Chestermere High School and the city’s sporting community are rallying together to bring a new, state-of-the-art turf field to the area. The Chestermere Facility Upgrade Committee (CFUC) is hoping to raise more than $3 million throughout the coming year to bring an all-weather turf field to the high school by fall 2020. The new turf would replace the existing grass field where the school’s football and soccer teams currently play. Retired Chestermere High School teacher Brian Utley, who coached the school’s football team for 38 years, is spearheading the initiative. The project has been in the works for the past two years, he said, and is ready to be taken to the next level. “Things have really progressed,” he said during a public information session for the project at Chestermere High School March 20. “We have a great facility, but our field needs improving.” Along with the new field, according to Utley, the project will include building new change rooms and storage area, and possibly replacing the spotter’s box. During the meeting, Utley and CFUC member Kelsey Johnson touted a series of justifications for the upgrades, citing university studies that concluded competing on artificial turf reduces the possibility of injury, compared to grass fields. Another benefit would be the increased usage, Utley added, as a turf field would allow teams in Chestermere to play and train outside for roughly 30 weeks a year. The field could also host provincial or national-level events, he said, such as the Alberta Bowl high school football championships. “There’d be a lot of opportunities to host provincial football, soccer and rugby championships – all sorts of things that could bring a lot of economic benefit to the community,” Utley said. Utley cited the growth of the community’s population as yet another reason for the field. Chestermere and nearby Langdon have each doubled in population throughout the last decade, he said, and there is no similar turf field to accommodate the increasing number of athletes and local teams in southeast Rocky View County. “[This field] is very much needed, and I know it’s going to be a great thing for the community,” he said. The school’s athletic park has already undergone roughly $1 million in upgrades over the past 10 years, according to Utley. The facility has added bleachers, a digital scoreboard, floodlights, new goal posts and portable soccer nets. According to Utley, nearly $500,000 has already been committed to the project from various sources, including Chestermere High School, Rocky View Schools, the Chestermere Chiefs football program and the Friends of Chestermere Non-Profit Society. “We’re at the stage where if we get the [rest of the] funds, we’re ready to go,” he said. “We have the people in place to take care of it. The issue is just getting the finances. When you apply to the City or the County, things move fairly slowly, at times.” Once local funding and support is in place, Utley added, CFUC can apply for other grants from provincial and federal governments. “It’s a long process, and you can’t raise all the money in six months,” he said. “It may be a 2020 project, but if we do it that way, then we’re going to be doing everything at once.” Chestermere High School principal Chris Robertson was also at the March 20 presentation, which included a social media roll-out for the initiative. He said the project is important for incoming students, as it provides the opportunity to compete and recreate in a first-class sporting facility. “Having the best facilities for them to have those experiences while they’re going through high school – I think that’s the best opportunity,” he said. “It extends the season, allowing the kids to play earlier in the year. It eliminates a lot of the conditions that can make a grass and dirt field unplayable at times.” The full price tag for the upgrades is pegged at more than $3.1 million. Utley said the committee hopes to complete the field upgrades by September 2020, in time for the high school football season. For more information, visit bit.ly/2TRtfK0 or email [email protected]
