Council for the Rural Municipality of Hanover is exploring the idea of constructing an indoor soccer complex.
“Right now we’re just testing the waters,” says Reeve Jim Funk.
Funk says they are eyeing an enclosed soccer field with room for possible expansion to include a field house for court sports.
Council has a desired site
According to Funk, the municipality owns approximately 100 acres of land on the west side of Mitchell, which would house the facility. Today, this is a grain field, located north of Highway 52 and immediately west of Road 30E.
Funk feels now is a good time to pursue this project
Funk says with the renewed excitement of soccer in Canada, as a result of our nation hosting the FIFA World Cup, it seems now is a good time to be applying for government grants for a project like this. In addition, he says they have reached out to neighbouring municipalities, asking for support in going forward with this project.
“We’ll apply for the grants, see if there is money coming in, and if there is, then we can continue on with the remainder of it,” explains Funk. “But I think right now we are just going to test the waters and see if there is money available.”
Idea has been years in the making
Funk says this certainly is not the first time that a project like this has been discussed in Hanover. He notes that several years ago, they heard a presentation from the local soccer community, emphasizing the need for such a facility.
“We do have quite a bit of soccer happening within our schools and our programs,” says Funk. “I think there is definitely a need for it.”
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Meanwhile, Funk says they do not have an estimated cost for the project. Also, he says Council has not provided a timeline for when this could happen.
Grain field west of Mitchell is the desired location for an indoor soccer complex.