March 25, 2022...Woodbine Entertainment Prepared to Designate Land at Iconic Racetrack Site for High-Performance Training Centre and Community Stadium (from York United FC website)

March 25, 2022...Woodbine Entertainment Prepared to Designate Land at Iconic Racetrack Site for High-Performance Training
Centre and Community Stadium (from York United FC website)
  
WOODBINE ENTERTAINMENT PREPARED TO DESIGNATE LAND AT ICONIC RACETRACK SITE FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE TRAINING 
CENTRE AND COMMUNITY STADIUM 

New West Toronto development could feature a 38,000 square foot soccer training facility and 8,000-seat 
soccer-specific venue.

Woodbine Entertainment announced today that it is prepared to designate a portion of its 684-acre land 
at Woodbine Racetrack for the development of a new high-performance training centre and stadium for 
women’s and men’s soccer in the heart of Toronto’s Rexdale community. 

In working with private investors and various stakeholders, the soccer project would feature 
an 8,000-seat soccer specific stadium and a 38,000 square foot training facility with a world-class 
grass pitch that meets FIFA professional standards. The venue would be a destination for national 
soccer training, hosting international federations preparing for major international events 
and potentially be a groundbreaking opportunity for the further development of women’s soccer 
in this country, from grassroots to the highest levels of competition.

The project would also complement Woodbine Entertainment’s ambitious vision to create mixed use 
neighborhoods and upgrade backstretch and stabling facilities for horse racing. The Woodbine Community 
Plan demonstrates how one of the largest pieces of undeveloped land in the City of Toronto can 
be transformed over the coming 25 years into a large-scale urban community -- connected to Toronto 
and the GTA through a proposed privately funded train station to be built on the southeast corner 
of the property.

With approved zoning as part of the overall Woodbine Community Development Plan, the first phase 
of the project could be ready in 2023. The high-performance centre and stadium plan are being developed 
by renowned global soccer venue design firm Populous and with additional input and expertise from 
the Baldassarra family and Greenpark Group. 

"With Canada on the brink of qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Women's National Team 
Olympic Gold Medal win, and Canada co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, the time is certainly right for us 
to show our support for Canada’s growing soccer community," said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment.

"We see the power of the game in bringing people together and we cannot think of a more complementary 
sport as we look to further grow and sustain the horse racing industry and the 25,000 jobs it supports 
throughout the province." 

A new era is on the horizon for Woodbine Entertainment.
The new stadium and performance centre could be a permanent home for a potential domestic professional 
women’s soccer league. It would also be a key training base and stadium for Canadian Premier League 
clubs including York United FC.

"We are a family of builders and share Woodbine’s vision of creating communities for a better Toronto," 
said York United Chairman and Greenpark Group Executive, Michael Baldassarra. 

"We have been so proud to invest in the future of Canadian soccer in recent years and a high-performance 
training centre and stadium is perfect for what is to come as we see the women's game poised to take 
giant leaps across the county. This would also be an ideal site for Canada's first women's professional 
club, and I could see the wider community getting such a wide variety of uses from a facility like this." 

"The 2026 World Cup is an amazing target for so many of us working in Canadian Soccer right now but, 
before then, there are many other major events that Canadian athletes will need to prepare for," 
said Angus McNab, CEO/President & GM of York United FC. 

"Facilities and infrastructure for the professional game to thrive are required and this location 
is ideal. We would also be very proud to plant the flag to bring the first women’s professional team 
to Canada as part of a much-needed domestic league." 

The stadium and performance centre would also be one of the most accessible through public transportation 
with the proposed new GO Station. The addition of a stadium would be another key driver of annual 
visits to a developed community at Woodbine Racetrack that is expected to exceed more than 16 million 
visitors annually.

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