Coastal FC is set to celebrate its new indoor soccer facility with a grand-opening celebration this weekend.
The South Surrey soccer club will host an event Saturday (June 15), from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the site of the new facility, the BMO Coastal Soccer Centre, which is located in the northeast corner of South Surrey Athletic Park.
The facility has been open since earlier this spring, and has been well-received by club members, Coastal FC executive director Chris Murphy told Peace Arch News.
“The response has been really good. I think the full benefit will be realized when the weather outside is colder and wetter, but we’ve had it open since mid-April, and for the most part, the programs we’ve ran there, the feedback has been excellent,” he said, adding that there are still a few cosmetic touches left to add to the facility.
“The priority was getting people inside and onto the playing surface,” he said.
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Construction began on the site last fall, and the project – which cost $5 million – is fully funded by Coastal FC on land leased to them by the City of Surrey.
The centre includes an indoor playing surface that is 110 yards long by 35 yards wide – about half the size of a normal field – which Murphy told PAN earlier this year is perfect for the club’s youngest players, who don’t yet play on full-size pitches.
“I think it’s been cool for the little ones, because for them, it kind of feels like a little stadium environment,” he said.
“From the moment we opened the doors, you could tell it was going to be a major asset to the club and the players who get in there.”
In addition to Coastal’s youngest members, others to have used the facility so far include adult players as well as high-level academy players who “have been able to get a little extra training in.”
Saturday’s grand-opening will include a ribbon-cutting and speeches from various club members and dignitaries, as well as a bouncy castle and face-painting, carnival games and a by-donation barbecue lunch.
For more on the facility, visit www.coastalsoccercentre.ca
