Wanderers to pitch permanent stadium to HRM
It’s time for a pop-up stadium to turn permanent, the head of the Halifax Wanderers Football Club will argue Thursday.
Derek Martin, president and founder of the Wanderers (Sports & Entertainment Atlantic), will make his pitch to Halifax Regional Municipality’s community planning and economic development committee.
“The Halifax Wanderers Football Club has become an important thread in the fabric of the community, but the reality is that a pop-up stadium is not an appropriate or sustainable home for a professional team, nor are temporary stands, portable toilets and lack of running water suitable amenities for the citizens of this growing city,” Martin wrote in a letter to the committee.
He said the club’s “temporary solution” stadium at the Wanderers Grounds, with space for more than 6,500 spectators, has a 2024 end date and he wants to expand to a permanent stadium.
Common should be for all, say Friends
The community group Friends of the Halifax Common is vehemently against it.
In June, the group’s lawyer, Ron Pink, fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Mayor Mike Savage. Pink argued that HRM leased out the land without public consultation and is operating against its charter to maintain open public access to the Halifax Common.
Pink wrote that if HRM doesn’t “take immediate steps to bring itself into compliance,” the Friends group will take the matter to court.
Growing club needs a better space
In his letter, Martin says a lot has happened since he first appeared before the committee in 2017 to ask for a temporary stadium.
“By the end of 2023, our pop-up venue will have hosted over 75 professional soccer matches and five international rugby matches while welcoming over 400,000 citizens and visitors to our downtown core over the past five years, bringing significant economic vitality and civic pride,” he wrote.
He said the Wanderers are now “firmly established for the long term,” which means they’re a proven tenant that can sustain the venue, which is “accessible to the entire community.”
“These facilities would not just be for the use of the Wanderers, but would be available for community bookings, use by other sports organizations such as local and school soccer and football clubs, and as a venue for concerts and cultural events.”
The committee is scheduled to meet at City Hall at 10 a.m. Thursday. There will be a livestream video on the municipality’s YouTube channel.
