Valley Soccer Association and Valley United Soccer Club held a joint soccer drop-in event at the Martensville Recreation Centre (MRC) on January 4th to kick off the opening of the Field House portion of the newest addition to the community.
A large portion of the MRC, including the arena, climbing wall, indoor playground and more, has been open since October; however, the Field House still required some construction before it could be accessed by the community.
Community groups are now able to utilize the new facility, and they couldn’t be happier, which was clear at the January 4th event.
“We had booked one half of the field, but we ended up getting so much interest and participation for the event, that we needed to go to the front desk and book the other half as well. We filled the whole field,” Cam Houle, Valley Soccer Technical Director, stated.
Leading up to the opening of the Field House, much anticipation took place within the community, and local sports organizations were counting down the days for it to open.
“Watching the facility come together has been fairly surreal, and getting to step onto the field recently for the first time was a bit of a dream come true. Being raised in the Valley myself, our winter soccer programming was always sorely lacking for my entire life, and even when we did finally start to create the programming in our own communities, we were held back by our facilities,” Houle said.
For approximately the past five years, VSA and VUSC operated out of gyms and hard court spaces, and on the turfed court at the Martensville Athletic Pavilion. Although appreciated, Houle noted that in order to play soccer properly, more space is required.
“This new facility will not only enable us to offer more and better programming and fun, but it will also enable us to develop talent and foster growth like we’ve never been able to before.”
Houle stated that this new facility will improve the way the local soccer groups operate and how soccer is offered within the region.
“I expect this new building will keep our numbers growing even faster than they have been in recent years and make us all better players, coaches, referees and fans of the game. The impact the MRC will have on the sport within the Valley cannot be overstated, and we at VSA and VUSC cannot wait to take full advantage of that impact.”
