Community previews 2026 Grey Cup Legacy Project at Fonda Park
Community members, young athletes and Calgary Stampeders players got an early look at Fonda Park's new flag football fields at a community preview event on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The City of Calgary is delivering three new flag football fields at Fonda Park (1017 Fonda Ct. S.E.) in partnership with the Stampeders Foundation's 2026 Grey Cup Legacy Project. The fields respond to the rapid growth of flag and touch football in Calgary, a sport gaining popularity with youth and adults alike, while bringing more opportunities to participate closer to families in the surrounding communities.
"Fonda Park was selected because it already has the infrastructure, the transit access and parking needed to support increased recreational use," said Deputy Mayor Dan McLean. McLean noted that the project repurposes underused playfields, including an underused baseball diamond, while keeping valued community amenities like the skate slab and playground. Two of three fields are complete and will be open for booking starting April 2027, while the third field will begin construction next spring.
The event focused on what the fields are for: getting kids to play. Stampeders Jaylon Hutchings and Folarin Orimolade joined young athletes on the field for a try-it session open to all ages.
A permanent home for flag football
The fields bring organized flag football to an area of the city that hasn't had local access before.
"Most kids don't stop playing sports because they lose interest. They stop, or never start, because it's too expensive, too far away, or too hard to fit into family life”, said Logan Ruzycki, a coach with the YYC Flag Football League. "If you were a kid in this part of the city and wanted to play flag football, it usually meant a long drive."
Ruzycki noted that flag football needs little equipment, is low-contact, and lets boys and girls of all sizes and skill levels play together from day one. "But sport is only as accessible as the place you play it."
Better use of park space, more access to sport
The Fonda Park Playfield Enhancements project supports two of The City's long-term strategies for parks and recreation: GamePLAN and Connect: Calgary's Parks Plan. Together, they guide how The City can make better use of existing public spaces, respond to changing recreation needs and bring more opportunities closer to where Calgarians live.
Connect calls for multifunctional parks that can serve a range of community needs. At Fonda Park, that means adding dedicated sport fields without taking away what neighbours already use and value. Fonda Park remains a community park first: when the fields aren't booked for organized sport, they're open and free for public use.
The project also reflects GamePLAN's Level the Playing Field and Change the Game principles. It increases access to recreation in a traditionally underserved area, removes barriers like travel distance, and repurposes underused space to meet changing sport and recreation needs.
A Grey Cup legacy
The Stampeders Foundation's 2026 Grey Cup Legacy Project is contributing $500,000 toward the project, alongside City funding through Recreation & Social Programs and the Parks & Playground Amenities (PAPA) program. The fields are a lasting, community-level legacy of the 2026 Grey Cup Festival.
"You don't have to play professional football to learn hard work, teamwork and resilience. You just need an opportunity to play the game," said Calgary Stampeders president Jay McNeil.