If you build it they will come, as the saying goes, and the St. Albert Soccer Association is one step closer to making its own field of dreams a reality.
St. Albert council may soon debate a motion to enter discussions with Edmonton council and the St. Albert Soccer Association about the feasibility of the Field of Dreams project, and who might pay for it.
Coun. Wes Brodhead gave notice of motion Nov. 7 to have councillors work with their counterparts in Edmonton to establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to build a multi-sport recreation complex. The motion came following a presentation from Craig Cameron, the soccer association’s board member responsible for the project.
“We’re not here to ask city council to do anything for us, we’re here to ask city council to do something with us, and in particular advancing our vision for a regional field house and sports complex.”
The facility the association’s proposing would include a covered indoor turf field, two indoor multi-use courts, two outdoor turf fields, and five outdoor grass fields. It’s being proposed for a parcel of land owned by the City of Edmonton just north of Anthony Henday Drive, south of 137 Avenue and east of Ray Gibbon Drive.
The parcel of land is owned by the city of Edmonton, but is cut off from its services by Anthony Henday Drive, hence the benefit of a partnership for the land use.
Cameron said the association began looking for opportunities in 2011, as it was clear that both growth in association membership and population growth in the region as a whole were putting pressures on existing field facilities. It was not just soccer associations feeling the pinch, but other groups as well, so the project was deemed feasible.
“With the right kind of support, with the right kind of space, the business model would support this type of facility in the region,” Cameron said.
Soccer association executive director Chris Spaidal said the business case for the project is still preliminary, and the association doesn’t want to make it public until after the prospective partners finalize the document. But the project’s potential is clear, and he’s happy to see progress.
“It’s a big step for them to actually put forward a motion to have it done. That makes it more formal, finally,” he said.
But questions still remain around how much the finished product might cost to build and operate, and who will be responsible for those costs.
Spaidal said the estimate for the facility at the moment is roughly $50 million to build, but that figure is very preliminary and subject to change as the potential partners assess the needs and start to make decisions. He said it’s not unrealistic to think the facility could be built by 2020, but emphasized nothing can be determined until an MOU is signed.
“We want to see the actual signatures from the prospective partners involved to get the major contributors in place,” he said. “Once that takes place we can push forward with a guided plan.”
But he added the need for more field space in the region is evident, with reports of teams from the Edmonton region having to travel as far as Red Deer to play each other.
Cameron and Spaidal are scheduled to give a similar presentation to a council committee in Edmonton Nov. 21.
