Hundreds of people attended the opening ceremony held at Max Turyk Community Sport Fields onOctober 4 to mark the opening of the new fields.
Mayor Mary Giuliano was present for the event and the official ribbon cutting.
“We’ve been planning for this for at least eight years,” said Giuliano. “It wasn’t until the last two to three years that we were able to get the funding in place.”
The Ministry of Community Sports and Development provided almost half of the $800,000 budget for the new field and Teck donated an additional $100,000.
The Fernie Youth Soccer Group also raised $20,000 for the new park, which went towards purchasing brand new nets.
“The number of kids and the number of parents who came out was amazing,” noted Giuliano. “It’s so great for Fernie to have this type of amenity. The fact that not only youth soccer, but adult rugby and adult soccer will be able to use this field is so great.”
For the official opening, the Vancouver Whitecaps broke the field in by holding a practice demonstration. BC Soccer also held a grassroots clinic run for children under 10 along with a Free Mini Tournament for kids aged 11 and up.
An obstacle course, bouncy house, crafts, barbeque and an adult soccer game were also played over the course of the day, truly putting the new fields to full use.
The event was sponsored by Overwaitea, Tim Hortons and others.
George Wilson from Wilson’s Drill and Blast Service provided the large rock that sits at the field, featuring the park’s official plaque.