New soccer complex at the U of M to cost $9.4 million
U of M provides grounds to bring community onto campus
JENELLE PETRINCHUK STAFF
As soon as 2007, the U of M will be home to a new indoor soccer complex. Four indoor fields and one outdoor field, as well as new parking spaces, will be located in an open site on Cancellor Matheson drive, between University Stadium and the tennis coursts.
The new complex will cost a total of $9.4 million, however the University of Manitoba will not be responsible for any of the cost. The City of Winnipeg is committing $6 million to the project while the Winnipeg Soccer Federation is committing $1.5 through various grants. A group called Laureate Development are bringing in the other $1.9 million.
Alan Simms, U of M vice-president (administration), explained that the U of M is only providing a ground lease, and won’t be responsible for any of the operating costs associated with the complex.
“It would have to operate on its own strength as a soccer facility. So the basic business plan is that . . . the fields would be rented to various soccer groups within the city at an hourly rate and at the end of the year the income has to exceed the expenses,” he said.
The project is still in the initial stages of development and not all of the details have been finalized. Simms said they’re still trying to determine what can be done with the $9.4 million.
Things like how much additional parking will be provided haven’t been decided, although it was mentioned at a senate meeting that there is a chance it will provide U of M students with additional parking during the day, as the facility will be busiest in the evening.
It has been determined that there will be four indoor soccer fields as well as one outdoor field with artificial turf, but the terms by which U of M will get to use the fields are still being worked out.
The new complex ties in with the Sports and Active Living Precinct that was designated in June of 2006. This precinct was put in place with the intention to further develop recreational and athletic facilities on campus.
It is stated in the report to the U of M senate submitted by Norman Hunter, chair of the Senate Planning and Priorities Committee (SPPC), that during the Sports and Active Living Precinct proposal, “a number of potential projects were envisioned, including an indoor soccer facility.”
The new complex will be bringing many younger students to the U of M campus on a regular basis once the facility is up and running.
“I think it’s truly exciting and certainly will involve community and that’s certainly one of the strategic aims of the university,” said Simms. “[The university should] be part of the community and the community be part of us, and I think this goes a long way to help that out.”
The project may be underway as soon as September 2007, although Simms claimed that this is a very “aggressive” target. “Whether that can be achieved is something we’ll have a clearer idea on in a month or so,” he said.
