Football (Soccer) Facilities

Idea:

In terms of passion for sport, it is without question that this exists and is vibrant within the small city of Fredericton NB. With approximately 16 grass and turf fields, Football (soccer) has one of the largest grassroots participants which engages more than 1500 players in the summer annually. In contrast, the winter only supports one local facility which is the BMO dome located at UNB. This 1/3 size field comes with a number limitations (i.e., lack of opportunity, lack of access) when trying to support a large number of players which drops to about 200-300 players during the long winter months. This presents many barriers not only for athletes trying to commit to playing the sport they love all year round. Interestingly, as Fredericton continues to diversify with international students, immigrants, and refugees, sports that they are passionate about can be a great asset in terms of integrating families into the community. Having played football with UNB mens soccer and at the professional level, I know first hand how powerful sport is at connecting others. An idea I want to share is the number of reasons why a field house for a full sized turf field could benefit the community of Fredericton. I encourage others to reach out to me so I may share my idea. It will definitely take some time for this to happen, but let's start the discussion now.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks so much for sharing your passion with us! We love the growth of soccer in our community and are pleased with how we've been able to use the current facilities and even host big events. This facility would be a great piece in our community, and we're taking your idea back to staff to determine whether it could be a capital budget item in the future.