In January 2023, Derek Van Tassell walked into Grande Prairie city council chambers with a straightforward problem.
His soccer club was full. Not just full turning kids away. Swan City FC had lost its main indoor pitch when the city's Leisure Centre closed for demolition. The club had 850 registered players and nowhere to put them. That winter alone, 150 players were turned away. The fall before, another 100. By 2025, the number had climbed past 200 annually.
"For the first time ever, we're in a situation where we've actually had to turn down kids to play indoor soccer," Van Tassell told CBC at the time.
The city heard him. It just took two and a half years, a site change, an RFP, a borrowing bylaw, and $16.9 million to do something about it.
Construction on the Grande Prairie Multisport Dome broke ground in September 2025. It is expected to open in July 2026.
What's Actually Being Built
The dome is an air-supported structure a pressurized fabric shell held up by air rather than steel framing, the same technology used in domes across Canada. It sits at 103 Street and 139 Avenue in the city's Trader Ridge area in the north end, on land the city purchased for $2.38 million as part of the project.
Inside: a full FIFA regulation-size soccer pitch, large enough to host provincial and national competitions. The field can be reconfigured for football, rugby, cricket, and track. The facility is designed for year-round use, climate-controlled, and built to handle the kind of winters that make outdoor fields unusable for six months of the year in northern Alberta.
Atkinson Construction is handling the build. Arcadis designed it. The city says sustainability and efficiency were built into the design from the start.
Who Is Paying For It
Total cost: $16.9 million.
The City of Grande Prairie is the primary funder, using debenture financing, reserve funds, and capital funds. Any cost overruns are the city's responsibility the county's contribution is capped.
The County of Grande Prairie is contributing up to $2.8 million: $500,000 paid in January 2026 and the remainder on completion. Starting in year two, operating costs will be split between the city and county based on how much county residents actually use the facility. The city covers everything in year one.
No provincial or federal funding has been announced.
Why It Took So Long
Swan City FC first presented to council in January 2023. Council approved $10 million in debenture funding in principle that April. Consultations followed. The city considered building in Avondale before financial analysis pushed the location to Trader Ridge. An RFP went out in February 2025. A contract was awarded. Ground broke in September 2025.
From first presentation to shovels in the ground: two years and eight months.
Van Tassell was candid about his frustration with the timeline in 2023. "It's just the pace of government. But when it comes down to kids actually not being able to play a sport, it does get a little more irritating."
County Reeve Bob Marshall put it simply at the August 2025 groundbreaking. "We're at capacity."
What It Means for the Region
Grande Prairie draws athletes and families from Peace Country communities spanning hundreds of kilometres in every direction. A FIFA-regulation indoor pitch changes what the city can bid on provincial championships, national youth tournaments, regional competitions that currently go to Edmonton or Calgary by default.
Mayor Jackie Clayton said the dome will let Grande Prairie host events it previously couldn't. "The Multisport Dome is more than a place to play. It's a year-round hub for activity, a driver of sport tourism, and a key investment in our city's future."
In a city of roughly 70,000 people where winters are long and outdoor fields freeze solid by October, the dome solves a basic problem that has gone unsolved for years: where do hundreds of soccer players train from November to April? Until now, the answer has been cramped school gyms, borrowed space, and waitlists. Come July 2026, the answer will be Trader Ridge.
What Comes Next
The city says the project is on schedule and on budget. Completion is expected by July 2026, with programming and bookings to follow shortly after.
Swan City FC is expected to be a primary tenant. The city has said it is open to operational partnerships with sports organizations, though no formal agreements have been publicly announced.
For project updates, visit cityofgp.com/multisport-dome.
Sources
City of Grande Prairie, Multisport Dome project page — cityofgp.com/multisport-dome
City of Grande Prairie, groundbreaking news release, August 18, 2025 — cityofgp.com
City of Grande Prairie, City and County Council Expanded Facilities Framework, October 9, 2025 — cityofgp.com
City of Grande Prairie, Recreation Facility engagement page — engage.cityofgp.com/recfacility
Swan City FC presentation to Grande Prairie City Council, January 9, 2023
