An infusion of government cash has the dream of a field house in Saint John becoming a reality.
The Greater Saint John Field House project is getting a total of $16.2 million from all three levels of government, with the federal and provincial governments each kicking in $6 million and the city providing $4.2 million in support.
The Saint John Exhibition Association has contributed $5 million and $1.6 million has been raised in the community.
The facility will feature a field and running surface for sports like soccer, lacrosse and track and field.
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Supporters of the stadium say it will allow for greater, more widespread exposure of Saint John.
“This venue will provide a national calibre forum, a location for events that can’t even come to New Brunswick at this time,” said Bill MacMackin, president of the Greater Saint John Field House.
MacMackin admits the $26 million dollar initiative is a challenging one, especially when the building won’t be used for hockey.
“It’s sports that not everyone thinks about,” he explained. “We’re a very ice-centric country so we all think about hockey and ice sports but (soccer and lacrosse) are all growing sports in our community and across Canada.”
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Soccer is one of the sports that will benefit the most from the field house.
“Our kids are limited by their opportunities to play year round,” said Jason Brown, Technical Director of the Fundy Soccer Association.
“We have wonderful facilities in Saint John and the surrounding areas. This really changes the game for us in terms of being able to offer more to a sport that’s growing exponentially,” he said.
Mayor Don Darling defended the city’s financial commitment during difficult economic times.
“You have to balance the dollars that you have so you can grow your city, you can attract people to your city,” said Darling.
The field house will break ground later this year and open by fall 2019.