |date=September 6, 2007 |accessdate=2008-01-10 |publisher=CBC News] The lower section of the stands was demolished July 20, 2008 at 8:03 AM.

CFL team owners have paid a reported 7 million dollars to secure a future team in Ottawa. A Ottawa based CFL franchise will return to the league as soon as 2010, hopes are a rebuilt Frank Clair Stadium will be their home field once again. Investor Frank Hunt says the venue and location are ideal, with over a million people in Ottawa they have already pre sold 2,000 season tickets.

References & Notes

External links

* [http://lansdownepark.ca/history_en.html Lansdowne Park Historical Dates]