Varsity Centre

We just left here after watching the PAN AM games archery competition. Its just like i remember it from back in the day when we used to come here to watch the now defunct Toronto Blizzard. Its a great Toronto Landmark and an awesome outdoor sporting venue. Considering that I’m still hyped up about having such a good time today at Varsity stadium all i can say is i cant wait for the next event hosted in Toronto because this was a total buzz to be back here after so many years. I guess i had forgotten how much i like this place.

I love this little stadium for no reasons other than
1) it is fun to break into
2) it is fun to pass by and see the kiddies do their track and field
3) it is generally nicely manicured
4) sits at a pretty convenient spot where I can see it from my my building atop and get to enjoy cheering in the middle of the day.
There ain’t nothing wrong with some good happy people exercising and other happy people cheering them on. It makes me happy.

The Varsity Stadium is a sorry excuse for the flagship venue for UofT pride. It’s hardly worth the 3 star’s I’m giving it and the 2 biggest reason for those 3 stars is the fact that the turf here is amazing for sports and that during the winter, the dome is well utilized for all sorts of sports from golf, cricket, soccer etc.
When the new turf and dome were introduced (around 2007) it was rated the best field of that nature in Toronto. Maybe in Canada as well but I’m not confident enough to aver that.
As for the the spectator experience, sure the seats (bleachers) are only a few years old and well maintained but it’s nothing close to the full fledged stadiums you see to the south or even in most other Canadian cities and that itself almost tells you that the University has no real expectations for the student population to come out in in full force supporting the Blues.
The ice rink while better in comparison to the football stadium is still not impressive and looks like it could do with some renovations as well including the teams changing/​locker rooms.
An upside to the stadium’s layout is that half of it is open to public viewing from Devonshire and as a result you can just happen to catch a game or meet for free (although if you are a student it’s free either way). A few years ago they hosted some meet here and Usain Bolt was a participant and sure enough he bought in a huge gathering of supporters that lined the entire fence. Something I’ve yet to see any University team accomplish.
So if you have a friend in the football or cheer leading squad, it’s worth the trip to go and see them or even if you are a fan of football, but as for visiting the location for itself, there’s nothing too impressive to see here.