Under normal circumstances Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 weather allows soccer, field lacrosse and field hockey to be played by adults and youth throughout the winter.
The availability of all-weather fields, however, is a key part of that. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a big reason why the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) is partnering with the Greater Victoria School District and Indigenous and other sports groups to create a centralized, two-field, $3.5-million complex at Spectrum Community School in Saanich.
B次元官网网址淭his is something weB次元官网网址檝e been working on for 10 years, if not longer,B次元官网网址� says Vince Greco, VISL executive director. Since turf became viable as a way of reducing game cancellations, he adds, several member clubs in Greater Victoria have constructed all-weather fields.
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The high cost of land has been a roadblock to creating a VISL home field to date, Greco says, which makes the partnerships involved crucial.
B次元官网网址淚 think the only way for this to work is if we synergize our efforts,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淎bout five years ago we started looking into different possibilities, and we kept coming around to the school district.B次元官网网址�
The district is providing the land, but the other partners, each of which would share a piece of this recreational home, include Songhees Nation, the Native Indian Football Association and the T-Bird Soccer Group, while connections to the Canadian national para-soccer team and Kidsport Victoria have also been made for future use.
Not only does Spectrum have a large, mostly unused piece of land, VISLB次元官网网址檚 goals dovetail with those of the school. The side-by-side fields B次元官网网址� part of a greater vision for the school that also includes an ice rink for its hockey academy B次元官网网址� would be used for soccer, field lacrosse, PE classes and other recreational programs.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e always trying to do things for the kids in the community,B次元官网网址� says athletic director Dominic Butcher, pointing specifically to the Indigenous partnerships. B次元官网网址淲ith our school districtB次元官网网址檚 huge emphasis on truth and reconciliation B次元官网网址� this project directly addresses that.B次元官网网址�
Butcher, a longtime VISL goalkeeper himself, echoes GrecoB次元官网网址檚 sentiment that the project has the potential to provide benefit to a broad cross-section of the community.
B次元官网网址淚 think [itB次元官网网址檚 in] our very name, we want to be that colour in the community, connecting people and being that community builder, with the people we help build and the students we produce,B次元官网网址� Butcher says. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 lots of potential for partnerships and many community sports groups are crying out for turf time.B次元官网网址�
The proponents aim to get $2.25 million in grant money, leaving the league to raise roughly $1.25 million. Any donations received by the end of 2020 will enhance the groupB次元官网网址檚 current funding applications, Greco says.
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Besides the fields, the goal is to have a B次元官网网址渓earning centreB次元官网网址� that would house change rooms, meeting and spectator spaces and potentially a concession.
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