Giant inflatable dome appears in northwest Calgary

Javier Baroja rides his bike regularly on the path through Shouldice park in northwest Calgary.

Wednesday, he was shocked to discover that a gigantic inflatable structure, covering an entire football field, had appeared, as if out of nowhere.

“I came last week and it wasn’t there and I thought, ‘what is this?’”

What he discovered is the Shouldice Seasonal Dome. It’s the largest inflatable dome covering an athletic field in Calgary.

It is an air-supported structure with no interior columns, so without any supporting structure, the dome can be deflated and removed seasonally.

The $8.5 million project is funded through Alberta’s Municipal Stimulus Program, the City of Calgary, and the Dome Facilities Association members, which include the Calgary Minor Soccer Association, The Calgary Blizzards and the Greater Calgary Amateur Football Association

Carlo Bruneau, executive director of the Calgary Minor Soccer Association, says having a full field to play on through the winter will do more than just offer a new venue for games.

“It's a massive step forward for the soccer community here to develop a year-round quality facility like that. It means modernization of the game here, a shift away from the traditional boarded soccer-playing environment, to a full-size field with a quality turf that is more conducive to the playing experience,” said Bruneau.

“As well, from a technical and tactical standpoint, the continuity between those seasons will certainly enhance our player development. So it'll make for better players.”

The three organizations comprising the Dome Facilities Association each contributed $600,000 to the project. By doing that, they will get priority rights to book the facility.

The city says the dome will also be available for other sports, including lacrosse and field hockey.

Lisa Walpole, president of the Calgary Ladies Field Hockey Association, is excited to see the dome in place.

“In the summer, we're outdoor. In the winter, we're indoor and it's a very different style of game for field hockey, and other sports,” said Walpole.

“A full-size field is beneficial for anyone who's training nationally, or training provincially, where they can maintain their skills for outdoor games throughout the whole year.”

Bruneau says minor sports, especially soccer, are growing so fast that he thinks even more facilities like the Shouldice Seasonal Dome are needed.

“With the success of our national teams at the international level the popularity of the sport is growing, and coming out of the effects of the pandemic we expect there to be even further growth of the game here in Calgary,” Bruneau said.

“Certainly we could use even a couple more of those types of types of facilities to help support that growth over the next number of years, as as we become a soccer nation.”

The city confirms the current plan is to remove the dome, which covers Encana Field at Shouldice Park, in the spring and use the field as an outdoor venue through the summer, returning the dome to the site in the fall.

It says the dome project will create 35 full-time jobs.

The Calgary Blizzards expect to play their first game inside the new dome in mid-October.