Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC)

This article is the third of a six-part series (The Arena Series) on the arenas of Major Series Lacrosse.  
 Part 3 – The Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) - home to the Oakville Rock 

The Oakville Rock were originally the Ajax-Pickering Rock playing in the Ontario Lacrosse Association Senior “B” League beginning in 2003.  However, in 2010, the team began to play in the OLA Senior “A” League under the moniker the Ajax Rock. In 2013, the team left Ajax to relocate to Oakville moving to the newly constructed Toronto Rock Athletic Centre and were rebranded as the Oakville Rock.  Although the team did not qualify for the MSL playoffs in 2013 and 2014, the Rock have made the playoffs for the past five seasons, including advancing to the 2018 MSL Finals. 

Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) - 80,000 square foot year-round sports venue

MSL Commissioner Doug Luey shared his insight on the Toronto Athletic Centre - "Not only is the TRAC a world class lacrosse facility which is great for our league - but, a fact that always stands out to me is how accommodating the staff are. Whenever an unusual request comes up, the TRAC staff go above and beyond to facilitate any and all needs of the guests. Mr. Dawick must be extremely proud of not just the building, but the people operating the building and their exceptional professionalism”.

The Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) officially opened in December 2012.  As the name would suggest, it is the training facility for the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League.  As the home arena of the MSL’s Oakville Rock, the TRAC features two NHL-sized arena floors. One floor has a turf surface and seating for 750 spectators.  The other surface is concrete with limited seating.

The offices of both the Toronto and Oakville Rock lacrosse teams are located within the TRAC.  In addition, there is a state-of-the-art locker room with all the amenities along with a full-service gym. Furthermore, given the enormous size of the facility, the TRAC is a multi-purpose venue which includes meeting rooms and is ideal for hosting coaching clinics and corporate events. While lacrosse is the main tenant in the building, the facility has been used by other sports groups including ball hockey, rugby and football.

Oakville Rock General Manager Steve (Chugger) Dietrich describes the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre with great enthusiasm exclaiming,  “The Toronto Rock Athletic Centre is a world class facility. It is easily the best lacrosse first facility in Canada.  He notes, Jamie Dawick - "Spared no expense when designing the home team dressing room. It offers a large dressing area where every player has their own stall. A large screen TV at the far end offers the players the ability to relax pre or post game and also allows the coaching staff the ability to show video clips to players”.

Steve Dietrich – Oakville Rock General Manager 

GM Dietrich went onto comment, "In addition, the dressing room also has a large hot tub for the players to be able to address any muscle concerns post game. The coaches room also offers some luxuries as well, including a seating area and large TV to review video and go over different scenarios to be able to show and speak to the team".

Jamie Dawick - President – Oakville Rock

Lacrosse fans should be grateful to Jamie Dawick – Owner/Operator of the Toronto Athletic Centre and both the Oakville and Toronto Rock lacrosse teams - as had the foresight to make a huge investment in the construction of the TRAC.   A unique venue intended specifically for lacrosse, the presence of the TRAC is significant to the growth and development of lacrosse in the greater Toronto area including having a positive impact on the MSL.  When lacrosse returns to play, be sure to stop by the TRAC on a Monday night (located at 1132 Invicta Drive in Oakville) and enjoy a game featuring one of the most exciting teams in Major Series Lacrosse playing in a first class lacrosse venue.

(Written by Rad Joseph – Member of Major Series Lacrosse Media Team)