In 2016, Richardson Stadium was rebuilt from the ground up—but revitalization plans aren’t finished yet.  

The stadium, which reopened to fans after a year of renovations in 2016, will soon be adding a pavilion to its north end. When complete, the structure will round out the stadium’s current ‘U’ shape. 

According to Queen’s Athletics, the pavilion is still in a developmental stage and therefore designs, details, budgets, and a rough timeline for its completion have yet to be finalized.  

Funding for the project came by way of two alumni: Stu Lang, Sci ’74 and member of the Queen’s Football Hall of Fame, and his wife, Kim, ArtSci ’75. The two pledged $10 million towards a campaign to refurbish the Richardson in 2015, and recently added $5 million. 

With the addition of the pavilion, the stadium will boast a new team room, more meeting spaces, athletic therapy, and coach’s offices. 

“This facility will have an immense impact on student athletes, coaches and staff that currently operate out of the stadium, primarily football, and men’s and women’s soccer,” Leslie Dal Cin, the executive director of Athletics & Recreation, told The Journal in an email. 

The pavilion will provide Queen’s athletic teams with better facilities they can rely on for years to come, she added. 

“The new features of the pavilion […] will allow the teams to have much-needed, permanent facilities,” Dal Cin said. “Currently, [teams] are making use of temporary locker rooms, athlete therapy, meeting spaces, and coaches offices.”

Football will reside in the new team room, opening space in the west building behind the bleachers located furthest from the box office. The west side of the building will be devoted to the soccer teams and other users, such as visiting teams.

“We are very proud to be one of a handful of universities that have made considerable enhancements to athletic venues over the past decade,” Dal Cin said. 

Initially, the revitalization of Richardson was identified as a priority within the university’s $500-million Initiative Campaign. The campaign, which ultimately saw $640 million raised, began in 2006 in efforts of modernizing and improving facilities on campus. 

The plans for Richardson’s reconstruction began in 2014, and were spearheaded by the Lang’s aforementioned $10 million pledge. After garnering funding through alumni gifts and university investments, the total amount allocated to the stadium’s construction plans reached $20.27 million. 

Richardson’s reconstruction officially began in the Fall of 2015, where the previous stadium had stood since 1971. A year later, on Sept. 17, 2016, it was reopened to the public in the football team’s home opener in the fall of 2016.

“[Richardson] was the next step in the university’s efforts to enhance its athletics and recreation facilities to promote the health and wellness of all students, and the addition of the pavilion is the final piece to that project,” Dal Cin said. 

Along with Richardson, Athletics has undertaken a handful of advancement projects in recent years. The ARC was built in 2009; Tindall, Nixon, and Miklas-McCarney fields were redeveloped for the 2008-09 season, and the Innovation and Wellness and Centre, set to open within the coming year, will be host to several new athletic facilities.

“We are committed to continuing to develop leading edge athletic facilities,” Dal Cin said.