The Pacific FC has partnered with the Canadian Premier League to donate a five-a-side soccer pitch to the WSANEC School Board and the surrounding community members of Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tseycum and Tsawout.
The pitch – including lighting, fencing, goal nets, benches and ADA-compliant access and lockers – began its installation at the LAU, WELNEW Tribal School this week and is expected to be open for use in early fall. The professional-grade facility will provide a space for students to continue the important role of soccer in their communities, said school board administrator Curtis Olsen, as well as a site for future soccer clinics between the football club and students, which Olsen said are in the works.
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“One of the mandates of Pacific FC and the Canadian Premier League is to support the growth of soccer on Vancouver Island and throughout the country,” said Rob Friend, CEO of Pacific FC. “We are extremely passionate about this initiative and looking forward to a long-term partnership with the WSANEC community through the sport of soccer.”
Prior to the promise of the new pitch, the approximately 330 students of the WSANEC School Board and surrounding community members would play the game at a full-sized pitch without water drainage, Olsen said. “Usually towards the end of October, we start getting hit by the rains. (The field) kind of acts like a basin and holds the water pretty good. So we can’t really make use of it from that time to probably the beginning of February.”
Given the prospect of future sporting clinics and maintenance of the facility, “we look forward to long-lasting relationships with both organizations,” Olsen said.
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