The bowl of undeveloped land behind Chatelech Secondary School in Sechelt is the site for three proposed multi-use athletic fields and a stadium.
Norm Blair, president of the Sunshine Coast Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA) is pleased with reactions to the presentations the association has made to all local governing bodies starting with School District No. 46 (SD46) back in December of 2007 and wrapping up with the Sechelt Indian Band chief and council this summer.
"The area is open and centrally located, and the school board has not been able to develop it," Blair said. "That wasn't a choice. They have to put education first. The soccer association is in a good financial position to get this started, and we want to make this a community project and get input from many different groups."
Architectural plans for the site include a natural turf pitch and an artificial turf pitch for soccer, a ball diamond, training facilities for track and field and a 2,000 seat stadium.
"We lose about 25 per cent of playing time a year because there is too much wear and tear on natural turf," Blair said. "We have more than 1,200 kids playing and more than 3,000 people involved in soccer in some form eight months of the year. That's about 45 games a weekend."
By the end of October, Blair said the association expects to have held two fundraisers they anticipate could bring in $250,000 towards the expected $5-million project.
A mile of twoonies was an idea given to the association by a Lions Club member. Those donating a twoonie will stick it to double sided tape until an actual mile is filled in. Blair said a mile of twoonies is equivalent to about $116,000.
The other event will be a business appreciation day once the tourism season has died down. Blair hopes to organize one day where participating businesses will hold sales in their stores that will encourage local shoppers to be a part of a special fundraiser. At the end of the day, each business involved in the event will donate two per cent of their earnings towards the capital campaign. Blair is optimistic that this could bring in another $100,000.
With $250,000 raised and community support behind the project, Blair said they will then go to local governing bodies to ask about grants-in-aid. Blair said through partnerships with other local organizations, other grants can also be accessed.
As an example, he cited the need for a portable concert stage. The stadium with full lighting and 2,000 seats could host several different kinds of productions and concerts in addition to sporting events. He said this would appeal to arts societies that could apply for money towards the stage, making this a well-rounded community endeavour.
Blair said the association plans to make another presentation to SD46 in September regarding the updates to their plan, and a broadcast email will go out to the 3,000-plus soccer association members about the upcoming fundraisers. Learn more about the project at www.fieldforeveryone.ca.
