<h1><span lang=""style="font-size:41pt;">Gordie Howe Sports Complex living out big dreams</span></h1>

Sport park’s family has grown and is open to all

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Carter Beck hits a triple for the Berries on August 11.

The dream has become a reality.

Way back on March 1, 2019, the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Incorporated officially took over management of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. The non-profit body came into existence over the dream of having a unified group coordinate everything that went on at the sports park.

Before Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Incorporated came into existence, each sport was responsible for coordinating the activities on the facilities on the Complex’s grounds like Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the baseball and softball diamonds and the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval in winter. The dream of a unified group overseeing the operations of the sports park came with the hope things could be run in a more positive manner for all sports groups that would ultimately allow them to pull bigger events to the Complex.

A young cricket player practices making a defensive hit.

Fast forward from those beginnings to the present day, the Complex had a really successful 2024 year hosting various events from the sport of baseball, cricket, football, lacrosse, Nordic Skiing, rugby, softball, speed skating, track and field and ultimate disk. People have flocked to the Complex for training sessions and to take part in all sorts of events like the John Sands Classic Long Track Meet for speed skating, the massive SHSAA Track and Field Provincial Championships, Saskatoon Berries Baseball Club contests, Saskatoon Valkyries games, Saskatoon Hilltops contests, two Softball Canada nationals, various big games in baseball, football and softball, and an extremely successful and memorable high school football season.

Muriel Gieni has set numbers Canadian masters track and field records.

“The amount of athletes that have been here for the last 2,000 days is unheard of,” said Bryan Kosteroski, who is the Chairperson of Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Incorporated. “We are an example of a group of people who had a dream, who partnered and collaborated with all the sports organizations that are here.

“We created one of the top sports venues in Canada. We’re fully self-operational. We’re a full-fledged business now.

“We hire students of all ages year round. We really fill a void that has been in Canada about organizations taking a facility and growing a facility and operating a facility all in one.”

Cadence Colborn drives a hit for the Prairie Dog Selects on August 3.

The Complex’s family has welcomed everyone of all ages and cultures since being established in March of 2019. That included hosting athletes from the Saskatchewan North Central Softball Academy’s Timbits Saturdays program who are aged five to 10 and to 66-year-old star athlete Muriel Gieni, who has broken Canadian masters record in track and field on at least 60 occasions in her career.

“The 222’s (Fastpitch program players) come from all across Western Canada for their programs here,” said Johnny Marciniuk, who is the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Incorporated Operations Manager. “We’ve got people in their 20s and 30s and 40s who are playing ultimate disc here.

Ultimate disc is a sport that attracts a wide group of athletes.

“The whole facility is multi-dimensional.”

Over the past year and a half, the Complex has welcomed the cricket community, who use the Indoor Training Centre for off-season work. The Saskatoon Berries played their inaugural Western Canadian Baseball League season in 2024 attracting an average of 1,931 spectators for 26 regular season home dates at Cairns Field.

The track and field community has hosted the SHSAA Provincial Championships for two straight years at the Track and Field Track. It is common for that event to draw in 4,000 people between athletes, coaches, support staff and spectators per day.

“For me, the highlight of this year was the increased amount of new sports and new athletes coming to the Complex,” said Kosteroski. “You look at how Cricket has grown.

The Mount Royal Collegiate Mustangs celebrate a win on Sept. 27.

“You look at track in the summer. You look at all of our sports they are all growing. To me, the Gordie Howe Sports Complex family keeps on expanding from year to year.

“The big thing there is that I look at the amount of people that come to the Complex a year. We say an average of 600,000, and we’re probably out of whack now. To me, that is the biggest highlight for me on the Complex personally.”

On top of the various sports communities gaining special experiences on the Complex’s grounds, Ignite Athletics has called the Complex home since the Indoor Training Centre officially opened in March of 2019. The crew at Ignite want to help the athletes they train to improve every day, so they can meet their athletic goals.

The John Sands Classic Long Track Meet attracts a lot of skaters.

As a result of the great work the Ignite staff does, they’ve attracted elite athletes from a wide variety of sports along with people who just want to be in better shape. In 2024, Ignite Athletics had a special year helping add to the overall family at the Complex.

“One of the things I’m really proud of is this being the Canadian Sport Centre for Saskatchewan in cooperation with Ignite Athletics, which is really cool and prestigious for us here,” said Marciniuk. “Ignite was an instigator for that, but they couldn’t have done it without the facility is what (Ignite Athletics co-owner) Joel (Lipinski) was telling us.

The Glenn Reeve Fields become ski trails in the winter.

“We also have Ignite Health that opened up weeks ago. It is something that is flourishing for them. They have chiropractor, dietician, physiotherapy, massage and dietary and nutrition.

“All of that is awesome.”

As for some other improvements in 2024, the Berries arrival saw the concession at the K+S Potash Canada Multi-Sports Centre be revamped, new foul poles were added to all the Glenn Reeve Field diamonds and a total of 80 trees were planted on the Complex grounds. The City of Saskatoon helped out building a bike path and new fencing along Dudley Street on the north side of the park.

The Saskatoon Wild Oats Rugby Club uses the Indoor Training Centre. 

Working with the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Incorporated board of directors that includes members of the sporting groups that use the park’s facilities, a revamp was done on the technological side. Kosteroski said the collaboration of the sports organizations has always been important in moving the Complex forward.

“The Gordie Howe Sports Complex in the fiscal 2024 had major business infrastructure adjustments where we created a new website, new booking systems and new accounting systems,” said Kosteroski. “Why the Complex did that was to ensure that we meet our customers’ demands and our growth needs in the future.

The Sentinels Lacrosse Club enjoy practising at the Indoor Training Centre.

“This year has been a major business development increase for the Complex. That is huge for a business to do all of those three different things in one year. We have to thank the Board of Directors for supporting this initiative as they see the growth of the Complex keep on going.

“We had to increase our capabilities, but also adjust our infrastructure to support that growth. That is huge for this business to do those three big things in one year.”

Now, the Gordie Howe Sports Complex is well into year six. Moving into the future, Kosteroski said the various sports communities are working towards bringing more major events to the Complex.

More big events like Softball Canada nationals will come to the Complex.

“Now, we’re starting to see all of our organizations looking at big bringing in world, national and international events,” said Kosteroski. “A lot of our ALTRs (authorized long term renters) are looking at now bringing in these major events because of the infrastructure in place now at the Complex.

“It took time for us to grow the infrastructure. Now for a lot of sports, that infrastructure is in place. Now, it is time for them to partner and start hosting major events, which we’re seeing a lot of verbiage from and a lot of noise about.”

As the various processes unfold in bringing more big events to the Complex, Kosteroski said the Gordie Howe Sports Complex Management Incorporated will be there to continue to collaborate with those sporting groups adding that everyone on the Complex grounds is family.

The Berries salute their fans on August 13.

“We talked about that when we started forming the Gordie Howe Sports Complex about how we’re going to grow and how we grow the family,” said Kosteroski. “The family is growing by itself now.”

For more information on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, feel free to check out the Complex’s recently revamped website at gordiehowesportscomplex.ca.