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New score clock arrives at Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium

Replaces previous score clock which had been in use at facility since 1989
Ben Lypka
Ben Lypka

Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium has received a brand-new score clock.

City of Abbotsford crews replaced the previous score clock and installed the new one on Tuesday (March 12) afternoon.

The old score clock had been installed back in 1989 and was a feature added to Rotary Stadium, which officially opened in 1986.

RELATED: Score clock at Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium to be replaced in early 2024

The News previously reported that in March of 2023 the City of Abbotsford’s draft budget proposed $80,000 for the new score clock.

Rotary Stadium’s new score clock is a product of the London, Ont.-based OES Scoreboards. They are regarded as one of the top names in the scoreboard or score clock industry, with 47 per cent of NBA, 45 per cent of CFL, 33 per cent of NHL, 27 per cent of MLS, 25 per cent of NFL and 13 per cent of MLB teams using OES equipment.

An OES LED digital play clock is in use at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas – the site of Super Bowl LVIII last month.

According to information provided by Vancouver-based Rock Advertising (who represent OES Scoreboards in B.C. and Alberta), the model purchased by the City of Abbotsford is the M8025C – which can be adapted for football, lacrosse, track and soccer.

They state that it is built with shatter proof panels and weather-proof coating. It can display game times up to 99:59, home and guest scores, quarter, down, yards to go, ball on, time outs left, possession markers and includes a built-in horn.

The new score clock can also display tenths of seconds and has an interval timer feature. The enclosure is a royal blue colour, with digits to be displayed in green and white.

The score clock weighs 1,209 pounds and is 25-feet wide and eight-feet high. According to OES, it can also be used for rugby and field hockey.

Rotary Stadium features stands with 4,000 seats (3,000 covered). The seats overlook a fully lighted natural-grass soccer/football/rugby pitch that is encircled by a 400-metre rubberized track known as Jane and Gerry Swan Track, named in honour of the Valley Royals track and field club founders.

The facility has previously hosted events such as B.C. Lions training camps, the 1996 Harry Jerome Track Classic, the 1995 Western Canada Summer Games, the BC Summer Games and most recently the 55-Plus BC Games last summer.

Rotary Stadium is the longtime home of the Valley Royals and in recent years has hosted B.C. high school rugby provincial championship events. The grass field has also been used for Abbotsford’s Canada Day celebrations. It’s the current home of the Abbotsford Falcons youth football program and the W.J. Mouat Hawks football program.

The facility has also been the home of the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades men’s and women’s soccer teams since 2021.

The City of Abbotsford stated that the old score clock will be disposed of as it is in poor condition and they lack the space to display it.

“While a new score clock at Rotary Stadium brings us a more modern and energy-efficient design, the old score clock was on the front line of local sport history,” stated Aletta Vanderheyden, the communications and public relations manager for the City of Abbotsford. “It’s a bittersweet moment to have a changeover in the score clock as residents and staff alike have a lot of shared memories at that site.

As a community, we’ve been fortunate to host many great sporting and community events and a new score board will only enhance that well into the future.”

Ben Lypka

About the Author: Ben Lypka

I joined the Abbotsford News in 2015.
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