McGill report claims Montreal Alouettes’ stadium turf ‘dangerous,’ will cost $1.75 million to repair

Photo: Montreal Alouettes

The Montreal Alouettes are playing their home games on a safety hazard, at least according to an infrastructure review by McGill University.

In a presentation to the school’s board of governors in October, the details of which were first reported by the Montreal Gazette this week, senior director of athletics and recreation Geoffrey Phillips stated that the artificial turf at Percival Molson Stadium needed to be replaced after 13 years of use.

“The field is now showing its age and the seams are separating, which is dangerous for athletes tripping and injuring themselves,” the report indicated.

Phillips also claimed that CFL games at the facility had to be paused at times in order to perform emergency repairs on the field surface. Given that the warranty has expired, replacing the turf was estimated to cost $1.75 million.

New turf was part of an estimated $50 million in repairs that the report said the school needed across its athletics infrastructure. That was part of McGill’s recent decision to axe more than half its varsity and competitive club sports teams ahead of the 2026/27 season. The Redbirds football team, which plays on the problematic turf, was not one of the programs affected.

Percival Molson Memorial Stadium was constructed in 1915 and has served as the primary home field of the Alouettes since 1998, also hosting all playoff games since 2014. While the facility has been renovated over the years, including the installation of a new video board for the north side in 2024, it remains outdated and problematic as a professional venue.

Former Alouettes’ president Mark Weightman told 3DownNation in September 2023 that the team was considering three options to improve its living situation: renovating the existing facility, moving back to their previous home at Olympic Stadium, or building a new stadium. Team owner Pierre Karl Péladeau has also acknowledged that a new venue needs to be considered, though he has yet to make any commitments one way or another.

McGill told the Gazette that no decisions have been made on whether any of the repairs will be enacted, as they continue to deal with budget constraints. If the deteriorating turf falls below CFL standards, it could be on Péladeau and the Alouettes to expedite a replacement.