Local athletes and recreational players across the Portage region are watching closely as plans move forward for a proposed indoor field house at Southport; an idea that supporters believe could reshape year-round sport, attract visitors, and expand opportunities for local leagues.
A field house is a large indoor athletic facility designed to host sports that are normally played outdoors, especially on turf or open playing surfaces. Unlike a traditional gymnasium, which is usually sized for basketball or volleyball courts, a field house is built with a much larger open floor area and higher ceilings to accommodate full or partial fields.
Typically, a field house includes artificial turf, track space, or flexible flooring that allows activities such as soccer, football, baseball training, field hockey, and multi-sport recreation to take place year-round. Many are configured with movable equipment or curtains so the space can be divided for different groups at the same time. Seating, storage, and change rooms are often included depending on the design.
In practical terms, the difference comes down to scale and purpose. A gym is built for court sports and school programming. A field house is built for field-based activities, tournaments, and community-level sport development in all seasons, particularly in regions where winter weather limits outdoor play.
One of those supporters is longtime organizer Dave Oshust, whose involvement in adult and youth soccer has given him a direct view of the need for additional space and facilities.
Oshust, a founding member of Portage Sunday League Soccer, has been involved with the sport for years while helping coordinate indoor sessions and summer leagues, and he reflects on how local programs have grown despite limitations with space, equipment, and scheduling.
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Oshust notes indoor programming already runs on Sunday evenings and says community members are welcome to join, describing sessions that help keep players active through winter months, even with modest facilities available.
He explains the group has relied on gymnasium space at Southport and the Portage RecPlex for several seasons, adapting layouts to suit turnout while acknowledging the limitations of smaller playing surfaces.
“For the past three years we have been playing indoors at the Southport gym and at the RecPlex, and the gym is a little small but we adapt. There are multiple coloured lines on the floor, and depending on how many people show up we widen or shorten the playing field based on those lines, and it has worked fairly well for us,” says Oshust.
Bigger vision
With a field house under consideration, Oshust adds expectations are high that expanded dimensions would allow for tournaments and draw teams from outside the region while relieving demand pressures in neighbouring communities.
“It is very good news and I hope they go through with it and put the money into making something unique for Portage that could draw teams from Winnipeg and Brandon because many centres there are full. If the field is at least the size of a hockey rink at 200 by 85 that should be the minimum, and if it reaches 90 yards by 100 yards then you would have a really nice field comparable to what we use outdoors at Republic Park,” adds Oshust.
Field house concept
He continues outlining potential uses across seasons, suggesting a flexible facility could benefit multiple sports beyond soccer if designed properly from the outset.
“If the right artificial turf is installed there are endless possibilities; winter could include kids baseball seminars, indoor field hockey, soccer, football, or flag football. I have been involved in renovation and construction projects and the cheapest route is to do it right the first time because cutting corners only raises costs later,” explains Oshust.
Equipment and participation
Oshust continues describing practical challenges faced during earlier years; noting improvements such as upgraded indoor nets helped increase competitiveness and enjoyment for participants.
“When we first rented the Southport gym we were using floor hockey nets, and we made do, but we asked each year about proper soccer nets. Someone even offered to manufacture them locally, and we never heard back, yet this year indoor soccer nets were installed and players enjoy it much more. They are not regulation outdoor size, but they make games more competitive and more fun,” continues Oshust.
He adds a larger venue would likely expand participation and reduce travel to Winnipeg for winter league play.
“I think we would do more because many players in Portage currently travel to Winnipeg for indoor leagues and play several random night games each week. If something similar started locally I cannot see it failing; people already say they would stay here instead of driving an hour and a half when ten minutes gets them to the field,” says Oshust.
Planned location by Central Plains RecPlex
Local soccer landscape
Oshust explains youth participation across the community remains strong while adult recreational numbers fluctuate, reflecting wider pandemic era impacts.
“My understanding is that the Portage Youth Soccer Association has between 600 and 900 kids involved, and a new winter group started recently that is seeing strong interest. Our adult league has run about seven or eight years and began with roughly seven teams, peaked around nine or 11 before COVID, and now sits between five and nine teams each summer with about 35 to 65 players total,” notes Oshust.
He continues that enthusiasm surrounding the proposed project reflects longstanding discussion among residents eager to see development move ahead.
“I am happy someone has taken the initiative because people have talked about this for years, and I am glad to hear it is progressing. Hopefully, it moves forward properly and becomes something the community can truly benefit from,” adds Oshust.
Concept drawing of front view
Southport CEO Nathan Peto notes they’re still in the concept design stages, and the current desire for concept is a full 7-player versus 7-player field, which can be divided into two 5-player versus 5 player fields. But that has not been finalized yet.