Spruce Grove ballpark still not open after 4 years of construction delays
Will the ballpark in Spruce Grove ever open?
That’s been the question on the minds of many baseball fans and community residents, four years after the opening date came and went on the yet-to-be-finished $50 million ballpark.
The Energy City Metro Ballpark (previously known as the Spruce Grove Metro Ballpark) is supposed to be the home of the Energy City Cactus Rats, rebranded last year from the Edmonton Prospects.
The ballpark west of Edmonton was announced in 2020 and originally supposed to open for the 2022 season, but has experienced multiple delays attributed to things like supply chain shortages, bad weather, the Migratory Bird Act and facility approvals.
“It was going up really fast for a while there, the beginning of 2025, but then it kind of just completely halted and then there was no development at all for a few months at least,” said Aiden Beesley, who lives nearby and has been watching the progress for several years now.
Last summer, construction appeared to stop completely and a $2.3 million lien from Acheson-based JEN COL Construction, dated June 20, 2025, appeared on the land title.
However, on Thursday, the site for the 3,470-fan stadium on the southeast side of Spruce Grove was a buzz of construction activity again but the stadium still appears to be a long way from welcoming fans.
Three games set to take place at the Energy City Metro Ballpark have been postponed already.
Posts on the team’s social media indicate there were plans to host games on Sat. June 6 — their first on-field game at the stadium — and Sunday, June 7, but they were postponed “due to continued rain and difficult weather.”
Another game scheduled for Wednesday, June 10 was postponed as well, but this time due to “facility approvals.”
“Why are you scheduling games there if you know it’s not going to be ready?” Beesley questioned.
Beesley said as much as residents feel let down, there are others also waiting on the stadium to open.”
Yellowhead Recreation in Spruce Grove put a deposit on a suite more than two years ago. Sales team finance manager Matheo Martin said several staff members are baseball fans who have been looking forward to taking clients to a game — but that plan remains benched.
“They’ve been super excited to potentially go watch some games, but it just keeps getting postponed and postponed and postponed, which is unfortunate,” Martin said.
A June 3 ballpark update posted to the Cactus Rats Facebook page said the team was beginning to use the field, the ballpark will open this season, and a public opening will take place in phases — but the date of the first public game would not be announced yet, as the team was “working through the required occupancy approvals.”
Some Spruce Grove residents are fed up with what they see as perpetual delays and vague communication.
“They’re making an announcement of a future announcement, but they’re not keeping us informed as residents of the city,” Beesley said.
The team’s schedule indicates there are more than two dozen more games set to be hosted at the ballpark, with the next being this upcoming Saturday.
At least four times in the past month, Global News has tried to contact Pat Cassidy, managing partner of the baseball team and company that will manage the facility, for more information and answers.
Cassidy has not acknowledged any of the requests, which remained the case on Thursday.
Global News also reached out to the City of Spruce Grove, who did not reply either.
Last week, in a statement, the city said the ballpark is a private development and Spruce Grove is not involved beyond the usual development process.
The former Prospects announced plans to relocate to the new facility in Spruce Grove in May 2020, after a different group led by former Edmonton Oiler Randy Gregg was awarded a 10-year lease to operate RE/MAX Field in Edmonton’s river valley, where the Edmonton Riverhawks have enjoyed a growing fanbase.
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