Royal Athletic Park

Story

Royal Athletic Park is a multi-purpose, fully lit stadium in Victoria, British Columbia. It is primarily used for baseball, soccer, softball and football, but also hosts special events, such as the annual Great Canadian Beer Festival and Rifflandia Music Festival. It is approximately a ten-minute walk from the city centre.HistoryIn 1907 the burgeoning summer athletic teams did not have enough facilities for senior teams with paid attendances. Baseball in particular was challenged to find available dates at Oak Bay Grounds to operate due to a preference for lacrosse.Subsequently, the supporters of Canada's national summer sport lacrosse, at a meeting chaired by BC Premier McBride formed the Royal Victoria Athletic Association on March 26, 1908, and a senior lacrosse team was founded to enable the best intermediate (Under 21) players to play in the British Columbia Amateur Lacrosse Association (BCALA) League. The Oak Bay Grounds were put under the management of the senior baseball team and then later the Rugby Football Club. The lacrosse group, later shortened to the Royal Athletic Association, issued shares at $25 each with deposits of 10% and biannual calls of 10% to raise $25,000 for improvements to the grounds. The lease was signed for 5 acres at the corner of Cook and Pembroke Streets for the grounds.Contracts had been let by May 12, 1908 and $4,000 from the share offering and gate receipts was spent by June on the construction of a perimeter fence, 2 ticket offices, an inner fence, grandstand, and carriage parking area. The inner fence enclosed the 500 ft x 285 ft (152m x 87m) playing field. The grandstand on the south side of the playing field was 150 ft long x 25 ft deep with 10 rows of seats for more than 1000 spectators. Beneath the grandstand were dressing rooms and concessions. The original layout of the field and grandstand was essentially the same as today's; however based on maps used in advertising the original field also included half of the city block to the west between Quadra and Vancouver Streets. The carriage parking was on the east side off Cook Street.