Sports Facilities
The Downsview Park Sports Centre is a 45,000-square-metre (485,000-square-feet) multi-purpose facility, formerly an aircraft hangar for the de Havilland Aircraft Company and later the Canadian Forces. Downsview Park's most regular attraction is The Hangar, an indoor recreational facility within the Downsview Park Sports Centre, which accommodates approximately 600,000 visitors per year to its soccer, ball hockey and beach volleyball facilities alone. Winter 2011 saw the welcome addition of a domed field, expanding winter field availability. During the summer of 2009, Toronto Roller Derby started playing their home games at Downsview, using a space in the Downsview Park Sports Centre's west end. In the summer of 2011, Toronto Roller Derby moved to another space in the Park known as The Bunker, and hosted the inaugural Roller Derby World Cup in that space in early December 2011. The Downsview Park Sports Centre also accommodates Grand Prix Kartways indoor electric go-karting (aka green go-karting), the HoopDome basketball facility, The Rail Skatepark skateboard destination, True North Climbing indoor rock climbing gym and Premier Elite Athlete’s Collegiate (PEAC) school for elite athletes. The National Squash Academy, operated by former World #1 player Jonathon Power is a recent addition to the Sports Centre.
In March 2011, Downsview Park was selected as the site of Toronto Football Club’s (Toronto FC's) new state-of-the-art Academy and Training Facility. Construction of the Toronto FC Academy and Training Facility began in May 2011, and will include three grass fields, one domed turf field and field house. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and Toronto FC will invest approximately $17.5 million to build their facility at the Park, with an aim to becoming the epicentre of soccer development in Canada.
Volleyball Canada made the Downsview Park Sports Centre their new headquarters and training facility in 2011. A new four-pad ice complex will be another welcome amenity scheduled to open in 2013.
Operations at the Downsview Park Sports Centre generate funds to help build Downsview Park. The Downsview Park Sports Centre is growing to become the leading centre of athletic excellence in the Greater Toronto Area as the development of the Downsview Park sustainable community progresses. Downsview Park continues to pursue its vision to become a nationally recognized centre for sporting excellence and participation.
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