Langley Real Estate

The new grandstand at McLeod Athletic Park is on track for a September opening.

Finishing touches are currently being made to the 2,200-seat structure, which is expected to be officially unveiled on Saturday, Sept. 2, during the 8th annual Langley Labour Day Soccer Tournament.

“We’re pleased with the way it’s coming together and how it looks,” said Al Neufeld, the Township of Langley’s manager of Parks Design and Development. “It’s got great views over the field and the rest of the park.”

The grandstand will not only provide comfortable seating and shelter from the sun and rain, but will offer amenities that will benefit local sports organizations. Change rooms, washrooms, a media room, and concession space are all included in the building, as is office space for amateur sports groups, a meeting and teaching room, and space for team equipment storage.

Contractors are currently wrapping up the new grandstand’s mechanical and electrical components, and painting its interior spaces and doors in preparation for the grand opening.

Spectators who came out to watch a prestigious track and field event in June got a sneak peak at the new facility, and were the first to sit in the grandstand.

The Langley Pacific Open Invitational and BC Athletics Masters Track and Field Championship was held at McLeod Athletic Park, June 16 – 18, and both the participants and those who came out to cheer them on were impressed with the new structure.

“It’s a vast improvement,” said Lauren Welch, a 400-metre hurtles competitor from Vancouver, who has been coming to track meets at the Langley park for 10 years. “It used to be there was never enough shade, and it’s a long day.”

The event attracted 880 competitors of all ages from Canada and the United States, and Langley Mustangs Track and Field head coach and meet director Sam Walker said the grandstand was a welcome addition.

“A lot of people stated to me that it was the best stadium they’d seen, and wished they had it in their communities,” he said. In the past, spectators simply set up tents and lawn chairs around the track to watch the events, Walker said, a situation that caused overcrowding – and even led to a few athlete casualties.

Now there is “excellent seating for everyone,” Walker said, as the grandstand offers a view from the start line to the finish line. He added that other sports groups will benefit from the facility, as the new stadium provides a great view of the entire field.

McLeod Athletic Park is located at 56th Ave. and 216th St., and features baseball diamonds, picnic shelters, playground equipment, tennis courts, a 400-metre running track, soccer fields, a lacrosse box, and a lighted artificial turf soccer and football field