News Sports turf
Globe reports plans for new Jays stadium part of downtown redevelopment plan

The Globe and Mail reported last week that the owners of the Rogers Centre – home of the Toronto Blue Jays – wish to demolish the facility and build a new natural turf stadium in the same precinct.

The land is federally-owned, and talks are underway involving government officials from the city, provincial and federal levels along with Rogers Communications Inc. – owners of the Rogers Centre – and real estate company Brookfield Asset Management Inc., according to the newspaper.

The stadium project would be part of a downtown Toronto redevelopment plan, reported the Globe and Mail story.

“Prior to the pandemic, we were exploring options for the stadium, but through this year our primary focus has been keeping our customers connected and keeping our employees safe, so there is no update on Rogers Centre to share at this time,” a statement from Rogers Communications read.

The Rogers Centre – originally called the Skydome when it opened in 1989 – has been the home of the Toronto Blue Jays since the team moved from Exhibition Stadium. It is one of Major League Baseball’s last remaining ball parks with artificial turf. The team played its “home” games this year at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field due to the closure of the Canada-U.S. border in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.