The wait will continue for baseball fans in Spruce Grove and around Parkland County to see the Energy City Cactus Rats live and in-person.
However, a long-awaited and important step has been taken as the Western Canadian Baseball League’s Board of Governors has voted unanimously to allow the team to play its home games at the under-construction Energy City Metro Ballpark for the remainder of the 2026 season.
“We have seen the progress made by the Cactus Rats organization over the last number of days with fulfilling facility and league obligations, as well as the presentation of a plan to carry out the ballpark project to completion,” league president Kevin Kvame said in a news statement late Tuesday night.
“For the good of the league, we feel it is important to give the Cactus Rats organization enough runway to do that.”
The move came after the team acquired an occupancy permit for 150 people – enough for players, coaches, support staff, umpires and grounds crews – and a walk-through by league officials took place earlier in the day.
It’s been nearly six years since the Edmonton Prospects announced that they were moving to Spruce Grove, but a series of delays, including the economic fallout from the pandemic, supply chain issues, environmental zoning challenges and weather conditions repeatedly pushed back the opening date for the new stadium.
To figure out how we got here, we have assembled a timeline of events related to the Energy City Metro Ballpark.
TIMELINE
February, 2005
The Edmonton Big River Prospects are announced as one of two expansion teams added to the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), the predecessor of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL).
May 26, 2005
The first of 21 home games for the Big River Prospects takes place at Telus Field in Edmonton.
May, 2006
Following off-field tenancy disputes over Telus Field between the Big River Prospects and the independent league Edmonton Cracker-Cats, the WMBL team moves to Legion Memorial Park in St. Albert.
2009
The team shortens its name to “Edmonton Prospects” and plays games out of Edmonton’s John Fry Park and Telus Field.
“Any time you can play at Telus Field, it’s a bonus, for both players and fans,” team owner Pat Cassidy tells the Edmonton Journal newspaper. “It’s always nice to play in a quality showcase facility, and the organization is certainly hoping that baseball fans throughout the city will show up to witness the quality of college baseball.”
April 27, 2012
The Edmonton Prospects make Telus Field their full-time home.
“It’s a whole lot more expensive than playing at John Fry Park,” says team general manager Tracy Neumann in the Journal. “But it is a coup for us. Like our owner says, ‘You have to spend more to make more.’ I’m hoping the city of Edmonton embraces our style of ball.”
May 1, 2017
Telus Field becomes RE/MAX Field. The Prospects announce the name change ahead of their June 2nd home opener.
“As part of our commitment to advancing sport in Edmonton, we’re excited to see baseball continue to have a strong future in the city,” notes Roger Jevne with the City of Edmonton.
The first alarm bells are sounded about the potential of the Edmonton Prospects having to vacate their home at RE/MAX Field.
At the team’s annual fundraising gala, owner Pat Cassidy says the City of Edmonton is looking at demolishing the stadium and building condominiums.
“Having been to many ballparks throughout my life, I can tell you that magic that is this scenic setting of RE/MAX Field is simply hard to duplicate,” Cassidy tells Alberta Dugout Stories. “When man – by design or by accident – conspires with nature to create a masterpiece, you should not mess with it.”
The City of Edmonton hits pause on the idea of demolishing the stadium and instead opts to open up a request for submissions on a new 10-year lease.
Then-councillor Andrew Knack says it is not excluding the Prospects from putting in a bid, but they want to see what else might be out there, adding everyone wants to make sure that whatever is happening there in the future has some longer-term certainty.
Word starts getting around that the city is working on a 10-year lease with a new operator – former Edmonton Oilers defenseman and Edmonton Tigers pitcher Dr. Randy Gregg.
He is heading up a group interested in focusing on activating the field beyond baseball to allow for music and cultural groups to rent the field as well.
However, with time of the essence, the city agrees to a one-year extension with the Prospects for the 2020 season, citing concerns over having the field be completely empty during the summer.
