It’s not the main new arena in town. But it’s right next door. Windsor, Ontario is opening the community arenas that will accompany WFCU Centre next week.
When you haven’t built a new major arena in 83 years, you can be excused for wanting to make sure you got everything right. But that doesn’t mean the smaller facilities can’t be open for business.
WFCU Centre, which will become the home of the OHL Windsor Spitfires, is still scheduled to officially open in December or January. But the community arenas and a rec center that are located in the same complex are opening their doors three months ahead of time. The smaller rinks will take their first skaters on Sunday, September 7.
It is hoped that Don Sadler, the man in the charge of building WFCU Centre, will announce the official opening day for the 6,500 arena by the end of October. "Having the other arenas open may make it a bit easier to do so," said Pat Lewis of the city’s Park and Rec staff. "We can look at these places first and make alterations needed. This staggered opening gives us enough time to do so."
When the Spitfires do move, they will be leaving one of the country’s oldest facilities, Windsor Arena, which opened for business in 1925. The University of Windsor is moving in to take up some of the slack.
For a look at the new arenas’ first day, click here.