Young soccer players in Chatham will soon have a new field house to store their equipment or grab a snack.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has started construction on a new field house behind the Health and Family Services Building on Lark St. in Chatham. The field house is scheduled to be open by spring of 2018.
The municipality is partnering with the Chatham Youth Soccer Association, Community Living Chatham-Kent, and the CK Public Health Unit to facilitate the project.
“We’re very fortunate to have such a great working relationship with our community groups. They not only identified an important need, they assisted with the funding and ongoing operations,” says Supervisor for Chatham Parks and Horticulture Deborah Veccia.
The field house will provide fully-accessible washrooms, a canteen, and a new storage area for the Chatham Youth Soccer Association. The soccer fields currently have four portable toilets and store equipment off-site. The new canteen will be operated by Community Living Chatham-Kent, as part of their skills training program.
The Chatham Youth Soccer Association is excited for the new field house to meet their growing demands.
“The facility provides a service to 1,250 boys and girls weekly,” says Administrative Director Martin Aarts. “Up to 800 players and spectators can attend on a soccer night.”
The project is estimated to cost $420,000. The Chatham Youth Soccer Association has contributed $75,000 towards the construction of the field house, and another $35,000 was donated by the Public Health Unit. The rest of the funding will come from the 2017 Capital Budget and Parkland Reserve.