Naming rights for Cambridge facility to be approved Tuesday
Toyota sponsorship 10-year deal begins when signage is up
A Cambridge corporation is putting its stamp on the city's new soccer complex.
Needing city council approval on Tuesday, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (TMMC) plans to pledge $250,000, plus HST, for naming rights for the fieldhouse in the facility. The 6,500-square-foot service building, which incorporates public and universal washrooms, change rooms, multi-purpose space, a staff room and equipment storage, will be named the Toyota Fieldhouse.
The sponsorship is a 10-year deal that begins when naming signage is erected.
“Investing in the communities where our team members and their families live is important for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada and sponsoring the upcoming soccer complex fieldhouse is a great way to do so,” said Phillippe Crowe, lead of corporate communications at TMMC, in an email.
The city will foot the bill for the signage up to a maximum of $50,000, which is included in the project budget. Any cost above that would be paid by Toyota.
The official grand opening for the more than $13-million complex is June 15.
“Business leaders in our community like Toyota are a key piece in making projects of this scope possible,” Mayor Jan Liggett said in a statement.
“TMMC continues to show up as a strong and caring corporate partner, through their employment opportunities, their active corporate giving programs and now through this generous sponsorship donation. Thanks to their generous contribution our new state-of-the-art facility is a space where everyone is welcome and able to celebrate a love for sport.”
When the city broke ground on the project in 2022, the budget for the facility sat at $12.67 million and was expected to be completed in 2023.
Derek Bridgman, finance and operations manager for Cambridge Youth Soccer, told the Record in July 2023 there were supply chain issues delaying construction.
A month prior to Bridgeman’s comments, council allowed city staff to dip into the Capital Works Reserve Fund to pay for the majority of the construction budget increase of $1.31 million until sponsorship money becomes available.
Conestoga College, a partner in the complex, added another $9,299 at that time, on top of the already $1.5 million they put into the complex for an artificial turf field, two change rooms and a treatment room in the field house.
Teams have been on fields this spring prior to the grand opening.
The complex is slightly stripped down from what was originally planned due to budget overruns discovered during the schematic design phase.
The reduced amenities included scoreboards, bleachers on two fields, fencing, park bench seating, a playground and the number of tree plantings.
Those amenities were identified — aside from the site playground, which became a separate capital project — as an opportunity for sponsorship donations and could be added later.
Staff flipped on skimping on the scoreboards, however, as potential sponsors wanted them put back on all fields before possibly investing in the complex.
According to the city, there are more sponsorship opportunities available. Those interested can email sponsorship@cambridge.ca.