Ford Performance Centre

The Ford Performance Centre, which is located at 400 Kipling Avenue in the New Toronto neighbourhood of Toronto, opened in September 2009. It was built as a joint venture between the Lakeshore Lions Club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the City of Toronto government to replace the nearby Lakeshore Lions Arena.{{cite news |title=Leafs open 'Cadillac' of practice facilities |url=http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2009/09/09/10798796-sun.html |publisher=Toronto Sun |last=Hornby |first=Lance |date=September 8, 2009 |access-date=May 6, 2011}} Originally planned to cost $29 million,{{citeweb|url=https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2006/agendas/council/cc060925/pof7rpt/cl021.pdf|title=Long Term Sub-Lease of 400 Kipling Avenue to Lakeshore Lions Arena Inc. and Capital Loan Guarantee (Ward 6 - Etobicoke-Lakeshore)|date=2006-09-25|accessdate=2025-04-06|publisher=City of Toronto}} rising expenses resulted in the final cost being {{CAD|44}} million.{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/06/13/city_poised_to_take_over_arenas_40_million_debt.html |title=City poised to take over arena's $40 million debt |date=June 13, 2011|access-date=January 6, 2014|work=Toronto Star|last=Moloney|first=Paul}} The Lions Club contributed $40 million to the project, with the city providing a $35.5 million loan guarantee.{{citeweb|url=https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-38923.pdf|title=Restructuring of Relationship with Lakeshore Lions Arena Incorporated|date=2011-06-06|accessdate=2025-04-06|publisher=City of Toronto}}{{cite web |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/20/torontos-449-million-loan-groan |title=Toronto's $449-million loan groan |last=Levy |first=Sue-Ann |date=June 20, 2011 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |work=Toronto Sun}}{{cite web |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/13/rink-stink|title=Rink stink |last=Levy |first=Sue-Ann |date=June 11, 2011 |access-date=January 6, 2014|work=Toronto Sun}}{{cite web |title=What went wrong with Etobicoke's state-of-the-art arena? |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/06/25/what_went_wrong_with_etobicokes_stateoftheart_arena.html |date=June 25, 2011 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |last=Doolittle |first=Robyn |work=Toronto Star}} The Toronto District School Board leased the land for the arena to the Lakeshore Lions for a 50-year term. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) spent a further $5 million on training and medical facilities to make the building the practice rink of their two hockey teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies. The Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey School is also held at the arena.{{cite web |url=http://www.mastercard.com/ca/company/en/press/2009/08_19_hockey_excellence.html |title=Leafs, Marlies, Lakeshore Lions Club Team up with MasterCard To Foster Hockey Excellence |date=August 19, 2009 |access-date=January 6, 2004 |website=mastercard.com |publisher=Mastercard}} MLSE pays $600,000 annually to rent the building, and receive 50% of naming rights revenues. Mastercard purchased the naming rights to the facility for $525,000 a year.

Image:MasterCard Centre logo.png

The facility has four NHL-sized rinks, one of which can be expanded to Olympic dimensions with 1000 seats, as well as extensive training facilities.{{cite web |url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=497918 |title=Leafs New Practice Rink Unveiled On Tuesday|date=September 8, 2009|access-date=January 6, 2014|website=nhl.com|publisher=Toronto Maple Leafs}}{{cite web|url=http://www.lakeshorearena.ca/articles/club_articles/the_new_4-pad/|title=The New 4-Pad|access-date=January 6, 2014|website=lakeshorearena.ca|publisher=Lakeshore Arena Corporation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107002535/http://www.lakeshorearena.ca/articles/club_articles/the_new_4-pad/|archive-date=January 7, 2014|url-status=dead}} According to Mastercard, the arena is "the first community ice facility to be built in the Toronto-area in the last 25 years."

