Local sports organizations may not want to kick the ball anymore as the weather gods keep playing games.
Due to the unusually cold and wet conditions this spring, the City of St. Albert is delaying the opening of its outdoor playfields.
The tentative opening date for ball diamond fields, tennis courts and the Fowler Athletic Track field is now Friday, May 10.
“If we get to start on time it means we don’t have to schedule on Mother’s Day, and we don’t have to schedule games the day after minifest,” said Melody Martyn, executive director for the St. Albert Soccer Association.
“It just gives us more flexibility within the season.”
Due to the closure of their training grounds in Riel Park, the association started practicing on the city’s artificial turf field and indoor fields now.
Once the city opens its outdoor fields they plan to start off the season with a kick-off tournament on May 10 and 11.
While the delay won’t affect the number of games played, Martyn said she’ll have to condense the schedule and have more games on weekends to avoid going into the schools’ summer break in July.
Ed Ewasiuk, president of the St. Albert Minor Baseball Association, said he cannot schedule games on weekends due to tournaments and other activities going on at the same time.
He is hoping to get his teams on the fields in surrounding communities by May 6. While that still extends the season by one week, he said it’s better than losing players during the summer break.
“Hence we just have to travel a little bit further,” he said.
“It’s either that or we are delayed by two weeks and if we can’t get on then the only option is to further extend the season.”
Meanwhile, Kelly McConnell, booking and events manager for the City of St. Albert, said they may be able to adjust the date to an earlier time if the weather looks promising on Monday or Tuesday.
“The important thing with the field is not just to let the snow melt but the frost has to come out of the ground,” he said.
“Ideally, you would like to have a little bit of growth so that the turf can sustain the use that we anticipate.”
McConnell said the city is sensitive to the needs of the various sports teams. He hopes to open the outdoor fields as soon as possible, especially when anticipating a higher demand this year due to the closure of the Riel Park fields.
While residents may have seen players out on some of the fields already, McConnell asks sports teams and the public to refrain from going on the greens.
“If the grass has no chance to grow and if you ever see the turf after a soccer game, there is quite a bit of turf kicked up, and if you have team after team it kills the grass,” he said.
“And if it’s wet then it makes the surface uneven and unsafe for that matter.”
In the meantime, Martyn is still attempting to talk the weather gods into better spirits.
Whether that will work, she cannot promise. She will try her best at scheduling though.
“I am still going to try really hard to avoid Mother’s Day. At least some of it,” she laughs.
