Grande Prairie broke ground on its new multisport dome at Trader Ridge on August 18, 2025. The target at the time was July 2026. That date has passed and the dome is not open.
The City of Grande Prairie announced June 25 that the facility will not be ready until early 2027. Construction is still underway. The city said the project team continues to work through remaining coordination, servicing, grading, and approval requirements but gave no specific reason for the delay publicly.
We covered the groundbreaking and what the dome will offer when it opens at
culturealberta.com/articles/grande-prairie-is-finally-getting-a-169-million-indoor-sports-dome-after-years-of-turning-kids-away
What the dome is and why Grande Prairie needs it
The multisport dome is a 135,000 square foot air-supported structure at 103 Street and 139 Avenue in the Trader Ridge area. It will house a full FIFA regulation-size soccer field with flexible configurations for soccer, football, rugby, cricket, baseball, and track and field. The auxiliary building includes locker rooms, public washrooms, a reception area, and storage. Portable bleachers and an indoor track are also part of the design.
The project started because of the demolition of the former Leisure Centre, which left a significant gap in indoor field space. In January 2023, Swan City Football Club went to City Council with a direct message: minor soccer was turning away approximately 400 players because facilities were at capacity.
"We're at capacity. They're turning away around 400 is what we're hearing from minor soccer," said County of Grande Prairie Reeve Bob Marshall at the August 2025 groundbreaking. "Hopefully this will give us some surge to allow growth within the region."
How the site ended up at Trader Ridge
The dome did not always have a home at Trader Ridge. That is part of why the timeline has stretched longer than originally anticipated.
Council gave preliminary approval for up to $10 million in debenture funding in April 2023. A site selection process followed over the next two years. In May 2024, council identified a preferred site north of the city's pickleball courts and directed administration to negotiate with the relevant school division for its development. Those negotiations did not result in a deal.
By February 2025, council had pivoted to Trader Ridge, approved the new location, purchased the land for $2,384,904, and directed administration to issue a Request for Proposal for design and construction. Atkinson Construction was awarded the contract. Groundbreaking happened in August 2025 more than two years after the original concept came to council.
That two-year path from idea to shovels, followed by the current construction delay, means the facility that Swan City FC asked for in January 2023 will not be open until sometime in early 2027 — four years later.
The money and who is paying
Total project budget is $16.9 million. The City is funding the majority through debenture financing, reserve funds, and Council Strategic Initiatives. The County of Grande Prairie is contributing up to $2.8 million toward actual construction costs under the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework between the two municipalities.
Naming rights for the dome are still available. Businesses can contact sponsorship@cityofgp.com.
What the delay means for sport tourism
The dome was not designed just for local rec leagues. From the beginning the city positioned it as a regional competition venue capable of hosting provincial and national-level events the kind of bookings that bring athletes, families, and officials to Grande Prairie for weekends at a time, filling hotels and restaurants.
Mayor Jackie Clayton said at the groundbreaking that the facility would cement Grande Prairie's role as a leader in sport tourism and regional development. A FIFA regulation field that can host provincial soccer championships or national-level rugby tournaments is a meaningful economic asset but only once it is open.
Every month the opening is delayed is a month of potential event bookings that cannot be confirmed, sporting associations that book other venues, and economic activity that does not land in Grande Prairie. The city has not said whether any events had been pencilled in for fall 2026 or whether those bookings are affected by the new early 2027 timeline.
What the delay means for players
For the 400-plus minor soccer players who were being turned away when this project started, another fall and winter without the facility means another season of the same problem that motivated the project in the first place. Clubs that planned programming around a summer 2026 opening are now recalibrating. Regional competitions that might have used the facility this fall will go elsewhere.
The city has not said whether the budget is affected by the delay or whether the early 2027 timeline is firm.
What comes next
The city says it will provide further updates as key milestones are reached. For current project information visit cityofgp.com/multisport-dome.
Sources:
City of Grande Prairie, Multisport Dome project page and delay announcement, June 25, 2026 (cityofgp.com/multisport-dome)
City of Grande Prairie, Future of Grande Prairie sport kicks off at groundbreaking, August 18, 2025 (cityofgp.com)
City of Grande Prairie, Engage Grande Prairie recreation facility consultation page (engage.cityofgp.com/recfacility)
