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WATCH NOW: A huge helping hand for a new soccer park in our city. CO-OP community spaces donated a cheque for one-hundred thousand dollars to the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association’s west soccer park. The area is a former non-toxic waste site and has been transformed into a recreation area. There are currently thirteen sport fields available, this donation will help build seven more. With the overrun of the with the fields in the city and the city encroaching on the parks in the city, this will be a much used facility facility for Edmonton minor soccer.

While almost 2,000 soccer-playing kids laughed and a similar number of parents cheered and groaned, Grace Horsfield cried tears of joy.

“When I came up over the hill at the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association’s west soccer complex and saw all 11 soccer fields in use for last Saturday’s city championships and all those kids and parents … well, I couldn’t talk,” says Horsfield, whose granddaughter was playing.

“It was very emotional.”

Horsfield, who has been involved with soccer for 30 years, was there at the conception of the EMSA west soccer complex.

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The Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) received $100,000 through North Central Co-op for their new soccer complex.

The soccer complex is being developed over a former non-toxic landfill, and will boast 20 outdoor soccer fields when completed.

“It will be a world class facility, one-of-a-kind in North America,” said Jay Ruptash, vice president of EMSA.

Soccer teams from Spruce Grove and Stony Plain play for EMSA, including the Saints Club.

The new complex is located between Highway 16A and Whitemud Drive, west of Range Road 261.

According to Ruptash, EMSA will direct the $100,000 towards developing the remaining soccer fields — 13 of the 20 have already been built and will be used this summer.

When the complex is complete, EMSA will be able to host an additional 400 games per week.

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CO-OP is working to help community projects in Western Canada. That’s why CO-OP Community Spaces is donating $100,000 to the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association.

“The committee viewed that this was just a great program for the community, for keeping our youth healthy and active,” says GM of North Central CO-OP Ed Berney. “What’s better than turning a dump into soccer fields? That’s just incredible.”

The funds are going towards an outdoor soccer complex just west of Edmonton. Berney says he hopes CO-OP can make this an annual investment.

“Our plan is that annually, $1.5-million will be there to support projects, and improve the places in western Canada where we meet and we play and we learn and we share.”

Each approved idea can be funded as much at $100,000 – – the minimum is $25,000

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