The 10-year lease agreement with Gregg’s group is finalized.
He leaves the door open to the Prospects if they want to continue hosting games at RE/MAX Field in the future, as that same ballpark had hosted two different teams during the summer in the past.
Upon learning of the new lease, Cassidy quickly announces that the team will be relocating to Spruce Grove.
“By 2022, it is our plan to be up and operating in a modern and very exciting venue in Spruce Grove,” he says in a news release.
With a new home decided on, the Prospects go to work on developing a site plan on the city’s east side.
Dubbed “Spruce Grove Metro Ballpark,” the stadium would include a 360-degree wraparound concourse, suite, party decks and merchandise store.
On the outside: a microbrewery, an amphitheatre and commercial/retail district. The plan also includes “The Dimaggio” condos with a view beyond the ballpark’s outfield fences.
Meantime, the WCBL announces it has fully committed to the Prospects as they build their new home, saying that Sylvan Lake, Okotoks and Lethbridge will host a few home dates during the 2021 season.
Gregg’s group announces they are bringing a West Coast League team to the Alberta capital in the form of the Edmonton Riverhawks.
Following the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, a handful of WCBL teams decide to forge ahead with an abbreviated 2021 season with five Alberta teams.
The Prospects play some “home” contests on the road, as well as at diamonds in the area – with a few games at Spruce Grove’s Henry Singer Ballpark and Sherwood Park’s Centennial Park Diamond No. 9 – on their way to the WCBL championship.
The Prospects meet the Lethbridge Bulls in the league final that season, with the Bulls emerging victorious with a 16-5 victory in the final game in Sherwood Park.
Citing supply chain shortages and the Migratory Bird Act, the Prospects announce that they won’t be opening their newly renamed Myshak Metro Ballpark until 2023.
“Losing two and a half months this past summer due to matters relating to the Migratory Bird Act, combined with supply chain shortages due to COVID-19, made it virtually impossible to complete a project of this size and scope in the next seven months,” Cassidy says in a news release.
“While discouraging in one respect, it is also exciting to know that we now have an opening date.”
Again playing as a traveling home team, the Prospects finish 20-36 during the 2022 season and fail to qualify for the postseason.
The Edmonton Riverhawks play their home opener at RE/MAX Field and deliver a 10-9 walk-off win over the Portland Pickles. The Riverhawks finish the season with a 25-28 record.
With more delays blamed on supply change, labour disruptions and bad weather, the Prospects announce that they are taking a leave of absence for the 2023 season.
Cassidy says it would allow the team to “concentrate full organizational efforts on bringing the ballpark to life for the spring of 2024.” The Prospects take a leave of absence to “finish construction.”
Some good news is reported though as horizontal construction and ground surface work has finally begun.
In just their second season, the Edmonton Riverhawks set the WCL’s record for attendance with 104,748 fans making it through the turnstiles.
The Prospects feel confident enough in their progress that they announce the team will be back in action for the 2024 season.
“Construction on Myshak Metro Ballpark is ongoing but several challenges with respect to material deliveries remain a challenge that could affect the opening date for the facility,” Cassidy says in a news release.
“We remain hopeful that an opening at some point in time during the ’24 season remains possible, but given the scope of the project and some of the remaining challenges, we felt it was critical that a backup plan be put in place.”
That back-up – Centennial Park in Sherwood Park – ends up becoming their headquarters for the season after more delays plague construction, with the Prospects recording a record of 12 wins and 44 losses in 2024.
For the first time in their three-year history, the Edmonton Riverhawks clinch a playoff spot and host their first postseason game, beating Bellingham 3-1 in front of a crowd of 7,848.
The team also announces that it once again set the West Coast League’s single-season attendance record of 116,871 fans.
The Edmonton Prospects are no more.
In a progress report on construction, the team declares it is time for a new name and brand to shape the next chapter in baseball for Spruce Grove.
