The all-weather artificial turf field at Fred Milne Park is within weeks of becoming a reality and getting to this point has been an exercise in community spirit and support.

The project has been made possible by the generosity of businesses and individuals in Sooke, who have made the installation of one of the biggest facilities of its kind on the lower Island, said Laura Lockhart, president of Sooke Soccer Club.

But, like any project, the installation of this state of the art facility was not without its challenges.

B次元官网网址淲e always wondered about the northwest corner of the site. It was always prone to flooding. Even with only a little bit of rain, itB次元官网网址檚 always been a struggle to keep that part of the field playable. It wasnB次元官网网址檛 until we started excavation for the installation of the new field that we discovered that there was an underground spring running through that part of the grounds. No wonder it flooded,B次元官网网址� said Lockhart.

Paul Clarkston, of Clarkston Construction, who has taken a lead role in the fieldB次元官网网址檚 construction, was surprised to find the pool of water at that location as soon as digging began.

B次元官网网址淲e were in one of the driest summers on record, but when we dug down we got to this big, wet, sloshy bunch of ground. It certainly came as a surprise B次元官网网址� there was a crazy amount of water there,B次元官网网址� said Clarkston.

He explained that the problem has now been rectified through the installation of extra on-field and perimeter drainage that diverts the water into the siteB次元官网网址檚 drainage system.

B次元官网网址淭hings like that come up and have the potential of raising costs, but Paul and his crew handled it. They have just been tremendous,B次元官网网址� said Lockhart.

B次元官网网址淲e are actually under budget thanks to the kind donations of people like the heavy machinery owners and operators. We had thousands of yards of gravel donated and even support for fundraisers like our bottle drive made a big difference. The wall of fame at our clubhouse alone resulted in $40,000. And, of course, without the $1 million we received from the [Capital Regional District] and the District of Sooke through the gas tax, and the support of the Sooke Community Association, none of this would have been possible,B次元官网网址� she added.

While the field may look nearly completed, there are some final touches still needed and the actual grand opening wonB次元官网网址檛 occur until early November.

B次元官网网址淥ur players are very excited. We had our team pictures taken inside this year in front of a green screen. Teams wanted those pictures to have the new field set as the background to their pictures, and I canB次元官网网址檛 blame them. ItB次元官网网址檚 a beautiful facility,B次元官网网址� said Lockhart.

Once itB次元官网网址檚 operational, Lockhart is certain the field will serve to draw some soccer players who had moved to play outside the community back to Sooke.

B次元官网网址淲e had a hard time retaining players because we had so many games cancelled due to wet field conditions. I guess having a river running under part of the field didnB次元官网网址檛 help,B次元官网网址� said Lockhart.

The soccer club has already been approached by teams from other parts of Greater Victoria who may be interested in renting the facility, and local baseball and football teams will also be pleased to know that they will have access to the state of the art, fully lighted artificial turf field.

And, of course, all of those athletes will be pleased to learn that the northwest corner of the site is no longer a sloshy mess.