Dream facility great for local soccer
Development will mean 26 new fields
Currently buried under the snow on the outskirts of west Edmonton lies a soccer treasure.
Twenty-six full-sized soccer fields will be constructed on land donated to the County of Parkland by Edmonton businessman Denny Andrews and, in turn, leased to the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) for $1 a year.
“It will be the largest soccer facility in North America in terms of the number of permanent fields in one place,” EMSA president Mario Charpentier said of the 123-acre development on 231 Street just south of Highway 16A. “It’s like gold.” Seven fields have already been graded and are ready to be seeded. Those seven fields are expected to be operational in 2015. Work will begin this spring on the rest of the development, which is currently a reclaimed, dry landfill.
“As soccer continues to grow in Edmonton, there is more and more of a demand for soccer fields. Every year we grow 150 games a year,” said Charpentier, who said there are 20,000 registered youth soccer players in EMSA, which plays 1,400 games every week.
“And that’s just us. There are also 12,000 participants in adult soccer and another 2,000 kids who play in the Edmonton Interdistrict Youth Soccer Association. And that doesn’t even include Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Stony Plain and Spruce Grove.
“It’s by far the biggest thing that has happened for Edmonton soccer — for us, for the city, the province and even for the country — as we fully expect to see provincial and national championships held there,” he continued.
“If we didn’t get fields like this, we would have to turn kids away and we certainly don’t want to see that happen.”
Andrews said it’s a win-win situation for everybody.
“All of our donations go to kids and soccer is a sport that just about any kid can afford. I can’t wait until the day I can look out my back window at my farm and see kids playing soccer.
“It’s also a very good use for a landfill. There are a number of such sporting fields that are being built on landfills in the United States,” said Andrews.
“Wow,” said Mike Thome, executive director of the Edmonton District Soccer Association when told about the project. “This is great news not only for soccer, but for other sports like ultimate Frisbee, rugby and football.
“While Calgary has a much greater shortage, there is no doubt that there is a shortage of fields in Edmonton and these will alleviate the problems we have. As EMSA moves some of their games out there, it will open up fields in Edmonton. The whole sporting community will benefit.”
Thome said as well as a shortage of fields, Edmonton’s soccer fields get overused.
“They get played on more than they should. By midsummer, they are not in the greatest shape.”
While the City of Edmonton has more than 1,650 sports fields — including 900 soccer fields — only about 250 of the soccer fields are full size (300 feet by 195 feet or larger).
“So, with the addition of these 26 fields, you are in essence talking about a 10 per cent increase in terms of soccer fields with the proper specifications. Obviously, that’s very big,” said Richard Adams, executive director of the Alberta Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in the province.
Currently, the largest soccer facility is the one in North Edmonton run by the Edmonton Soccer Association. It has 13 fields, including two with artificial turf.
Adams said there was a seven-per-cent increase in youth soccer registration and a 6-1/2-per-cent increase in adult soccer registration from 2010 to ’13.
“Edmonton is the fastestgrowing city in Canada in population growth by percentage. We need more fields, not just for soccer but for all sports.
“We struggle to get in our games by sundown,” said Adams. “In my opinion, this will have a huge impact. It’s big and it’s very positive.”
The vision for the new soccer facility also includes plans for two playgrounds, a clubhouse and seven gazebo shelters.
“We’re in the dance now,” said Charpentier. “The only thing we need is a title sponsor.”