Villains FC has broken ground on a $6-million indoor soccer dome this week, a project the local soccer club says will help ease a severe shortage of field space as demand for the sport surges in Calgary. “These facilities not only allow us to train through the winter months and poor weather delays, but they open up a huge opportunity for our minor soccer programs,” said Jeff Marchant, facilities director with Villains FC. “The shortage of these spaces in the city and the province is unbelievable and with the growing interest in the sport we’ve see over the years, we really could probably build two or three more of these domes and have them filled to capacity.” Construction is now underway beside the club’s existing southeast training centre located at 830 59 Ave S.E., with the goal of completion by this Christmas. The project features a full size 11v11 FIFA-certified turf facility with the flexibility to spit up into smaller 9v9 and 7v7 formats. Villains FC officials say the project is being funded through a combination of private investment, community fundraising and support from club members. Marchant said work continues to secure additional contributions to ensure the dome can open on schedule. “It’s a big number, and we’re still working hard on fundraising and sponsorship,” he said. “The community has been great, but there’s still work to do.” Step forward for player development Villains FC technical director Munib Koric, who has been with the club for 25 years, called the dome a “big step forward” for local player development. “Normally, you have to wait in the winter months to get the time to play 11 against 11, but now we will be able to play more often, to train more often,” he said. “That’s going to be big step forward in player development.” Koric said when he first started coaching, training often took place in small school gyms. “Now we will be able to be practicing or doing stuff like any another club, you know, in Europe, or MLS clubs, when they have full facilities,” he said. “We will be in very good shape, pretty much matching with any Academy around.” Players at the club agree that the new dome will give them opportunities they’ve never had in winter months. “We all want to be playing 11 v 11, like everyone else over in Europe or in the States, where they have hundreds of facilities,” said Jaxon Marchant, a 2008 Villains FC midfielder. “Now that we have another dome going up, hopefully it kickstarts a couple other programs to maybe do the same.” Chelsea Andersen, a Villains fullback committed to play university soccer next year, said the project will be especially important for girls in the sport. “The growth of the women’s game has been huge, honestly, and being able to see what people like our technical director Munib have done with it, it’s honestly amazing,” she said. “I think the dome will just push that even more.” Soccer at capacity The new Villains FC dome follows other recent projects, including the Calgary Soccer Centre dome, which opened earlier this year, and construction on the Belmont Field House, but more spaces are still needed. The Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA), which oversees 31,000 players across the city, says the sport is operating at capacity. “Simply put, we’ve run out of space for the indoor game. We’re at capacity,” said Leslie MacLeod, CMSA’s communications and marketing manager. “We’re seeing about 10 per cent increase year over year.” Last season, CMSA managed about 13,000 outdoor and indoor games combined totalling 15,000 hours of play. During the outdoor season, roughly 10 per cent of games were cancelled due to weather and about 500 had to be rescheduled. “Imagine if those cancelled outdoor games were able to be moved indoors, that would give children the chance to play more consistently,” MacLeod said. “So for now, it means training in non-soccer spaces like gyms. It’s putting more kids on rosters so they can be a part of a team which potentially means less play time, which is not ideal.” Earlier this year, CMSA launched its Fields for the Future campaign, calling for governments, developers and community partners to invest in new facilities. The group estimates Calgary needs at least four additional indoor domes immediately and up to eight more within the next three years. “Anytime we’re talking about a new facility, it’s an exciting day for soccer,” MacLeod said. “Congratulations to the team of volunteers, and the leadership there at Villains FC making that a reality. We’re hopeful that this space will enable the CMSA programming to continue to evolve and to continue to grow.
