BC Lions are working to resolve the issue. Issues highlighted in the 2025 Canadian Football League Players Association report card with a new wave of renovations to the team's training ground in Surrey.
“We value open and honest feedback from our players. Since the introduction of CFLPA report cards last year, our organization has placed an increased emphasis on providing players and staff with the best possible work environment,” said team president Duane Vienneau. 3DownNation.
“In response to last year's report card, we have addressed one important area by hiring a new strength and conditioning coach. We continue to work around the clock to improve in all areas, despite limitations at our current training facility. As such, the next phase of upgrades to our Surrey facility will begin in early 2026. These include a new and expanded locker room with a fully functional kitchen and a significantly improved player lounge, which will help ensure our diet and nutrition program is one of the best in the CFL.”
Lions improve by one letter grade from the 2024 CFLPA report cardmoving from a C- to a C. However, they dropped to the bottom of the league rankings, recording the lowest average grade of any team that year.
BC was one of two teams to receive an F grade in any of the 10 categories listed on the report card due to poor nutrition and diet. In his comments to the survey, one player wrote: “The overall nutrition of our team is very much lower than normal than it should be for a professional football team. This requires significant improvement.” Another said: “The food here is 99 percent up to the players.”
The team also received a C for equipment and facilities. Although BC players were not included as a category on the first report card, they noted at the time that the team's outdated training facility was their biggest problem. One wrote that the staff is “doing the best they can” but the facilities are “poor compared to other CFL teams.”
Lions the process of improving the facility began in Julyby erecting a temporary high-performance outdoor training facility so the team could continue all training and operations without disruption while taking steps to renovate the interior space. Architectural renderings provided 3DownNation show what the next phase of renovation will entail by transforming the space into a modern productivity hub.
Tectonic Architecture, the firm behind these renderings, previously worked on the planning and construction of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, handled permitting for the 2015 Women's World Cup and was the official architect for the 2023 Laver Cup.
These plans were in the works before the CFLPA released its findings, but they advance a trend of addressing the problems highlighted in the report cards. The 2024 team received a D+ grade for training and medical personnel. In April of that year, Tanner Care was hired as director of player performance, raising the newly separated categories of strength and conditioning staff and therapy and medical staff to B and B-, respectively.
The Lions have been a permanent resident of the Whalley area of Surrey for over four decades. In 1991, they began leasing their current training facility from the city next to Tom Binney Park, which previously also housed the team's business operations, until they moved to downtown Vancouver in 2023.
However, the building and its surrounding area no longer meet the standards required for a professional sports organization. For the past few years, the Lions have been forced to travel seven minutes by bus to Hjort Road Park in Guildford late in the season after the artificial turf at Tom Binnie Park failed CFL quality tests due to persistent rain.
Owner Amar Doman has openly stated his desire to fund the construction of a new training facility somewhere in the Lower Mainland. 3DownNation reported in May 2025 that they were active negotiations are ongoing regarding several different opportunities. The team is undertaking the proposed renovations with the understanding that they may not be in the current building for long.
“Amar Doman is fully committed to ensuring the club has the necessary resources for this important facility upgrade. Mr. Doman is making this investment knowing that we are in a short-term rental situation and it shows his commitment at the property level,” Vienneau said. “Every initiative is taken with the goal of becoming a first-class organization and we are constantly working to create the environment that players deserve.”
There are two years remaining on the five-year lease extension the club signed with the City of Surrey in 2022, which included a 33 per cent discount on rent thanks to a community engagement partnership agreement. As part of the deal, which will be worth more than $1.39 million when it is finalized, the team owes $285,376 in rent for 2026 and $292,510 for 2027.
Either party can terminate an existing agreement by giving 12 months' written notice, but this requires a viable alternative. Doman's investment in this facility will ensure it remains up to date with modern standards for as long as required.