A naming contest is soon to be launched with tentative opening dates for the ballpark set for June 7-8, although cautions are put in place around weather and construction challenges.
The Prospects give a site tour to Global News, confirming that they believe opening for the 2025 season is a likely situation.
“I’m very confident this ballpark will host some baseball games in 2025,” Cassidy says in an interview. “I guess the one question mark is exactly what day will that start.”
After a social media naming competition, the Energy City Cactus Rats are officially born.
The name and logo are unveiled at a news conference, with Cassidy saying they are getting very close to opening the doors to the facility.
“We’ve kind of set it as our soft launch,” Cassidy says. “We’re targeting it, we’re going to do everything in our power to try to make it happen.”
He says the team has a couple of road trips set after that June 7-8 weekend, so if they need to play elsewhere, the option is available to them.
The Cactus Rats announce the soft launch isn’t happening.
Blaming the delay in the delivery of some key materials, the team asks Okotoks to host their first home games of the 2025 season, while Sylvan Lake would host another game on June 12.
The new home opener date is set for June 24th.
“While we are disappointed with this decision, we know it’s the right decision,” Cassidy says. “Fans should also be aware that we will not get every aspect of this ballpark completed and ready for the 2025 season.”
Another postponement of the home opener is announced, pushing things back to July 12th.
“We are up against realities we cannot ignore – construction delays, incomplete seating and amenity installations – and the sheer complexity of opening a stadium of this scope,” says Cassidy. “While we had hoped for June 24, the truth is we will not be fully ready.”
He also opens the door to future delays by saying that even the new date is a “moving target.”
It becomes more evident that a home opener at the new stadium is unlikely in the 2025 season as the team says it is in the final stages of evaluating construction progress.
Citing a challenging spring construction season with wetter-than-expected weather, Cassidy notes progress has been made, but they need to make sure everything is safe for everyone, particularly the fans.
“We remain committed to opening a world-class facility for our fans and Metro Edmonton,” he says. “However, this is a complex project, and the integrity of the ballpark experience, safety, functionality, and overall fan enjoyment must come first.”
Spruce Grove baseball fans start voicing their displeasure with the situation publicly through local media.
Jennifer Vachon and Sandie Miller go to CTV News wondering if they can get refunds for the season tickets they bought in 2023.
“It was something we wanted to do as a family,” Vachon says. “But now, with everything going on and the kids getting older, we just don’t have the time for season tickets anymore.”
Miller adds her refund request is based on games not being held and her potential inability to commit to every game in 2026.
The Cactus Rats host a pair of games at Henry Singer Park on July 5-6 to give Spruce Grove fans their first taste of Energy City baseball.
Dubbed an “historic moment for Energy City baseball,” the team announces it will be able to host its first games at Myshak Metro Ballpark for a two-game final weekend set against Fort McMurray.
On the Cactus Rats social media channels, they say the field is game-ready, but getting fans in the stands isn’t a possibility because of safety in the concourse’s construction zone.
Fans are still able to watch the game’s livestream, although that is cut short after workers are seen trying to fix patches in centre field and in behind the pitcher’s mound prior to a storm rolling through and causing a delay.
With the heavy rain, the teams move to Centennial Park in Sherwood Park for a double-header to end the regular season, as the Cactus Rats finish out of the playoffs with a 20-35 record.
For a third-straight season, the Riverhawks set the WCL attendance record.
Buoyed by a single-game record of 9,200 for Canada Day, the Riverhawks set the mark of just under 132,000 fans for the season.
Dec. 5-7, 2025
At the WCBL Winter Meetings & Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Cactus Rats offer assurances that the team will host all home games in Spruce Grove during the 2026 season.
The Cactus Rats start off the new year with fresh expectations of opening for the 2026 season.
The team tells fans that the project is moving in a “positive direction” as stadium lighting and exterior precast wall installation is nearing completion.
Stadium seating is also scheduled for installation in the coming weeks, according to the team.
