REGINA, Sask. — Mosaic Stadium's new turf will be stitched for the Canadian Football League's shorter field dimensions, raising questions about the future of high school and university football at the venue as Regina officials work to preserve access for amateur sports.
Preliminary work on the stadium's new turf began Nov. 4. The actual turf replacement is scheduled for spring 2027 at a cost of $1.6 million.
“Mosaic Stadium is a really special and unique stadium across Canada. We are the only place in Canada that has 800 hours a year of minor sport play,” said Melissa Coderre, the city's manager of sport and major events.
The CFL is reducing its field from 110 yards to 100 yards and shortening the end zones from 20 yards to 15, with the changes taking effect in 2027. Football Canada and U Sports are not adopting the new dimensions for the 2027 season, meaning amateur teams will continue to require the traditional field setup.
That leaves the future of high school and university games at Mosaic uncertain, with Leibel Field potentially serving as an alternative for some teams.
Coderre said the arrangement will give staff flexibility to accommodate different users without repainting the field, although the playing surface will remain stitched for 100 yards.
“The thing that we've done with this field arrangement is that while we've stitched 100 yards, we're still able to provide a 20-yard end zone and a 15-yard end zone and two different field goal post locations,” she said.
She said the city can switch between the goalpost locations to accommodate Roughriders practices followed by high school or Regina Minor Football games.
Stitching refers to the permanent field markings sewn into the artificial turf, rather than painted onto the surface, making them difficult to change once installed.
Painting the different configurations onto the field was considered, but Coderre said it would take too long to dry between bookings.
“If we painted, it would take six to eight hours to paint and by the time it was dry and ready, it would be 18 hours later,” she said.
The city has been working with Football Saskatchewan to advocate for sanctioned amateur games to be played on both 100- and 110-yard fields.
The stadium is also a major venue for community soccer, with Regina Minor Soccer booking more than 500 hours annually. Other users include flag football and rugby organizations.
The city estimates that as much as 97 per cent of historical bookings could be accommodated if minor football is permitted to play on a 100-yard field. If teams must use the traditional 110-yard configuration, the city says it could still accommodate up to 84 per cent of current users.
The Regina High School Athletics Association has already moved its 6A city final from Mosaic Stadium to Leibel Field this year.
The new surface is expected to be ready before the 2027 CFL season. Football Canada's 2027 rulebook is expected in January, which could provide more clarity about how amateur football will be accommodated.
