by Victoria Bennett
When we moved to Elbow Valley, our children were toddlers and the realtor proudly told us of the plans to build a school and soccer pitches on the patch of land off Range Road 31, south of the Glencoe golf club. Over the years we have seen the fire station be built, most gratefully, on a section of the land, and spoken to many people in the area who had also been told soccer pitches were to be built.
With the homes along the Highway 8 corridor not currently being built, Rocky View have pulled back on the need for a school on that plot. As I write this, I am by Shakers in the east of the city while my son, ten years on, plays soccer. There are soccer facilities in Bragg Creek, by Springbank Hill, and in the city, but not along the Highway 8 corridor. Calgary Minor Soccer League’s President, Susan Cress, has said the biggest reason children give up sports is distance to facilities.
A group of residents met with Rocky View County to ask what was being done with the rest of the land around the fire station. Rocky View County are working with the City of Calgary to develop facilities that each can share. For a community where soccer is the most popular participation sport the lack of facilities has been a constant issue. Soccer is seen as a sport for life and although there are over 20 leagues of adult soccer in Calgary, each with multiple teams, there is no adult soccer in the area.
The residents reached out to all the communities along Highway 8 and held an inaugural meeting, where it was agreed to set up a sports society to investigate further. The society has now been formed and we are seeking board members who can move this project forward and represent all the communities that will benefit from additional facilities.
Once the board is formed, the first task will be to decide what type of facility could be built on the land. Next community information and engagement will be sought using a professional third party. This will also take into account any impacts to local communities and seek to mitigate them. If and when the community are in support, the proposed design will be taken back to Rocky View and pass through the approvals phase.
If you are interested in being on the Society board, please contact Terry Brooker at [email protected]. When the Society reaches out for your input and support, we look forward to hearing from you and being able to provide the community input to Rocky View Council so that we can deliver facilities that the community want and will benefit the area.
