The City of Kelowna is aiming to attract a professional soccer team to the area by 2028. Mayor Tom Dyas and other city officials, in collaboration with the Canadian Premier League (CPL), revealed plans for the project. Central to the initiative is securing an ownership group and investing up to $25 million to enhance the Apple Bowl, Kelowna’s primary multi-sport stadium, to meet CPL expansion requirements.
Kelowna Mayor Dyas highlighted the positive impact of hosting sports events in the city, such as B.C. Lions football games and the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup. He emphasized the importance of advancing upgrades to the Apple Bowl to pave the way for a Canadian Premier League team in Kelowna by 2028.
The proposed enhancements to the Apple Bowl include constructing a new grandstand with a capacity of 3,000 seats, an increase from the current 2,000, along with new locker rooms, a scoreboard, a broadcast center, and converting to artificial turf. The funding for these improvements will be subject to approval in the upcoming city budget, scheduled after the fall election, where Mayor Dyas is seeking re-election against declared challengers Emily Salsbury and Ron Cannan.
The Canadian Premier League, established in 2019, serves as Canada’s premier domestic men’s soccer league. Notably distinct from Major League Soccer (MLS), which features teams like the Vancouver Whitecaps, the CPL stands as a unique Canadian sporting entity.
CPL executive vice-president Marni Dicker expressed satisfaction with Kelowna’s progress towards hosting a CPL team, underscoring the significance of securing an ownership group. She highlighted the joint aspiration to position Kelowna as a potential CPL location and welcomed engagement with interested ownership entities to explore this opportunity further.