Empire Field was built on the same lot as Empire Stadium, which was originally built for the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
The 32,375-spectator stadium was used by the Lions from 1954 until 1982.
For soccer, the venue was used by North American Soccer League's Vancouver Royals from 1967 to 1968 and subsequently by the Vancouver Whitecaps from 1974 to 1982.
Both the Lions and Whitecaps moved to the newly constructed, then 60,000 seat BC Place for the 1983 season.
Empire Stadium was demolished in 1993, and the location converted to a community sports park.
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation opened Empire Bowl on the site on 2003, which consisted of a 5.5 hectares (14 acres) lot, costing $2.9 million.
It had irrigated grass soccer fields, two baseball diamonds and a gravel running track.

Following a 2007 roof deflation at BC Place, Premier Gordon Campbell announced on the plans to build a retractable roof on the stadium.
Stadium owner and operator BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) announced on October 23, 2009 that they had signed a fix-cost agreement with PCL Constructors Canada to build a new roof, including the cost of a temporary stadium.
The construction was financed through a loan from the provincial government to PavCo.
The decision to build the roof was, according to Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi, "key" to bringing a MLS franchise to Vancouver.
In 2009, the Whitecaps signed a five-year agreement to play their home matches at BC Place, starting in 2011.

To allow the Lions to continue playing as normal and support the new Whitecaps franchise, PavCo decided to build the temporary venue at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Hastings Park in eastern Vancouver.
Because BC Place was to be used as the Olympic Stadium during the 2010 Winter Olympics, refurbishment could not start until after February 2010.
The details for the stadium were released by PNE and PavCo on December 22, 2009.
The venue cost $14.4 million in a fixed-price contract, and was included in the $458 million set aside to renovate BC Place.
Representatives from both teams stated that they hoped to play on the nostalgia factor for the affected seasons.
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation stated immediately after the press release that they had not been consulted or informed about the decision to build a professional sports venue on their grounds.
Although the board was responsible for operating the facilities, the land was owned by PNE, which is again owned by the city.
There were no public hearings or a city council vote to decide on the issue.

The contract to build the stadium was issued the Nussli Group of Switzerland, which specializes in the construction of temporary stadiums.
They used their NT grandstand system, which allowed for modular construction of stands.
Construction implemented 2,500 tonnes of material.
Nussli's senior project manager, Florian Weber, stated that the most difficult part of the construction was the occupancy permit, caused by the short construction schedule.
Construction took 111 days, and was completed in late June 2010.
Several commentators stated that use of temporary stadiums on a permanent basis could be used for other MLS and CFL stadia.
For instance, the price of building an 18,500 seat permanent soccer-specific stadium was averaging $200 million.

After the reopening of BC Place, the stands at Empire Field were disassembled in November and December 2011, with the turf, locker rooms and lighting masts being left behind.
Equipment and components leased from Nussli were returned.
Public consultations regarding use of the lot were conducted until June 2012, after which it was decided to create a community sports park.
It features a mountain bike park to the north, a 3.9-meter (13 ft) wide running track around the field and a skateboarding and graffiti tunnel.
The area around the turf was expanded, allowing for two east–west fields, rather than one north–south.
The legacy items were valued at $2.8 million in 2010.
Empire Field was built on the same lot as Empire Stadium, which was originally built for the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The 32,375-spectator stadium was used by the Lions from 1954 until 1982. For soccer, the venue was used by North American Soccer League's Vancouver Royals from 1967 to 1968 and subsequently by the Vancouver Whitecaps from 1974 to 1982. Both the Lions and Whitecaps moved to the newly constructed, then 60,000 seat BC Place for the 1983 season. Empire Stadium was demolished in 1993, and the location converted to a community sports park. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation opened Empire Bowl on the site on 2003, which consisted of a 5.5 hectares (14 acres) lot, costing $2.9 million. It had irrigated grass soccer fields, two baseball diamonds and a gravel running track.
Following a 2007 roof deflation at BC Place, Premier Gordon Campbell announced on the plans to build a retractable roof on the stadium. Stadium owner and operator BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) announced on October 23, 2009 that they had signed a fix-cost agreement with PCL Constructors Canada to build a new roof, including the cost of a temporary stadium. The construction was financed through a loan from the provincial government to PavCo. The decision to build the roof was, according to Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi, "key" to bringing a MLS franchise to Vancouver. In 2009, the Whitecaps signed a five-year agreement to play their home matches at BC Place, starting in 2011.
To allow the Lions to continue playing as normal and support the new Whitecaps franchise, PavCo decided to build the temporary venue at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Hastings Park in eastern Vancouver. Because BC Place was to be used as the Olympic Stadium during the 2010 Winter Olympics, refurbishment could not start until after February 2010. The details for the stadium were released by PNE and PavCo on December 22, 2009. The venue cost $14.4 million in a fixed-price contract, and was included in the $458 million set aside to renovate BC Place. Representatives from both teams stated that they hoped to play on the nostalgia factor for the affected seasons. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation stated immediately after the press release that they had not been consulted or informed about the decision to build a professional sports venue on their grounds. Although the board was responsible for operating the facilities, the land was owned by PNE, which is again owned by the city. There were no public hearings or a city council vote to decide on the issue.
The contract to build the stadium was issued the Nussli Group of Switzerland, which specializes in the construction of temporary stadiums. They used their NT grandstand system, which allowed for modular construction of stands. Construction implemented 2,500 tonnes of material. Nussli's senior project manager, Florian Weber, stated that the most difficult part of the construction was the occupancy permit, caused by the short construction schedule. Construction took 111 days, and was completed in late June 2010. Several commentators stated that use of temporary stadiums on a permanent basis could be used for other MLS and CFL stadia. For instance, the price of building an 18,500 seat permanent soccer-specific stadium was averaging $200 million.
After the reopening of BC Place, the stands at Empire Field were disassembled in November and December 2011, with the turf, locker rooms and lighting masts being left behind. Equipment and components leased from Nussli were returned. Public consultations regarding use of the lot were conducted until June 2012, after which it was decided to create a community sports park. It features a mountain bike park to the north, a 3.9-meter (13 ft) wide running track around the field and a skateboarding and graffiti tunnel. The area around the turf was expanded, allowing for two east–west fields, rather than one north–south. The legacy items were valued at $2.8 million in 2010.
Empire Field