While hope remains that the COVID-19 pandemic will ease off to allow football seasons across North America to begin this summer and fall, the U of S Huskies will not be playing home games on new artificial turf at Griffiths Stadium.

“Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 situation, the turf replacement at Griffiths Stadium has been postponed to ensure that we are more stringently following the advice of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” explained Huskies Chief Athletics Officer Dave Hardy. “That’s a bit of a disappointment for us, but we’re forced into a situation that we will make the best of.”

The $3 million project was expected to be done in time for the fall for football and both U of S soccer teams. The hope is that it will be completed in 2021. For this year, Hardy says the turf will be regenerated in order to be safe for use by the student-athletes on those teams…and other users of Griffiths Stadium. He adds new artificial turf is the first stage of a general refurbishing of the facility which would, eventually, include a new video scoreboard and moving the west grand stand closer to the field with the elimination of the track and field facilities surrounding the playing surface.

In addition, Huskie Athletics suspended the use of Merlis Belsher Place and the P-A-C Huskie Health locations as well as several team and grassroots programs until further notice. The news release on this action from Huskie Athletics follows…..