Preliminary plan for Calgary field house calls for true multi-use concept

It's to be a multi-sport field house and the City of Calgary says that building will accommodate muchmore than just one event at a time.

A preliminary plan for the facility to be built at Foothills Athletic Park was presented to a city council committee on Monday.

It shows the field house may feature an artificial turf field, track and field area as well as a large gymnasium space.

The plan calls for an artificial turf that would be large enough to support a full soccer field plus a warmup space or a football field or two fastball fields.

There would also be enough gym space for a full-sized basketball or volleyball court with spectator seating, and there could be room for 44 badminton courts or 11 basketball courts in that space.

The area for track and field could support a banked 200-metre track that meets international competition standards, and there would also be a 100-metre sprint track with eight lanes.

Having 3 areas important

The committee's chair, Coun. Jasmine Mian, said she likes the flexibility the plan would offer.

"We never want to be in a position where we have to shut down one amenity to use another amenity," said Mian, who represents Ward 3.

"The field house is designed so that you can have your soccer players playing soccer at the same time that you're having a major basketball game, at the same time you're having a track event. And that, for us, from an operating perspective, is really important."

The city willundertake a detailed design phase but some conceptual renderings were presented to the committee.

With council's approval, city administration plans to consult this spring with the 400 organizations that belong to Sport Calgary about their facility needs and how the field house could assist them.

Mian said that feedback will assist the city's work.

"I think that we're on the right track in building this. So we just need to hear from people, make sure it's hitting the mark for them as we continue to go forward."

Economic benefits

The committee also heard that the estimated economic impact of a new field house could be between $20 million and $50 million in revenues annually for Calgary's economy.

Not only would it be useful for the indoor sporting needs of Calgarians, but already officials are thinking of how the building could be used to draw events and competitions to Calgary.

The senior vice-president for sales with Tourism Calgary, Carson Ackroyd, is a member of the committee.

He said organizational work takes place years in advance of competitions and this building would open up new possibilities for Calgary.

"This facility would not only give us brand new events coming to the city but make it much easier for us to host many other events if that facility has the amenity mix that's being proposed," said Ackroyd.

Money questions

How to finance the field house project remains an open question.

There have been preliminary estimates the facility could cost up to $250 million.

With some additional money set aside for the project during last November's civic budget debate, the city has $109 million ready to go.

Mian said the city is continuing to pursue the federal and provincial governments in hopes they will come to the table with funding for the field house.

Until that happens, detailed design work will continue.

The city estimatesconstruction could start in 2025 with the building opening in late 2027.