Kingston is many things: historic, charming, the kind of place where people still debate which local bakery makes the best butter tart. But one thing it has never been is home to a professional sports stadium. That, however, may be about to change.
A proposal is on the table from Victory Grounds Ventures (VGV), an Ottawa-based company that has set its sights on building a 4,000-seat (expandable to 7,000) soccer stadium at the Memorial Centre. The plan? A privately funded, year-round facility that would host a Canadian Premier League (CPL) team, high-performance training, and—one imagines—a fair amount of shouting at referees.
To those who have spent years cramming into makeshift indoor spaces for winter training or driving hours just to find a decent field, this is a long-overdue, borderline miraculous development. To others, it’s a civic dilemma wrapped in artificial turf.
A Stadium Fit for Kingston (But Where to Put It?)
The stadium would land on the northeast corner of the Memorial Centre grounds, currently home to a few of Kingston’s more cherished public spaces: a dog park, a farmers’ market, and the Kingston Fall Fair. In short, it’s prime real estate for both organized sports and free-range golden retrievers, which has made this particular piece of land an especially touchy subject.
City officials insist that no green space will be lost, no beloved traditions will be steamrolled, and that the stadium will find a way to coexist with Kingston’s existing landscape. Still, skepticism lingers. Will the farmers’ market be forced to peddle artisanal jams in the shadow of a goalpost? Will soccer chants drown out the time-honored sounds of a Ferris wheel in the fall?
To be clear: Kingston needs this stadium. It’s a soccer city, whether people realize it or not. Thousands of players, parents, and coaches dedicate their weekends (and their gas money) to the sport, and yet, the facilities remain stuck in a perpetual state of almost-good-enough. Kingston United, a club that has been waving the flag for soccer development for years, is fully on board. The need is obvious, and if the Memorial Centre plan goes through, Kingston’s soccer community will finally have a proper home.
The Politics of Progress
Public consultation meetings have, predictably, been lively. Concerns about traffic, noise, and the fate of beloved community spaces have all been raised, though the biggest sticking point might just be Kingston’s complicated relationship with change.
Kingstonians, after all, are a people who once fought tooth and nail to keep a casino out of town and who still lament every time a heritage building gets repurposed into something as radical as, say, a bookstore. The introduction of a professional sports stadium? It’s both exhilarating and mildly terrifying.
But let’s talk brass tacks: this stadium isn’t just about soccer. It’s about economic growth, community engagement, and putting Kingston on the national stage. A professional team means tourism dollars, jobs, and opportunities that don’t currently exist. And given that VGV has committed to funding the project without taxpayer money, it’s a rare kind of proposal—one that brings big-league ambition without the usual civic financial headache.
The Next Move
City Council voted 9-3 on January 14, 2025, to proceed with lease negotiations with VGV. The final decision is expected March 18, 2025. If all goes well, Kingston could have a professional soccer stadium in the near future.
For those who have spent years watching promising young players leave town because Kingston simply doesn’t have the facilities to support them, this isn’t just another development proposal—it’s a chance to finally give soccer the home it deserves.
So yes, Kingston should build the stadium. The city has always been a place where tradition and progress collide in fascinating ways. A professional sports venue will only add to that story. And really, if the biggest inconvenience is the possibility of having to enjoy a latte at the farmers’ market while also watching a high-stakes soccer match in the distance, is that such a terrible fate?
For now, we wait. But if Kingston is smart, it will take the shot.
