A stadium at Spruce Meadows will host Calgary’s entry in the Canadian Premier League, a circuit that is set to begin play next year.

The Canadian Premier League will soon unveil an eight-team slate for its inaugural 2019 season. Calgary is expected to be in that mix, joining a group that will likely include Edmonton, Halifax, British Columbia, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa and North York, Ont.

Plans for the Calgary club call for it to play home matches in a stadium at Spruce Meadows, an equestrian facility that originally opened in 1975. More details on the stadium plan are expected to emerge later this month, but the renovation of existing facilities will result in a venue for the Calgary club. More from The Calgary Herald:

[Spokesperson Ian] Allison said the stadium renovation would be financed by Spruce Meadows.

“The club will (be) commencing in 2019, be playing out of Spruce Meadows and will be owned by Spruce Meadows Sports and Entertainment,” Allison said. “We have existing facilities that will be modified, I would say. It would be renovations to bring a very unique and distinctive ambiance to the game.”

Allison said an announcement will be made later on this month, when further details about the project will be revealed. He said FIFA regulators have been at Spruce Meadows to inspect the site in advance of the renovations.

The stadium is slated to have an initial capacity of 5,000 to 7,000. Key announcements regarding the CPL’s initial slate of teams are expected to take place soon, with the league planning to unveil one team at a time starting this week and additional clubs unveiled over the following weeks.

Image of soccer action courtesy FC Edmonton.