Empire Stadium (Vancouver)

For the current stadium of the Major League Soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps FC, see Empire Field.

Empire Stadium was a multipurpose stadium that formerly stood at the Pacific National Exhibition site at Hastings Park in Vancouver. Track and field and Canadian football, as well as soccer and musical events, were held in the stadium. The stadium was originally constructed for the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The stadium, which sat 32,375 upon opening, but 30,229 after 1974, was Vancouver's venue for both Elvis Presley and The Beatles. It saw most of its use as the home of the BC Lions of the CFL from 1954–1982, in which the venue also played host to the first Grey Cup game held west of Ontario in 1955. Empire Stadium also hosted the Grey Cup game in 1958, 1960, 1963, 1966, 1971, and 1974; seven times in total.

Empire Stadium was often home to the Shrine Bowl Provincial Championship for provincial senior high school

The stadium was also home to the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League during the 1970s and early 1980s, as well as the Vancouver Royals of the same league for their only year of play in 1968.

In 1970, it became the first facility in Canada to have artificial playing surface installed made by 3M, under the brand name "Tartan Turf".

Both the Lions and Whitecaps moved to BC Place Stadium for the 1983 season. The stadium was...
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