The arena was originally operated by the Lakeshore Lions Club, but in June 2011, with the arena unable to deal with its rising debt and on the verge of defaulting, the City of Toronto decided to take control and assume its $43.4 million debt.{{cite web |url=http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-50421.pdf |title=Annual Report 2011 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |publisher=Lakeshore Arena Corporation}}{{cite web |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/20/bailout-for-lakeshore-lions-arena-approved|title=Bailout for Lakeshore Lions arena approved |date=June 20, 2011 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |last=Peat |first=Don |publisher=Toronto Sun}} The arena had planned to have a restaurant and sporting goods store at the facility, but were unable to find a tenant leading to the financial difficulties.

The city established the Lakeshore Arena Corporation, an arms-length corporation, on September 8, 2011, to take over the running of the arena, with the intention to return it to private management within 2–3 years.{{cite web |url=http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-58245.pdf |title=RE: Lakeshore Arena Corporation 2012 Audited Financial Statements and Annual Report of the Board of Directors |date=March 31, 2013 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |publisher=Lakeshore Arena Corporation}} A city councillor suggested that MLSE, which operates BMO Field and the CNE Coliseum on behalf of the city, would be "the logical party" to take over the arena, and a spokesperson for the company said "while we don’t have any interest in purchasing the facility, we are open to discussing the possibility of managing the facility on behalf of the City of Toronto. MLSE's executive vice president of venues and entertainment Bob Hunter said they would bid for the right to run the building. After the arena's original loans expired and it was unable to find refinancing, the city provided a short-term loan. In November 2015, after finding that the debt was unsustainable, the city voted to write off $8.1 million of the $40 million it was owed by the arena.{{cite web|url=http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2015/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-84484.pdf|title=Adjustments to Various Direct City Loans|date=2015-10-05|access-date=2015-11-08|publisher=City of Toronto}}

The arena is used by Hockey Canada for its national teams, as well as by numerous visiting National Hockey League teams. The NHL Alumni Association is also based at the Ford Performance Centre.{{cite web |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-taxpayers-on-hook-as-lakeshore-arena-runs-out-of-cash/article2058581/ |title=Toronto taxpayers on hook as Lakeshore arena runs out of cash |date=June 13, 2011 |access-date=January 6, 2014 |work=The Globe and Mail |last=Church |first=Elizabeth}}

The rink is also available for ice rentals by the public for leagues, tournaments, private rentals and special events. The Faustina Hockey Club offers both community house league and Select Hockey programs at the Ford Performance Centre. On Saturdays from September through June, Ford provides open, free ice skating for families. In 2011, it was the host venue for the third season of the CBC reality figure skating competition Battle of the Blades, and subsequently hosted the fourth season in 2013.

The venue hosted an international short track competition for the first time in November 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.speedskating.ca/news-and-info/news/historical-first-for-toronto-which-will-hold-the-isu-short-track-speed-skating-world-cup-2-on-november-6-8-2015 |title=Home News & Info News Historical first for Toronto which will hold the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup #2 on November 6-8, 2015|date=28 May 2015 |website=www.speedskating.ca/ |publisher=Speed Skating Canada |access-date=1 November 2015|quote=Toronto will host for the very first time an international speed skating competition this fall, as the best short track speed skaters in the world will meet at the MasterCard Centre, November 6–8, 2015, for the second ISU Short Track World Cup of the 2015-2016 season.}}

In the first half of 2019, Ford acquired the naming rights to the facility for an undisclosed amount, renaming it the Ford Performance Centre.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lakeshorearena.ca/|title=Ford Performance Centre Professional & Recreational Hockey Facility|website=Ford Performance Centre|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-22}}

• {{cite web|url=http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=61189|title=MasterCard Centre For Hockey Excellence |publisher=Toronto Maple Leafs|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• [http://lakeshorearena.ca Ford Performance Centre Official Website]
• [http://www.faustinahockey.com Faustina Hockey Club]
• [https://etobicokesports.ca/ Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame]

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{{Sport venues in Toronto}}

Category:Indoor arenas in Ontario

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Category:Sports venues completed in 2009

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