School board, club consider partnership to build football dome

An artificial football turf field could be constructed under a sports dome at a Stittsville high school in a potential partnership between the French Catholic school board and a local football club.

The Ottawa Sooners is the latest sports organization looking to establish a high-calibre playing surface and secure dedicated playing time through a deal with a school.

Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est has submitted a municipal planning application for an artificial field and a permanent inflatable dome at Paul-Desmarais high school on Abbott Street East in the west- Ottawa suburb.

The school board’s application filed at city hall says the dome will “reinforce the ‘heart’ of the community,” since the school and proposed sports facility are at a gateway for the area.

The planning documents don’t disclose the cost of the project. The school board isn’t ready to discuss the potential partnership.

“The project with Ottawa Sooners is still in the stage of discussion. For now, nothing is set in stone,” school board spokesperson Stéphanie Pilon said in an email. “We are still negotiating with the city to see

if this project is feasible. At this stage it is too early to confirm we are going ahead with the project.”

The president of the Sooners couldn’t be reached for comment.

If the school board goes through with the project, it would need city council’s approval because the maximum building height allowed on the property is 15 metres, but the dome would be about 23 metres.

The planning application also calls for an attached one-storey clubhouse with change rooms, offices and concessions. A separate natural-grass soccer field would also be added to the school property, according to the planning application.

The short season in Ottawa for sports fields has turned into a business opportunity for school boards looking for better facilities, and for sports clubs scouring the city for available rentals.

For example, the City of Ottawa’s standard season for municipal

sports fields is between May 15 to Oct. 31. Late snow melt in the spring can push the opening day because the fields are too saturated for sports.

The Ottawa Catholic School Board is partnering with the Ottawa Footy Sevens to build a lighted artificial turf field at Immaculata High School, with the soccer club paying $2 million for the project.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board started a partnership seven years ago with the Ottawa Internationals soccer club to develop an artificial turf field at Hillcrest High School. The Internationals also partnered with the French Catholic school board to build an artificial field at FrancoCité high school.

Marcia Morris, executive director of the Ottawa Sport Council, said it was “serendipity” when the Internationals were looking to establish artificial fields, since the organization was able to access federal infrastructure funds to build at Hillcrest and Franco-Cité.

“It was an incredible brokerage because it went across two school boards,” Morris said. “That was an incredible coup for them.”

It also helped other sports take advantage of lighted fields. When she was running the Ottawa Carleton Ultimate Association at the time, Morris scooped up evening slots in the fall, since soccer clubs weren’t using the fields in those hours.

“It became a win for the Internationals, a total win for ultimate, a great win for the schools,” Morris said.

With so much competition to rent time at natural grass fields in a weather-shortened playing season, sports organizations are looking for creative ways to secure facilities and playing hours.

“I think we’ll continue to see the partnerships that we’re seeing,” Morris said.