Okotoks’ soccer players are being forced to travel further and further away to play, but the Town believes it has a solution.
While the indoor soccer season is over and the players are starting to move outdoors, the lack of indoor facilities remains a problem, particularly with the amount of snow still on the ground and outdoor teams looking for indoor practice facilities.
Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson said he believes they are getting closer to a solution to the problem.
Following a meeting with the MD of Foothills on April 19, Robertson said they are making progress on a proposed indoor fieldhouse to be built in the MD.
“My priority for the Town of Okotoks is do an indoor fieldhouse,” he said. “At our meeting (on April 19), both parties said ‘Yes, we’re resolved to go ahead.’”
Okotoks Minor Soccer Association (OMSA) director of programs Jean Cote, in conjunction with Okotoks Minor Baseball, submitted a proposal to town council on Feb. 14 citing a need for an indoor fieldhouse, preferably within the Town of Okotoks.
“That would be the first priority,” he said.
Currently, the OMSA is at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with rival associations due to a lack of facilities said Cote.
Without any dedicated indoor facility, the OMSA is unable to run any offseason training programs or indoor games while the outdoor players prepare for the season.
The lack of any dedicated soccer facilities has forced the OMSA to use school gyms and any other available spaces.
At present time, some of Okotoks’ outdoor soccer players are practicing and preparing for the season at the Okotoks Curling Club – a hazardous practice facility considering the massive posts in the middle of the rink.
“We simply can’t offer those preseason or seasonal training programs because we don’t have those facilities available,” Cote added.
The need for a fieldhouse for Okotoks has never been greater, he said.
The Feb. 14 proposal stated the ideal site for the fieldhouse would be within the town itself, given that the majority of users will be from Okotoks.
While that request appears to be on the backburner, a facility within the MD would certainly address some of the demand for soccer facilities in the region.
Cote explained in his report 181 competitive and elite Okotoks players were forced to have their games and practices in Calgary last season due to insufficient local playing surfaces.
This problem is only exacerbated by gym closures through the winter months.
In fact, Good Shepherd School had a 73 per cent gym closure rate in 2010 – a figure that inconvenienced several user groups in addition to the OMSA.
On the heels of the Okotoks Minor Hockey Association donating $100,000 to the Dunbow Recreation Centre construction fund, Cote said his association would be willing to contribute to a facility.
However, their preference remains a facility within Okotoks.
As soccer continues to be the fastest growing sport in Canada, the need for playing surfaces will only increase.
An adequate level of playing fields with the Town and MD would increase the number of soccer registrants by a significant amount, Cote said.
“We could more than double our (registration) numbers if we had the facilities.”
Robertson said they do have a few locations identified, however, he was unable to disclose them at this time – though he did indicate the sites are in close proximity to Okotoks.
As Robertson explained, the proposed indoor fieldhouse would have four indoor fields along with the possibility of a running track, similar to the one currently in the Foothills Centennial Arena.
The total cost of the project would be $16 million and covered by the Town, the MD and the federal government, Robertson said.
The Town and MD have already taken steps to secure federal funding through a P3 application, which would be submitted to a federal committee who would determine the feasibility of the project.
The indoor fieldhouse is part of a larger proposal for two additional ice arenas within the MD but Robertson maintained the Town is only involved in the fieldhouse.
“It’s part of the proposal but we’re not partnering on those two ice rinks. We’re just partnering on the indoor fieldhouse,” he said.
Under the proposed funding structure, the Town and MD would contribute $6 million each and the federal government would contribute 25 per cent or $4 million.
The project won’t die if they don’t get funding from Ottawa, however.
“The intent of the Town is, if the federal government funding doesn’t come forward then we’re still resolved to go ahead,” Robertson said.
The contingency plan in that case would be to build a structure that would cost $4 million less than originally planned.
“We would be building it a little smaller,” Robertson added.
“Of course, that’s subject to the will of the rest of both councils but I believe Okotoks council is on board with that,” he said. “It’s a priority, not just for me, it’s the direction of this council. We set that as one of our priorities for this year.”
