Rutland Recreation Park steps up its game 

If you’ve spent time at Rutland Recreation Park, you know it’s one of Kelowna’s busiest places to play, connect and stay active. From soccer and baseball to pickleball, BMX and community events, the park sees activity year-round. Now, it's getting a major upgrade to help meet growing demand.  

Enhancements underway

Construction has begun on the next phase of improvements at Rutland Recreation Park as part of  several projects being completed under the City’s Building a Stronger Kelowna initiative – including work already underway on the new Rutland Activity Centre. The $5.2 million investment will add a new artificial turf field, expanded walking pathways, event space, irrigation upgrades to revitalize a natural turf field, and preparation servicing for changerooms/washrooms to be relocated from Memorial Cup facilities and for future field lighting – along with work to prepare for future improvements. 

“These upgrades reflect the City’s goal of creating more opportunities for residents to get outside and get active,” says Melanie Steppuhn, the City’s parks planning and design manager. “One of the biggest benefits will come from the new artificial turf field, which can provide approximately three times more playing time annually over natural grass fields. That means more practices, more games and more opportunities for community use throughout the year.” 

Image: Map of Rutland Sportsfield project(click image to enlarge).

Already home to soccer fields, ball diamonds, the Rutland Arena, the Kelowna Family Y, pickleball courts, community gardens, walking paths and more, Rutland Recreation Park plays an important role in supporting sport, recreation and community life in Kelowna. 

Growing the site's long-term potential

Thanks to the addition of the former Little Travelers’ Safety Village site, the City has been able to expand the park footprint and make better use of the space and ensure the park can continue serving residents as the city grows. Future improvements include changerooms and washrooms and field lighting. 

L-R: Councillors Luke Stack, Charlie Hodge, Rick Webber, Loyal Wooldridge, Mohini Singh; Mayor Tom Dyas; Councillors Maxine DeHart, Ron Cannan, and Gord Lovegrove

Construction is expected to continue through December 2026. During that time, Sportsfield R1 will be unavailable, and some amenities, including the dog park and community garden, will experience temporary closures. While there may be short-term disruptions, the result will be a more versatile and resilient recreation hub for the community to enjoy for years to come.  

Investing in Rutland

The City is building a new all-ages activity center adjacent to Rutland’s Lions Park as part of the Building a Stronger Kelowna initiative, which includes three activity centers across the city and upgrades to Rutland Recreation Park with a combined investment of $78.5 million.  

Rendering of Rutland Activity Centre, which broke ground on July 7, 2026.

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