Investing in Chelsea soccer infrastructure
Soccer Chelsea, the beloved soccer club of the Chelsea community for many years, joined forces with the Soccer Des Collines club in the summer of 2019.
What remained was a fund, which had accumulated as part of the Soccer Chelsea’s long-term plan to help improve soccer infrastructure in Chelsea. The fund was amassed over many years through part of the registration fee, which all players paid, as well as profits from endeavours such as tournaments and summer camps.
Ultimately, the reason it was possible to accumulate such significant funding was because of Soccer Chelsea’s fantastic volunteer base. For decades the only paid positions in the club were a part-time technical director and youth referees. Volunteers fulfilled all other roles, including leadership, administration, skill development and coaching.
Throughout the past decade, Chelsea’s soccer community has invested over $175,000 to improve soccer fields, which leveraged an additional $115,000 federal grant. These investments focused primarily on the installation of field lights and enlarging one of the main fields, as well as numerous more modest contributions to upgrade the fields.
With the dissolution of Soccer Chelsea in 2019, a new organization was created: Fondation Soccer Chelsea Inc., with a volunteer board of directors and a strict mandate to continue to invest the remaining funds in soccer infrastructure in Chelsea. To this end, Fondation Soccer Chelsea Inc. has made a commitment to contribute a further $40,000 to the municipality in 2020-21 for the installation of much-needed irrigation systems for two fields. The fund will not be used for ongoing soccer operations or for regular field maintenance, which is the responsibility of the Meredith Centre and the municipality of Chelsea.
It has been a challenging year for soccer with the limitations due to COVID-19. The board of Soccer Des Collines has worked diligently under very difficult circumstances to maintain programs and provide opportunities for kids and adults to stay active and healthy. Fondation Soccer Chelsea Inc. will do its part to help ensure the fields in Chelsea will provide a great place to play soccer, in 2021 and for many years to come.
This is submitted by Fondation Soccer Chelsea Inc.’s Doug Taylor, president; Alanna Keenan, director; Jake Blair, director; Frederic Nadon, treasurer; and Gilles Montsion, secretary.