Calgary Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson took notice when the Calgary Stampede recently floated the potential construction of a new stadium as part of their 20-year master plan.
The 53-year-old appeared to be at least partly joking when he said he might be dead before McMahon Stadium gets replaced someday, though the construction of Scotia Place, an 18,000-seat hockey arena set to open late next year, is proof the city is finally working to upgrade its aging sports infrastructure.
“I’m not gonna put too much stock into that (announcement). I heard about the 20-year (timeline) and I’m hoping I’m alive. Seriously, like, we need a new stadium. The guys know it, we know it. We also know that the Flames are getting an amazing building built down there. I’ve seen it, it looks great. We’d like to think we’re next in line and I think it’s overdue,” Dickenson told the media via videoconference on Wednesday.
“McMahon, it’s already served its purpose. It was built in 1960. I think if we could get something a little bit more modern and take care of some things that weren’t maybe available in 1960, it would give us a little spark, fire up the city. (We could) use it for lots of other things, too — turf access is at a premium in Calgary right now, so when it happens, it’ll be a great thing. I think it’s gotta happen, has to happen, the next five to seven years.”
Stampeders president Jay McNeil told 3DownNation in 2024 that the viability of the team is dependent on the construction of a new stadium. The club enjoyed a 3.5 percent year-over-year increase in attendance in 2025, though average crowds have still shrunk over 25 percent since 2015. The stadium seems like a clear factor in this decline.
There has been continued investment in McMahon, which will host the 113th Grey Cup later this year. The old barn is getting a few upgrades before then, including the construction of 14 new suite along the north end zone. The club also unveiled a new fan zone in 2024.
“It’s still a good sight-line stadium,” said Dickenson. “I like playing there. I like our facilities. I know it’s not the fanciest, but we’ve done a nice job with our building. It feels like a spot where the guys enjoy coming. We’re comfortable with it. It’s just more about if you’re going to be throwing in costs to fix things, you might as well think about a new stadium.”
Three new CFL venues — Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, and Hamilton Stadium — were constructed between 2013 to 2017. The Toronto Argonauts also moved to the relatively-new BMO Field during this period, which in hindsight was quite the mini-golden age of professional football infrastructure in Canada.
In the near-decade since then, there has been no apparent headway on any new potential CFL venues. Halifax has been twiddling its thumbs for decades, while TD Place Stadium in Ottawa and Olympic Stadium in Montreal are undergoing upgrades, but not full replacements. The latter hasn’t hosted a CFL game since the East Final in 2012.
Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), which owns the Flames and Stampeders among other local teams, seems intrigued by the possibility of a new stadium. Jeromy Farkas, the city’s mayor, would like a new stadium to be built sooner rather than later and is open to public investment in the project.
“These things don’t happen quickly, but something needs to be done in the fairly near future for us to get ourselves a stadium that’s more modern, and certainly we’ll see what the ideas are,” said Dickenson. “It’s not going to be me that decides it, but when it does get there, be excited for something new in Calgary.”
The Calgary Stampeders weren’t very active in CFL free agency, though they signed former Toronto Argonauts receiver Dejon Brissett, who set a career-high with 907 receiving yards in 2025. The Stampeders didn’t lose any free agents to other CFL teams but had three players sign in the NFL: receiver Damien Alford (New Orleans Saints), defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings (Minnesota Vikings), and linebacker Jacob Roberts (Minnesota Vikings).
The Stampeders hold the sixth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Calgary will play its first preseason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Monday, May 18 and its first regular-season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, June 5.
In 2025, Calgary finished third in the West Division standings with an 11-7 record but lost the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions.
