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Queen’s students now have more indoor space where they can stay active thanks to new field turf that has been installed at the former Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute (KCVI) at 235 Frontenac Street. The installation was made possible by a $100,000 gift from Catherine and Mark Graham, both alumni of Queen’s Artsci'96.

“The KCVI turf spans approximately 6,600 square feet of indoor field space, providing much-needed space for intramural sports, open recreation, and varsity training, ensuring students can stay active year-round,” says Gareth Cunningham, director of recreation at Queen’s Athletics & Recreation.

Since becoming available to students in January, the KCVI turf has quickly become a hub for intramural sports, providing access to 169 teams and 1,928 participants. Student recreational clubs have also found a home there, with 150 participants engaging in various activities, while 350 varsity student-athletes now train in the facility. Over the course of the year, 7,000 to 8,000 unique students involved in one of the intramural program’s 21 sports will have the opportunity to use the space.

"The new turf in the KCVI building has been great for students,” says Jenna Kaufman, intramural convenor and fourth-year concurrent education student. “Students can get active, socialize, and have fun no matter what the weather’s like outside. Students have already been enjoying playing games like spikeball, futsal (soccer), ultimate, and lawn games on the turf. This will be a great resource for all of us.”

The turf is an interim installation while the university develops plans for the long-term use of the KCVI property, which Queen’s acquired from the Limestone District School Board in 2021. Parts of the facility are in use on a temporary basis, and any future renovations will preserve the existing façades that have heritage designations. Queen's has significant experience with Heritage Designations of institutional buildings and maintaining facilities of a similar age, including having successfully repurposed Victoria School, a former primary school, into Goodes Hall.

"The new turf revitalizes the KCVI gym space and makes it relevant for our community while preserving some of its histories and traditions, which is really exciting,” says Cunningham.

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