Talisman Centre
Encyclopedia
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The name of the facility was changed in March 2002, after the City of Calgary sold the naming rights for 10 million dollars to Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy
Talisman Energy Inc. is one of Canada's largest petroleum SB companies. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Talisman Energy has operations around the globe including: Canada and the United States of America in North America; Colombia and Peru in South America; Algeria in North Africa; United Kingdom,...
for 30 years.
The complex attracts 1.8 million visitors annually, and its initial capacity was 2 million visitors. With the major expansion in 2003, the capacity has increased to 3.5 million visitors annually. It is the second largest multi-sports complex in North America and the largest sports facility in Canada. The Centre opens from 5AM to 11PM Mondays to Fridays, every day of the year except Christmas Day. On weekends, The Centre is open from 6AM to 10PM.
The complex itself is run by the non-profit Lindsay Park Sports Society a 22 member board and semi-autonomous arm of the Calgary Municipal government. Member of board consists of various sporting organizations, government, public and private school board representatives.
Original structure
Western Canada Summer Games
The Western Canada Summer Games were established in 1975 as a multi-sport event to provide development opportunities for amateur athletes and to help them advance their skills in a competitive, but friendly environment. The games also serve to broaden the exposure of talented athletes and provide a...
. The white inverted v-shaped roof, comprises a steel arch spine with a concrete perimeter. The skin of the roof is a Teflon-coated fibreglass outer skin, that achieves 4% transparency reducing the need for artificial light.
The original project cost was $24.7 million dollars. The original facility was opened as 130000 square feet (12,077.4 m²) area.
The facility was built at the same time as the Pengrowth Saddledome
Pengrowth Saddledome
The Scotiabank Saddledome is the primary indoor arena of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 19,289 people.Located on the Stampede Grounds, on the east end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames of...
which is just across Macleod Trail
Macleod Trail (Calgary)
Macleod Trail is a major road in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a six to eight lane principal arterial road extending from downtown Calgary to the south of the city, where it merges into Highway 2. South of Anderson Road, Macleod Trail is an expressway and is slated to be upgraded to a freeway in...
. The project site (between the neighbourhood of Mission
Mission, Calgary
The Mission district is an inner city neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta, Canada that originated as Notre Dame de la Paix, a Catholic mission, and was for a time the incorporated Village of Rouleauville...
and Erlton) was chosen because of easy access to the C-Train
C-Train
C-Train is the light rail transit system in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has been in operation since May 25, 1981. The system is operated by Calgary Transit, a department of the Calgary municipal government.-Operations:...
that began operation in 1981, and access to the Elbow River
Elbow River
The Elbow River is a river located in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows from the Canadian Rockies to the city of Calgary, where it merges into the Bow River....
pathway.
Major Expansion in 2003
In 2003 the facility went through a $22 million dollar face lift and expansion as a 2005 centennial project. Talisman Centre added two olympic sized 25-meter pools, 3 meeting rooms, lounge with latest flat panel TV and personal fitness area. It also built a separate room for drop in classes such as yoga where special lighting is preferred.The facility holds sporting events both professional and amateur, and all facilities are open to the public. Talisman Centre hosts many regional, national and international competitions in swimming, basketball and other sports. It is one of only three complexes that are capable of hosting swim competition in western Canada.
On-going expansions
Talisman Centre renovated Cafe Sante and opened Jugo Juice within the building. Menu items became much better choice for healthy eating, although you can find cold beer and coolers from the menu.The Talisman Centre has had a few controversies over the years. One was surveillance cameras in sensitive areas, such as change rooms. The presence of cameras throughout the facility was included in the privacy policy. The complex also came under fire when the naming rights were sold to Talisman energy, some lobby groups claim the oil company is responsible for funding atrocities in Sudan when it primarily did business in the country. These controversies never made an impact on attendance or operations.
Other nearby sports facilities in the area are the Stampede Corral
Stampede Corral
The Stampede Corral is an ice hockey, rodeo, and Davis Cup tennis arena venue in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The arena was completed in 1950 at a cost of C$1.25 million to replace Victoria Arena as the home of the Calgary Stampeders Hockey Club...
, Pengrowth Saddledome
Pengrowth Saddledome
The Scotiabank Saddledome is the primary indoor arena of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 19,289 people.Located on the Stampede Grounds, on the east end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames of...
and Stampede Park Grandstand, and Shaw Millennium Park.