Training Sites
Venue Specific Training Sites (VSTS)
As Vancouver prepares to host the FIFA World Cup 26™, work is underway to prepare a vital component of this event - the Venue Specific Training Sites (VSTS). Each of the 16 Host Cities participating are required to provide these specialized training venues, and in Vancouver, they will be located at Killarney Park and Memorial South Park. These sites will serve as essential facilities for participating teams to train, providing the perfect environment for preparation ahead of matches at BC Place Vancouver.
What to expect at the VSTS
The VSTS are designed to meet event requirements, ensuring teams have the privacy and resources they need to train and prepare before their matches. These temporary facilities will include grass soccer pitches, field lights, team facilities such as locker rooms, and a press conference room.
Construction timelines
Development and construction of the training sites will commence in January 2025 and continue over the next two years. During this period, access to certain areas of Killarney Park, including Fields C and E, Diamonds NW, NE, and EC, as well as Memorial South’s oval grass field and walking track, will be restricted. Additionally, access to other grass fields at Killarney Park will be reduced due to major upgrades in alignment with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation’s Sport Field Strategy.
Community impacts
Public access will be limited during the construction and operational phases, from January 2025 to fall 2026. The FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™ Host Committee recognizes the importance of Killarney Park and Memorial South Park to the surrounding communities and the regular visitors who enjoy these sites.
To minimize the impact on local sports, educational, and community groups, work is underway to seek appropriate locations and alternatives to suit the needs of those impacted. This includes relocating lost field booking times at replacement facilities and ensuring alternate locations are within the same geographical area where possible.
For more information on impacts to Memorial South Park, please see the Information Boards shared at an information session held for residents and park users of Memorial South Park on November 30, 2024.
Long-term Benefits
The upgrades planned for Vancouver’s training sites will leave a lasting positive impact on the parks, enhancing their usability and value for the community once they re-open in fall 2026. These improvements will ensure the park remains a vibrant, functional space for recreation and community events well into the future and will include:
- Enhanced grass sports fields
- New grading, improved soil conditions, drainage, sand, sod turf, and a modern irrigation system will be installed.
- Upgraded utilities
- Replacement of aging storm, sanitary, water, and electrical utilities, which are currently 70 to 100 years old at Memorial South Park.
- Infrastructure to support future enhancements, including additional park facilities, like a children’s spray park at Memorial South Park and future sport hub site at Killarney Park, as part of long-term renewal projects.
- Modern field lighting
- Installation of high-mast LED field lights for the track oval and Killarney field. These energy-efficient lights will provide better visibility and extend usability into the evenings.
- Resurfaced track
- The six-lane recreational track, originally rebuilt in 2010 and repainted in 2023, will be fully resurfaced, thereby extending the track's life by 10 to 15 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
To identify these training site locations, the City of Vancouver and the Park Board assessed options regionally using criteria such as proximity to downtown, privacy, field capacity, areas of higher vs lower need in the city, neighborhood impacts, similarity in technical characteristics to prevent any competitive advantage, and transit access.
Given Canada's limited comparable facilities, other options considered were removed from the list due to several factors, including pitch quality, impacts on the surrounding area, potential displacement of other events, and the lack of comparable facilities, with Memorial South Park and Killarney Park emerging as the suitable pair of fields.
The FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™ Host Committee are dedicated to keeping residents informed as we finalize plans for the training sites. While the FIFA site selection process involved certain confidentiality requirements, we will continue to share timely updates and information with the community as our work moves forward. Your input is important to us, and we look forward to keeping you informed.
The FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™ Host Committee are dedicated to keeping residents informed and supporting their inquiries as we determine suitable alternative sites for the community where possible.
Over the past few months, we have hosted information sessions for Killarney Park and Memorial South Park residents and users to share project details, impacts on park spaces, and construction timelines. We will continue to provide regular updates as work progresses.
Access to Killarney Park North sports field and Memorial South Park oval will be closed beginning January 2025 through to fall of 2026.
Killarney Park and Memorial South Park will re-open in fall 2026. Exact dates will be confirmed through the planning and development process.
Training sites are part of the FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™ Host Committee budget. For further information on the budget for the FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™, please see the April 2024 provincial update.
Though there will be no alternate track, park users will be able to utilize the paved pathways around the perimeter of the existing synthetic turf field. Additionally, they may also consider alternate parks or school sites where there are paved tracks.
As part of the park rehabilitation process, the project will return the track to a resurfaced condition that matches the current size and number of walking/running lanes.
A temporary playground will be provided at Memorial South Park during the closure period in advance of the new destination playground and spray park slated to be delivered in 2027, subject to delays.
The tennis courts at Memorial South Park will not be impacted or closed during construction of the training sites.
Yes, the grass field, including the cricket pitch, will be renovated for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. After the event, the cricket pitch will either be restored at the same location or moved to a different park, depending on discussions with cricket permit holders. While the pitch is unavailable, the Park Board will help cricket players find other locations to play.
Theproposed site design was developed to avoid major impacts to mature trees. Upto eleven trees will be removed, including seven that are dead. The remainingfour will be removed to facilitate work and servicing that will enhance thepark's long-term usability.
Inalignment with the City of Vancouver's mandate to prioritize the protection andretention of trees in all projects, we will adhere to the UrbanForest Strategy, which specifies a replacement tree planting ratio of 1:1.This means we will be providing 11 new trees to replace all removed trees, regardless of their current condition.
Following analysis by the Park Board’s Archaeology team, it was determined that Memorial South Park is unlikely to have any prehistoric archeological sites, especially in the oval track and grass field areas, which have already been developed. These areas are also outside Vancouver’s archeological management zones. As long as any work stays within the already-developed parts of the sports field, no further archeological checks are needed. The fieldhouses won’t be changed as part of this project.
The Cenotaph will be accessible for Remembrance Day 2025.
A temporary sports field is in the process of being installed on the west side of Killarney Park to provide access to Killarney Secondary students as well as casual community use.
The dog off-leash area will temporarily shift to the north portion of west Killarney but remain open throughout.
The track is expected to close around February of 2025 as part of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation’s track renewal project, unconnected to FIFA World Cup 26™. The walking loops in the park and the surrounding sidewalks and walkways will serve as alternatives in the interim.
After the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Vancouver™, the lights will be adjusted for regular community use. Once adjusted, the lights at Killarney Park and Memorial South Park will meet International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) standards, meaning they will limit light spill to levels that are acceptable for nearby homes. The lights will also follow a schedule set by the Park Board's usual operating standards.
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