Footie fans will need to wait a bit longer than expected to get on the City of Cambridge’s newest fields.
The Fountain Street Soccer Complex won’t be seeing any highlight reel headers until the 2024 season, the city says.
Gateman-Milloy Inc., the company that’s been helping lead construction, has been in charge of the site since July 2022 and has run into some problems with the supply of materials needed to complete the project.
“As is common in the current construction climate, supply-chain issues have impacted several critical site elements, resulting in schedule challenges,” Shane Taylor, project manager for the city said.
“Construction is expected to be completed before the end of 2023 so the complex can be ready for the 2024 soccer season.”
General Manager of Cambridge Youth Soccer Derek Bridgman says they had conversations with the city at the beginning of the year about construction being slightly behind schedule.
Despite the the delay, not having access to the fields shouldn’t impact programming as long it's ready for the start of next season.
“We use the city’s outdoor fields right up until they shut them down at the end of October,” Bridgman said.
“After that, we utilize our dome for fall and winter.”
While it’s anticipated the three turf fields will be completed in time, issues could arise if the sod doesn't take on the four natural surfaces and they aren’t ready when spring rolls around.
For Bridgman, it creates a scenario where the organization needs to be ready for anything as he prepares schedules.
“I don’t think there will be any issues with accessing the turf fields,” he said. “We have to plan for the worst case scenario if the grass fields aren't ready right away.”
No matter when they hit the pitch at the new facility, having more municipally owned fields will be beneficial to the organization.
Currently, they rent a combination of school board and city-owned fields. Relying on the school boards, which rents the fields to the city who then rents them to Cambridge Youth Soccer, poses significant issues at times, Bridgman says.
For instance, this year Galt Collegiate Institute and Glenview Park Secondary School will stop renting its fields beginning August 18 to prepare for their own needs. Typically they’re open to be booked until Labour Day.
“We never know if the school board will come to the city and not allow us to rent the fields because we're a third party,” Bridgman said.
“We’re at the mercy of the school board. When we get on the Fountain Street complex it’s going to be maintained and booked by the city.”
As for scheduling, the city has created a priority system for booking, Bridgman says. Cambridge Youth Soccer is third on the list of roughly 12 parties behind certain tournaments that need lead time.
It’s important to note that one of the fields is for the exclusive use of Conestoga College as it's helping foot the bill for part of the construction.
The delay might be less than ideal for those eager to use the facility but Taylor and the city believe once the whistle blows to begin play, it will provide exactly what the community needs.
“The new soccer complex will provide the city with an opportunity to expand community services, increase opportunities for sports tourism and serve as a gathering place for all of Cambridge," he said.
Information on a grand opening event in 2024 will be provided at cambridge.ca.
