BC Lions are moving forward with "a major renovation and expansion" of the football team's training facility in Surrey, despite some uncertainty about their future at the site.
A large white structure has been built outside the Whalley facility to house a temporary gym while the team's workout room is renovated, marking the first phase of upgrades to football operations spaces there.
"The tent will allow us to maintain full training and operational continuity while we begin transforming our existing facility into a state-of-the-art performance hub," says a memo to players from Lions owner Amar Doman and president Duane Vienneau.
A second phase of renovations will involve a new locker room, enhanced player lounge and expanded training areas.
"This project is a clear signal 鈥� not just within our building but across the CFL 鈥� that we are making meaningful, long-term investments in football operations," the memo says.
Vienneau says the aging facility is "very tired" and in need of renovations.
"That's no secret, and since Amar bought the team we've been looking at different potential solutions to fix the problems there," Vienneau told the Now-Leader. "It's just aged, and every team in the league has a better facility than us 鈥� there's not one that we're better than, so we're number nine of nine."
With the City of Surrey eyeing Tom Binnie Park and adjacent lands as a potential site for , the future of the Lions' training facility there is uncertain.
Vienneau acknowledged that the team has explored potential new practice facility sites in Surrey.
"At the end of the day, just nothing is moving quickly," he said, "So Amar, our owner, said a couple of months ago, 'Dwayne, enough is enough. I'm gonna renovate this place.' It's as simple as that, and if we are in a situation that, you know, Surrey finds us a better location or we find a better location in Surrey, whatever it is, we'll have this in the meantime.
"Amar basically said to me, 'I don't want to be here in three years and still haven't done any improvements and we're still in the same location.' It's really as simple as that."
In 2022 to keep the clubhouse and field at 10601 City Parkway until 2027. The club鈥檚 鈥減artnering agreement鈥� with the City of Surrey called for a negotiated rent of $1.39 million, or $580,698 below the appraised rent, on land acquired by the city in 1991.
In 2024 the city considered building , for possible use as a practice facility during the 2026 World Cup, but those plans have gone nowhere to date. The park site is adjacent to the BC Lions鈥� training facility, and drawings from Vancouver-based company showed the stadium positioned on land where the existing football building is located.
Since then, Mayor Brenda Locke has championed the construction of a 10,000-seat stadium, or arena, in City Centre over the next few years, at a site to be determined.
June 26 was the closing date for job applications in Surrey's search for a development advisor to help create a City Centre Entertainment District and Arena, to prepare feasibility plans. A development advisor should be selected and named in coming weeks.
Meantime, Vienneau says the Lions are "very committed" to staying in Surrey.
"We're sort of in limbo in our current location," he said. "We've told the team, you know, we're not putting gold-plated sinks in there, but it'll be gutted and renovated and it's gonna be new. We're doing that because Amar just wants a better facility for the team, knowing full well that we might not be in there much longer. But he's willing to do this work because he wants to do it for the team."
