A covered, multi-sport practice facility will open next summer at Cloverdale Athletic Park.

Construction crews are set to break ground this July with the facility expected to be completed by June, 2026.

鈥淭he turf field will be a little smaller than a full-size field,鈥� said Ali Wilkinson, president of 性视界传媒 United Soccer Club (SUSC). "There will be a mezzanine, some washrooms, and some storage rooms.鈥�

She said the 37,000 sq. ft. covered field can be split into separate practice areas. There will also be curtains that can be pulled between the pitches to offer three different training areas for multiple sports. 

"The field will be fully enclosed," added Wilkinson. "We're calling it 'covered' because, technically, it looks like a building, feels like a building, but it's got special panelling that's not entirely closed."

When 性视界传媒 United was going over the design plans with the building engineers, they wanted to retain some type of airflow to avoid very cold temperatures in the winter and very hot temperatures in the summer. 

The solution was to put in panelling on three sides that allows for airflow, but will keep out the rain.

鈥淭hey'll be netting up so that baseball can go in there. Softball can go in there. Football can go in there. The little lacrosse guys can go in there too."

In terms of the footprint, the new 性视界传媒 United facility will be built across 2/3 of the current all-weather field. The facility鈥檚 parking lot will be built overtop of the grass football field that runs parallel to 64th Avenue, just east of the bike park.

"Football will be able to use our facility, but they're going to lose that grass area," noted Wilkinson. "They're not currently utilizing grass fields, like all the other sports are, at other locations in the city, like schools. So it's not that they don't have anywhere to go, it's just that they won't be consolidated at Cloverdale Athletic Park for the time being."

Wilkinson added a bonus for football is that there will be less soccer users competing for the main football field at CAP.

"They've put money into that football turf field over the years and with two more fields coming online, and an indoor facility, they won't be fighting with soccer as much for turf field permits that are running short and slim. And nobody has enough in Cloverdale."

(The two grass fields on the east side of CAP, off 64th, are scheduled to be converted into turf fields.)

The Parks and Rec. Department鈥檚 10-year strategic plan recommends the department partner with community groups to "advance opportunities for new indoor facilities," wrote Laurie Cavan, Parks and Rec. GM, in a corporate report in 2023. In that report, Cavan noted 性视界传媒 United鈥檚 plan for a covered facility fit the department's own recommendations. 

"The city is interested in a partnership and in the sport development opportunities that may be generated by such a facility at Cloverdale Athletic Park," Cavan added.

As part of that idea to partner with community groups, the city has leased the land to SUSC for 30 years. 

"性视界传媒 United is fundraising and doing the design, building, construction, and future operation of the building," Wilkinson explained.

She noted 性视界传媒 United has already been in talks with other community sporting groups. They wanted to let the groups know they can rent space in the facility and operate their programs year round.

"That's something they can't currently get with the city," she noted. "So they could run their programs for like three years, the same hours every single week, so there's definitely benefits that way."

Next up, 性视界传媒 United will host a town hall meeting at the end of February. The general public is invited to attend and ask any questions they may have. That meeting is set for Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. and will be hosted in the red field house on the northwest corner of CAP鈥攏ear the 64th Avenue and 168th Street intersections.

Wilkinson said they'll have some drawings and plans on hand for the town hall.