Langley Events Centre

The Langley Events Centre is a huge, multi-purpose building in the Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada. It opened in April 2009 and first welcomed visitors for the 2009 BC Gymnastics Championships. This impressive facility covers 322,312 square feet (29,943.8 m²), making it a major spot for many different activities.

The main arena can hold up to 5,276 people for sports events, and it has 24 special rooms called suites for guests. There is also a big gymnasium where up to 2,200 people can watch games or events. In another part of the centre, called the Fieldhouse, there is a dry floor arena and another gymnasium for smaller groups of up to 1,100 spectators.

The Langley Events Centre also has a large banquet hall that can fit up to 800 people, perfect for parties and gatherings. There are meeting rooms, a place to walk inside, an outdoor playground, and lots of grassy and turf fields to explore. The centre is also home to the Langley Gymnastics Foundation, a group that helps children and adults enjoy gymnastics in a fun and safe way.

History

The Langley Events Centre is the largest sports and recreation building ever built in Langley. It took more than two years to build. Plans for the centre were announced on December 18, 2006, and it was first planned to cost $45 million. In the end, it cost $56 million. The money came from the local government, the province, and private builders. The first event there was the 2009 BC Gymnastics Championships.

Teams

The Langley Events Centre has been home to many sports teams. The Vancouver Stealth of the National Lacrosse League moved there in 2013 and played until 2018 before moving to Rogers Arena in downtown Vancouver.

The Langley Rivermen of the British Columbia Hockey League played at the LEC from 2011 to 2016. They moved when the Vancouver Giants of the WHL began playing at the LEC in the 2016–2017 season, having previously played at the Pacific Coliseum.

The LEC also hosts two Langley Thunder lacrosse teams—the Langley Thunder Western Lacrosse Association team and the Langley Thunder BC Junior A Lacrosse League team. Five Trinity Western Spartans sports teams—basketball, volleyball, and hockey—also play there.

The BC Titans of the International Basketball League played at the LEC from 2009 to 2010. In 2022, the Fraser Valley Bandits chose the LEC as their home for the Canadian Elite Basketball League season. The same year, the soccer club Vancouver FC began playing at nearby Willoughby Community Park Stadium.

Notable events

The Langley Events Centre has hosted many events since it opened. These include the 2009 BC Artistic Gymnastics Provincial Championships and the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics Torch Relay Community Celebration. It has also had games for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League.

Other events are the 2011 World Junior A Hockey Challenge, the 2012 World Curling Financial Group Continental Cup, and the 2013 Special Olympics BC Provincial Summer Games Opening Ceremony. The centre holds eight high school basketball tournaments each year. It has also had events like the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship and the 2022 Canadian Ninja League National Finals.

Other notes

The Langley Events Centre is a place where many groups and organizations can meet and work, such as Tourism Langley and the Langley Sports Medicine Clinic.