Soccer group makes pitch for new fields - The Carillon

A Steinbach Soccer Complex fund-raising committee made a presentation to Steinbach City Council Tuesday asking the city to proceed with the construction of three new pitches at land previously set aside for the project at the west end of Steinbach on land adjacent to L.A. Barkman Park.
Two years ago the city made 40 acres at the site available for the new project with the proviso that the Hanover Kickers soccer group spearhead the fund-raising for the new complex.
Committee spokesperson Royden Loewen told council they launched their capital fund-raising project this summer and is confident they can generate $100,000 in pledges over the next six months or so. In the meantime the fund-raising committee asked the city to complete the final drawings for the project, which will cost about $20,000.
Loewen acknowledged that the "initiative has stalled a bit," since discussions on a new complex started about four years ago. "The requirement for a soccer complex is still there, the need is even more acute now." He pointed out there were 513 children playing soccer in Steinbach this year, and those numbers rose to more than 600 with the adult teams.
Loewen appeared before council with fellow committee member Curtis Krahn, both soccer parents and volunteer coaches, and Hanover Kickers president Norman Anderson, who has been the driving force behind the mushrooming growth of soccer in the community. There were a total of 45 teams in Steinbach this year with about 90 volunteer coaches in total.
The fund-raising group is essentially asking council if they could start the project as early as this fall by moving dirt at the site so the fields could be used by next fall. City engineer Phil Kalyta estimated the cost could be as high as $75,000 per field but Loewen feels it could be done for less money with donations in kind. This would be phase one of a proposed three-phase project that could include as many nine soccer pitches.
"This is doable in this community, there is strong support to get this done, I think the community is now ready for another sports initiative," said Loewen.
Properly constructed soccer pitches would stand up better to the rain that has plagued the short soccer season the past two years, including this summer where as many 50% of games had to be cancelled or postponed because of wet fields.
Council will study the matter at a study session in three weeks time and will then report back to the fund-raising committee. However, there appeared to be support from council for the project if they can find kind room in their budget to get the project off the ground this fall or next summer.