fairgrounds
Second covered skate park planned for Cloverdale
June 13, 2012 | Paul HillsdonFollowing the outstanding success of the covered youth skate park at the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre downtown, the City is planning to build a second one the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
Planning has already begun on the new skate park, which … Read More
Surrey pursuing convention centre, film festival, and more
June 30, 2011 | Paul HillsdonA recent story in the Vancouver Sun had Councillor Barinder Rasode reveal that the City is in the early stages of pursuing the development of a convention centre. The facility will include a “state-of-the-art” film production centre, infrastructure it is … Read More
City seeks to build 10,000 seat stadium in Cloverdale
February 10, 2011 | Paul HillsdonEarlier last month, the City sent out a “request for expressions of interest and statements of qualifications” in regards to the construction, financing, and operation of a stadium-like facility at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
According to the request, the … Read More
Whitecaps coming to Cloverdale?!
September 16, 2010 | Paul Hillsdon
The Surrey Leader has learned that the City is in negotiations with the Vancouver Whitecaps to locate the team’s new training centre at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds:
Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts would not discuss specifics, but confirmed talks are ongoing.
“At this point in time, all I can say is we’re in discussions,” Watts said.
The Whitecaps had been working for three years with Delta to build a $31.5 million national training centre at John Oliver Park at Highways 10 and 91. The Liberals committed $17.5 million to the project as a campaign promise during the 2009 election. The facility was planned to include a clubhouse for national and pro teams, a player’s lounge and medical building, as well as seven soccer fields, two of which were to be reserved for community use. Delta ultimately decided to develop the park on its own to ensure full community access, ending the deal early this year.
The facility would only be the second of its kind in Canada. Training centres are seen as a key piece on infrastructure for the development of professional soccer in the country. According to the Globe and Mail, under MLS requirements, all pro teams must have a youth academy “for the purpose of developing local players as a source of affordable, franchise-sustaining talent. Clubs have exclusive rights to players in a defined area and can put academy players on their “homegrown” list, preventing other teams from drafting them – a system not unlike the one used by the National Hockey League until the advent of its amateur draft in the 1960s. The interests of the MLS clubs in developing their own players are inextricably intertwined with those of Canadians hoping to have a World Cup team. . .”
Cloverdale Rec Centre finishing up [pics]
September 16, 2010 | Paul HillsdonThe Cloverdale Recreation Centre is nearing completion. With most of the glass installed, and the last pieces of siding going in, the new facility will likely meet its new opening date in January 2011.
