Canada Soccer president Peter Augruso speaks during the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The federal government has committed up to $9,826,000 toward Canada Soccer’s planned national training centre, money to be used for the “design, planning and pre-construction” phases of the project.
The contribution comes from Ottawa’s Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF).
“Today’s investment in sport infrastructure is about more than building a facility,” Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State (Sport), said in a statement. “It is about creating a world‑class sport facility where athletes can train and represent Canada at their best.”
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue called Ottawa’s contribution “an important step forward.”
The federal contribution is just a start, however. The total budget of the training centre project is estimated at $200-million to $300-million, according to Paulo Senra, Canada Soccer’s chief communications and content officer.
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Canada Soccer plans to help fund the centre via legacy money from playing host to this summer’s expanded 48-team World Cup alongside co-hosts Mexico and the U.S. The exact amount of that funding is not yet known.
News of the federal contribution came out ahead of a scheduled Friday news conference in Vancouver featuring van Koeverden and Canada Soccer president Peter Augruso. FIFA held its 76th Congress in Vancouver on Thursday with 210 of its member associations present – Iran was the lone absentee after its representatives were unable to enter Canada.
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In December, Canada Soccer issued a “request for information,” asking municipalities, provincial and territorial soccer associations, postsecondary institutions and others to put up their hand if interested in “hosting or partnering” on a future high-performance training centre.
That produced 18 submissions from across the country. Canada Soccer says a formal request for proposals will be launched within the next two months.
In announcing plans for the training centre, Canada Soccer said the preferred footprint is 40 to 60 acres (16.2 to 24.3 hectares) of “contiguous developable” land that could accommodate four to eight full-size outdoor pitches, one or more indoor or covered fields for year-round training, a small stadium, high-performance building, administrative and educational spaces, dining facilities, parking, and space for future expansion, including commercial, academic, hotel and hospitality or community facilities.
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The site should also allow for long-term tenants such as professional or regional teams.
“Accessibility to major transportation routes and airports is essential,” the Canada Soccer brief added.
“International accessibility through direct or short-connection flights to major European hubs is highly preferred,” it said, citing preferred destinations such as London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
The proposed training hub will combine elite high‑performance training environments with “accessible, community‑focused sport and recreation facilities,” according to Canada Soccer.
Canada Soccer notes it “remains the only major soccer nation in the Western Hemisphere without a dedicated national training centre.”
France’s Clairefontaine, which opened in 1988, was long considered the model for soccer training centres. It spans 138 acres (56 hectares) and has undergone renovations over the years.
The French Football Federation has other academies across the country.
England’s teams train at St. George’s Park, which replaced fragmented training set-ups and older facilities like Lilleshall Hall and Bisham Abbey. The 330-acre (133-hectare) site in the Staffordshire countryside has 14 outdoor pitches, including an exact replica of the Wembley Stadium surface, a full-sized indoor pitch and a futsal arena. There is also a 228-room hotel.
Mexico opened its national training centre, known as the CAR (Centro de Alto Rendimiento) in 2003.
Located south of Mexico City, it can accommodate up to three national teams at the same time. It boasts three pitches, two half-pitches, a beach soccer pitch, gym, auditorium, press room, two hotels, and a physiotherapy and rehabilitation unit.
The Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center is scheduled to open this spring south of Atlanta, thanks to a US$50-million contribution from Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer.
The U.S. facility will span 200 acres (81 hectares) with 17 outdoor fields (13 natural grass, two artificial and two beach) as well as two indoor fields (one artificial and one futsal).