Members of Airdrie’s football community are rallying together in hopes of bringing an artificial turf field to the city within the next two years. “When a city hits a certain size, you have to start looking at projects like this,” said Chris Glass, a director with Airdrie Field Turf Project, a non-profit society. According to Glass, who is the head coach of the George McDougall Mustangs football team and a coach with the Airdrie Raiders, the price tag for such a field would likely be around $1 million. “It would help us attract some national and provincial-level events, and it would bring in some much-needed business to our city,” he said. The group is planning its first fundraising event for March 23, that will feature the Duelling Pianos from Calgary's Aussie Rules Piano Bar. Glass added, a meeting with the City of Airdrie in April will outline possible field locations. A City of Airdrie representative confirmed Jan. 24 the City is aware of the project, and said the group has already met with the Parks and Recreation Department for initial discussions. Glass said financial support from local businesses would be crucial to raising the funds for the field. “We hope that some of those people in Airdrie who love the community can step up and help support us when it comes to this project,” he said. Doug Robertshaw, who coaches the Airdrie Raiders in the Calgary Bantam Football Association, said a turf field would allow the city’s sports teams to train outside nearly year-round. “It’s something the city has needed for a long time,” Robertshaw said. Currently, Airdrie’s high school football teams play home games on the natural-grass field at the Ed Eggerer Athletic Park, located adjacent to the Genesis Place Recreation Centre on City-owned land. Airdrie’s competitive men’s football team – the Airdrie Irish, of the Alberta Football League – also plays its home games on that field. Glass said the Ed Eggerer field has limitations, most notably, the natural-grass field disqualifies Airdrie from hosting national or provincial football competitions, such as the Alberta Bowl high school championships. “[A turf field] opens up a brand new window of what events we can hold in our city,” he said. Along with more usage, Glass also argued playing on turf fields is safer. He cited a five-year study conducted at Idaho State University from 2010 to 2014, which indicated playing on artificial turf instead of natural grass resulted in a reduction in serious knee and head injuries among football players. While the project is football-centric, Glass said a turf field would benefit other sporting organizations, as well, including soccer, field-lacrosse and rugby teams. “We want this to be for all of Airdrie’s residents, not just the football community,” he said. “But we want to make sure it meets our needs, too.” Glass said the goal is to have the new field constructed by September 2020, though he admitted the target is ambitious. “It will depend on how well we do, working with the community to raise the funds, working with the City and finding a right location,” he said. “Ultimately, the timeline is less important than making sure we do this right.” For more information and tickets to the March 23 event, visit facebook.com/AirdrieTurf/
