New dome at Wilfrid Laurier University offers winter options for all

CTV’s Colton Wiens explains how a new dome at Wilfrid Laurier University will keep athletes in tip-top shape.

There’s something new at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., and it’s pretty hard to miss.

The school has officially installed a dome over University Stadium.

“Over 118,000ft² of recreational space, and more than 1,800 hours of field time available to serve our students and the community and for generations to come,” Kate McCrae Bristol, vice president of Student Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University, said on Tuesday. “It’s a space our students needed, and it’s a space the city needed too.”

“It’s going to be the largest seasonal dome in university sport in Canada,” Deborah MacLatchy, president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, said. “It’s also the second largest air supported structure in the country.”

The dome encloses the stadium’s entire turf surface during winter months, allowing for uninterrupted training for sports like football, soccer, rugby and lacrosse. Historically, warm weather varsity athletes have had to train at RIM Park in Waterloo.

“Coaches and athletes have had to coordinate transporting equipment and schedules to access offsite facilities. This often-required student athletes to leave campus early, manage conflicts with class, or manage multiple commutes in a long single day,” Kate Ferguson, a fifth-year captain of the Golden Hawks women’s lacrosse team, said. “Having an on-campus year-round training space removes those barriers and enhances accessibility, supports academic balance and allows student athletes to fully engage in both their sport and their studies.”

While the dome will be available to athletes and students throughout the winter, they aren’t the only people who can use it.

“All of our campus users will have access. And equally important to us is the community user. So, all of our multi and minor sport organizations will have access through their contacts with the city. It’s available for rental like any of our other spaces,” McCrae Bristol said.

Many local organizations are eager to get out and see the new structure for themselves.

“We’re already almost full for this season through sport organizations - baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, football, rugby, multi-sport adult leagues,” McCrae Bristol said.

The dome can be set up in just under two hours and can be trucked away once warmer weather arrives. The university said it will be installed at the beginning of December each year and removed after the May long weekend.

The dome was paid for through student fees and a $2.5 million donation from the city. In 2024, Wilfrid Laurier University students voted in favour of new fees to expand recreation space on campus, including the improvements to University Stadium at 81 Seagram Drive.

“Much more than what exists in the classroom. The Students’ Union is really proud of its partnership with Athletics and Recreation to provide and enhance space and ultimately enhance the recreational experience here at Laurier. More space and better space,” Ryan Jobby, president and CEO of Wilfrid Laurier University’s students’ union, said.

The dome is one part of the overall Seagram Project at University Stadium. The next phase will see the building at Seagram Drive renovated to include a new fitness facility, basketball courts and lounge.

Programming inside the dome will start on Sunday.