A local minor soccer association is hoping to develop a turf pitch somewhere in Greater Trail or Castlegar.
Kootenay South Youth Soccer president Rita MacLeod and director Andrew Van Der Ham explained the idea to Trail city council this week. They previously met with the City of Castlegar. The organization also has players in Rossland and Fruitvale.
Van Der Ham said last fall they hired a consultant to do a feasibility study on building either an indoor or outdoor turf field. Nelson is the closest community with such a facility. After receiving the consultant’s report in March, the board agreed to push ahead with the idea.
“And more specifically, a turf field with lights so that we can kind of extend our season and get on our season earlier,” Van Der Ham said. “We’re in the infant stages of this project, but we want to get it going.”
The organization has about 1,200 players registered for its spring program and also has an indoor winter program that about 100 kids signed up for last year. However, Van Der Ham said using school gyms “becomes a scheduling nightmare” and it’s also hard to book the Willi Krause Fieldhouse in Trail, so they are looking for other options.
“Our short-term strategy would be an outdoor turf field that we could get going in the next year or so,” MacLeod said. “And our longer term would be working with other partners to build an indoor facility.”
She said while there would be a cost involved, there would also be economic and social benefits. She pointed to a dome that was bulit in Cranbrook, which is used for other purposes besides sports.
“So that’s what we want to spearhead some of the project planning around,” MacLeod said. “We know it’s bigger than soccer when we’re starting to talk about an indoor facility or a dome. But our first step is getting some turf.”
In the meantime, the association hopes to take advantage of a program from the Vancouver Whitecapts and the provincial government to provide up to 20 mini-turf pitches across BC.
“This does not meet our requirement, our need for a turf field, but it could be a huge step in the right direction,” Van Der Ham said. “It gives added programming, added opportunities for our area.”
However, he added they can’t apply unless they can identify a piece of land to put it on. They’re asking local municipalities and the school district for a suitable spot. Trail council has asked its staff to work with the association.
