Calgary City Council to consider $20M for design work on multi-sport field house

Foothills Athletic Park in Calgary could be getting a major revamp after city council put in a funding request last week.

City council will be asked later this month to approve spending $19.775 million on design work for an amateur multi-sport field house at Foothills Athletic Park.

The proposed facility would include a 400-metre track, seating for up to 10,000 people, a FIFA regulation soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, two ice rinks and a 50-metre pool.

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The cost of the project is estimated at $285.8 million and is projected to take up to five years to complete.

The $19 million would go toward design work for the project, but even if the recommendation is approved by city council, a concept design isn’t expected until 2020.

According to the report submitted to the park redevelopment advisory committee, the first concepts for a field house in Calgary date back over 50 years.

“Over the decades, several other studies and concepts were proposed by various sport groups and organizations, however plans were deemed not feasible at the time or were put on hold.”

The creation of a field house of this nature would provide a year-round training facility and host national and international sporting events.

According to the City, Calgary currently remains the only major Canadian city without a proper indoor facility for athletics and other field sports.