Edmonton soccer organizations call on city to help build proper indoor facilities
The real goal for Ross Ongaro is to have more soccer fields in Edmonton.
Ongaro, the technical coordinator for the Internazionale Soccer Club of Edmonton and a fixture on the city's soccer scene since the 1970s, says there are more players in the city than available space in the winter.
"We're either changing the game that we have to play or telling people they cannot play, and that's just not right," Ongaro told CTV News Edmonton on Sunday.
Indoor soccer fields at the FC Viktoria Soccer Centre in the city's northwest can't hold a standard 11-on-11 match, minimizing time and skills learned on the field.
Same goes for the other two large-field options at the Edmonton Scottish Society's dome on the south side and the dome that covers the University of Alberta's Foote Field.
"The fact that they love the sport is fantastic, but we're not developing our players the way we should be and playing the same sport like every other sport does," Ongano said of the effect of smaller pitches and relatively few indoor winter options.
The Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) puts 20,000 players outside each year but can accommodate just half that number in the winter.
"It's a big need," said Mario Charpentier, the president of EMSA.
"It's a need, not a luxury, just to have a nice building."
The non-profit EMSA would need $15-20 million to build a proper facility.
It's a cry EMSA and Inter SC have been yelling from the bleachers for years, especially as Edmonton's population grows.
"All our immigrants know soccer, and our fields and our rosters are getting so full," Ongaro said.
The City of Edmonton, which is currently working on guidelines for such facilities, says it has explored building covered turf facilities with other organizations, but funding and land availability are challenges.
For Charpentier, the sport has meaning beyond the player.
"It's a family thing," he said.
"The kids are happy. The parents are happy. It's important to keep that going all year long."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6943007.1719487483!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
NEW You might live to be 100 years old. But will you be able to afford it?
Retirement has historically lasted about two decades, but for some Canadians it is now extending to twice that amount of time as more live well into their 90s and beyond. That's making some rethink their investments, savings, expenses and when to retire.
NEW Unknown First World War soldier who died in battle in France to be honoured in Newfoundland and Labrador
Millions are celebrating Canada’s 157th birthday this year – as they do every year - with fireworks, food and family. In Newfoundland, it is a day of mourning for one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.
Neighbour on the hook for $3,675 in damages due to 'nuisance cedar': B.C. tribunal
A B.C. man who reneged on a deal to split the cost of removing a tree with his next-door neighbour is now on the hook for the whole amount, B.C.’s civil resolution has ruled.
Deal reached in WestJet mechanics' strike, but travel disruptions still expected
WestJet has reached a deal with its mechanics to end a strike that had disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend.
Trump ally Steve Bannon will report to federal prison to serve 4-month sentence on contempt charges
Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon is scheduled to report to a federal prison in Connecticut on Monday to serve a four-month sentence on contempt charges for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack.
NEW How to exercise when it's too hot outside
How hot is too hot for exercising outdoors? Is it safe to exercise outside at some times of the day? Should younger or older people take more precautions in the heat?
Israel releases director of hospital it says was used as a Hamas base. He alleges abuse in custody
Israel released the director of Gaza's main hospital on Monday after holding him for seven months without charge or trial over allegations the facility had been used as a Hamas command center. He said he and other detainees were held under harsh conditions and tortured.
B.C.'s Michael J. Fox joins Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury Festival
A crowd of around 100,000 people were treated to a surprise appearance from a B.C. star during Coldplay’s set at Glastonbury Festival in England this weekend.
A study identified 6 types of depression. Here's why that matters
Scientists may be a step closer to that reality, thanks to new research that has identified six subtypes — or 'biotypes' — of major depression via brain imaging combined with machine learning.