Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field

Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field
Taylor Field
Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field prior to a Roughrider game
Former names	Park de Young (1936-1946)
Location	1910 Piffles Taylor Way P.O. Box 1966 Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3E1 Phone: (306) 569-2323
Opened	1936
Owner	City of Regina
Surface	Dirt (1936-1946) Grass (1946-76) 3M Tartan Turf (1979-87) OmniTurf (1988-1999) AstroTurf (2000-06) FieldTurf (2007-present)
Construction cost	Unknown
Architect	Unknown
Capacity	Football: 30,048 (55,438 with temporary seating)
Tenants
Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL) Regina Rams (CIS football) 2005 Canada Games (field hockey) Regina Thunder (CJFL) Regina High School Football

Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field is a sports stadium located in Regina, Saskatchewan which is used primarily to play Canadian football. It has been the home of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders in rudimentary form since 1910 and as a complete stadium since 1936. Additionally, it is the home field for the University of Regina Rams, who play in CIS and the Regina Thunder who play in the Canadian Junior Football League. The field is also used to play high school football.

It is owned and managed by the city of Regina. The field has artificial turf and, as of 2011, a seating capacity of 30,048.

History

The stadium is located in the North Central portion of Regina. Beginning in 1910, the original "Regina Roughriders" played on a field known as Park Hughes, which is located where the stadium still stands today. In 1927, Park Hughes and the adjoining Park de Young were reconfigured to provide a better venue to accommodate the growing number of Roughrider fans. The first permanent grandstand was built in 1936.

Originally, the playing surface was dirt; new topsoil was added every year. However, in 1946, the city recreation board agreed to plant a more stable grass surface.

In 1947 the facility was renamed Taylor Field after recently-deceased Neil J. "Piffles" Taylor, a First World War fighter pilot and postwar lawyer who played and coached rugby union and football in the city, and subsequently served as president of the Regina Roughriders (forerunner of the Saskatchewan Roughriders), the Canadian Rugby Union and the Western Interprovincial Football Union. A man of legendary toughness, Taylor lost an eye in action during the First World War, and spent more than a year in a German prisoner of war camp, but persisted in playing football in the 1920s. His artificial glass eye was once jolted out of its socket when he was tackled. All play stopped while players from both teams hunted for the missing eye. When found, Taylor cleaned it, then popped it back into its socket and resumed play.

Renovations in 1978-79 increased the seating capacity by about 7,000 seats with the addition of an upper-level grandstand on the west side of the stadium. In 2005, a new scoreboard was installed, which included the stadium's first permanent giant replay screen.

Former Rider receiver Hugh Campbell said in the documentary CFL Traditions in 2003. "When I first saw the stadium in Regina (in 1963), it looked like a farmer had built it, you know, like they'd just added on a few pieces here and there and half of the dressing room was dirt floor, where us rookies got to be. But we had a hook for everybody to hang their clothes on so that was a pretty good deal."

On June 23, 2006, the Roughriders and The Mosaic Company announced a 10 year, $3.75 million naming rights deal. Unlike other similar deals, which have seen original names of facilities disappear, it was decided to retain the Taylor Field name, thus the facility was renamed Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.

The stadium was the second to last in the CFL to use the artificial surface AstroTurf. FieldTurf was installed prior to the 2007 season.

Notable events

Football and other sports

• Taylor Field was the venue for the 83rd and 91st Grey Cup games. A temporary grandstand seating for an additional 20,000 spectators was added for each of these games.
• It has also played host to the field hockey competition at the 2005 Canada Games among other notable sporting events over the decades.
• The stadium also hosts the annual Labour Day Classic game between the Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers which is usually played on the Sunday of the Labour Day weekend.
• The stadium was the site of the three longest field goals in Canadian Football League history (note that Taylor Field is one of the most windy venues in the CFL due to the windy Saskatchewan climate and the structure of the stadium itself). Paul Watson tied the league record with a 59-yarder against Winnipeg July 12, 1981. Dave Ridgway hit a 60-yarder against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers September 6, 1987. That record was broken by Paul McCallum, who kicked a 62-yard field goal against the Edmonton Eskimos on October 27, 2001 in a 12-3 victory. Ridgway and Mark McLoughlin of the Calgary Stampeders have also kicked 58-yard field goals at Taylor Field.

Concerts

• The Rolling Stones played at Mosaic Stadium on the 6th and 8 October 2006. The first concert sold out so quickly a second concert was announced for October 6. Both shows sold out in less than an hour. The concerts reportedly pumped over $10 million into the province of Saskatchewan and together serve as the highest grossing concert event in Canadian history. Together, the concerts are also in the top-40 highest grossing concert events in North America.
• AC/DC performed at Mosaic Stadium on August 24, 2009 as part of the Black Ice World Tour. Tickets sold out in less than an hour.
• It was announced on May 4, 2009 that Aerosmith would be performing at Mosaic Stadium on August 9 as part of the Aerosmith/ZZ Top Tour. This concert, however, was cancelled due to the injuries that Steve Tyler sustained after falling off the stage in Sturgis, South Dakota.
• Bon Jovi performed at the stadium on July 28, 2010.

University Section

Section 28 in the East Side bleachers at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field is known as the University Section and it is home to a notorious group of season ticket holders. The fans who occupy section 28 are known for their strict allegiance to the Riders, standing through the entire game, and often being merciless to opposing fans who sit in the section and cheer for the road team. They enjoy taunting the opposing team's bench with a series of chanting and slandering. The University Section got its nickname from the section's main purpose in the 1980s and 1990s and was a discount section offered to university students in Saskatchewan. The section no longer serves as a university section but still retains the name because of the rowdy behaviour of the fans.

Upgrades

2005

• A state-of-the-art video board, sponsored by SaskTel, was installed for the 2005 season. The SaskTel MaxTron enables the Roughriders and their fans to watch replays, and to be entertained.
• Installed new sound system.
• There were improvements to the east side, including washrooms, concessions and refurbished seats.

2006

• A VIP deck and stands were put in place in the south endzone, allowing the football club to host its corporate game day sponsors.

2007

• Field Turf installed at Mosaic Stadium.

2008

• On July 31, 2008, it was announced that Mosaic Stadium was getting temporary extra seats due to string of sell-outs, (every home game in the 2008 season sold out). With tickets in high demand coming off their Grey Cup season, an extra 2,145 seats were added, bringing the capacity to 30,945. The seating was first put to use during the Labour Day Classic vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Following the 2008 West Semi-Final game on November 8, 2008 vs BC Lions, the temporary seats were taken down, putting the capacity back to the original number of 28,800. However, 2,145 temporary extra seats will be in place for the entire 2009 season. Temporary seating will again be in place for the 2010 season; however, the additional seating will only raise capacity to 30,048.

Future plans

The football club also plans to pay tribute to the stadium’s first namesake, Piffles Taylor, by reconstructing the monument at the stadium entrance. The name of the street in front of the stadium will be changed to read "Piffles Taylor Way".

On February 24th, 2012 the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced a 14 million dollar renovation plan called the Legacy Project. The goal is to add thousands of permanent gameday seats and increase revenue opportunities. Phase one involves adding 7,000 temporary seats, additional luxury boxes and replacing the existing SaskTel Maxtron screen with a new 60 foot LED screen and scoreboard. Phase two will add more temporary seating to bring the stadium capacity up to 50,000 for the 2013 Grey Cup. Following the Grey Cup the capacity will fall back down to 33,000.

See also

• List of Canadian Football League stadiums

External links

• Stadium profile
• A Profile of Taylor Field