Living Sky Sports & Entertainment (LSSE) released proposed plans to build a 5,500-seat soccer stadium at Prairieland Park at Marquis Downs..The stadium is for the Saskatoon franchise in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), Canada’s elite pro soccer league with eight teams across the country..LSSE was awarded the franchise about a year ago and LSSE CEO and owner Al Simpson said “it was a no-brainer to invest in the CPL.”.“They’ve been able to establish a national footprint from Halifax to Vancouver Island. Now just stop and think what other professional sports league has been able to do that? CFL? Nope. MLS? Nope. You haven’t seen it. The CPL has done it,” said Simpson..Instead of going to a larger market, Simpson chose Saskatoon because the city has many advantages..The Prairieland Park location is easy to get to from anywhere in the city because of the ring road..“You guys are spoiled and you don’t even know it. You got Circle Drive, you can get here in 10-15 minutes from around the city,” said Simpson..Simpson is very excited to bring a team to Saskatoon..“We think the city of Saskatoon deserves it, we think the province of Saskatchewan deserves it,” said Simpson..“We are an immigrant nation. The sport of soccer is universal. That’s not going to change. Soccer is the world’s game.”.The estimated cost for the soccer stadium is $28 million and Simpson wants shovels in the ground as soon as possible because the tentative target date for the soccer team to enter the CPL is 2024..It will be more than a soccer stadium as it can accommodate cricket, rugby, and events such as concerts..The stadium could be increased to 8,000 seats in the future..The CPL is looking at Kelowna and Windsor for future expansion teams.