After fans start voicing their displeasure with a lack of transparency, the Cactus Rats come forward with another update.
“Meetings with key suppliers, contractors, in-house work crews, and the City of Spruce Grove are ongoing as we continue addressing occupancy requirements, amenities, and the fan experience,” Cassidy says in the update.
The team isn’t able to provide a definitive date for when the stadium will be open to the public, and states that more information will be released in the near future.
The announcement puts into question whether fans will be allowed in the stands for the team’s home opener, which is scheduled for June 5th against the Brooks Bombers.
With the clock ticking down and more questions continuing to linger, the Cactus Rats deliver more bad news just ahead of their scheduled home opener.
“The ballpark is opening this season, and the public opening will take place in phases,” says Cassidy in a statement, hinting the team may host games in what is now called Energy City Metro Ballpark.
He notes the Cactus Rats will move towards limited public seating, followed by expanded seating and additional amenities as each area is completed, approved and ready for fans.
The WCBL issues a statement saying it is monitoring the situation and that it is “focused on the team meeting its obligations to the league, players and coaches.”
Thanks to rain and cold weather, the team’s original home-opening weekend is postponed to July.
With another home game on tap, the Cactus Rats find themselves once again providing bad news for fans.
“Tonight’s game against the Sylvan Lake Gulls has been postponed due to facility approvals,” reads their social media post.
The team is also non-committal on when a new home game will be held, only saying that they “look forward to having games at Metro Ballpark as soon as possible.”
They are scheduled to host the Okotoks Dawgs on June 13th and the Lethbridge Bulls on June 14th.
Following the latest delay, along with a site visit by members of the WCBL Board of Governors and umpiring staff, the league issues a statement outlining their frustrations with the series of delays and missed timelines.
“The league’s Board of Governors has voted unanimously to impose a deadline of Tuesday, June 16 for the Energy City Cactus Rats ownership group to provide a detailed plan outlining the specific steps they will be taking to bring the facility into full compliance with the league’s minimum facility standards, a concrete and realistic timeline for the full completion of all required stadium facilities, and plans for satisfying all outstanding financial obligations to the league,” reads the statement.
The team’s next three home games are moved or rescheduled, with a meeting set for June 16th to make a “determination regarding play at Energy City Metro Ballpark.”
The Cactus Rats issue a statement of their own to say they have received some good news in that they have been granted an occupancy permit for up to 150 people for WCBL games.
The permit only applies to people on the field, meaning players, coaches, team staff, umpires and grounds crews, while fans will have to wait longer to get in.
“With respect to fan involvement, construction continues and it is hoped that additional occupancy allowing fans into the facility can be achieved within the next two to four weeks,” the statement notes.
The team adds that playing a game will depend on how the league’s meeting on June 16th unfolds, as the league will make the determination on whether the field meets the standards for game play.
The league’s Board of Governors meet for a little more than an hour, where the Cactus Rats are able to present their plan.
The other governors are also given an opportunity to voice thoughts or concerns before they vote unanimously to allow the Cactus Rats to finish out the season with home games at Energy City Metro Ballpark.
Ahead of the first game, league president Kevin Kvame met with members of the media to discuss the vote by the Board of Governors.
He said the league’s support was conditional with several major issues needing to be addressed, with one of the most important being that regular construction updates are provided to the league and that better communication happens with fans.
“They have to understand that trust has been broken in the Spruce Grove area,” Kvame states. “There’s a difference between honest and marketing. We have to be honest with the public and tell them what’s happening.”
He says all reports will be compiled at the end of the year for a review by the Board of Governors to determine any needed next steps heading into the 2027 season.
That night, the Cactus Rats welcome the Okotoks Dawgs for their first-ever game at Energy City Metro Ballpark, with the Dawgs taking the 4-1 decision in a rain-shortened six-inning affair.
Nearly six years after the move to Spruce Grove is first announced, a baseball game has, at least in part, has been played at the field.
It’s a start.
