SASKTEL SPORTS CENTRE RECEIVES $300,000 IN INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING

Released on September 7, 2006

The Saskatoon Soccer Centre Inc. will receive $300,000 from the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) to help complete construction of Phase 3 of the SaskTel Sports Centre in northeast Saskatoon. The group owns and operates soccer facilities on behalf of the city's soccer community.

Carol Skelton, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification Canada, and Saskatchewan Justice Minister Frank Quennell on behalf of Government Relations Minister Harry Van Mulligen, announced the funding today.

"Canada's new government is proud to invest in this centre which will promote fitness and help people to reach their athletic goals for many years to come," Minister Skelton said. "This outstanding facility will be a focal point that can attract a range of major events, creating new opportunities in our community."

"This facility will encourage people to be physically active and help attract a high level of coaching and competition," Quennell said. "Good things are accomplished when governments and local communities work together to improve the quality of life people enjoy in Saskatchewan."

"Everyone in the community benefits when we are able to build new state-of-the-art sport facilities and the SaskTel Sports Centre is definitely one of the finest centres in Canada," SaskTel Sports Centre Building Committee chair Bob Rohachuk said. "With the announced infrastructure funding, we can now look at completing the Phase 3 components of the park."

The MRIF project of Phase 3 includes constructing the outdoor Path of Champions walkway, donor recognition wall, an elevated press box for coaches, officials and media, and construction and installation of outdoor aluminium bleachers. The Path of Champions was part of a fundraising campaign in which the public was invited to buy a brick for the pathway.

Construction on the SaskTel Sports Centre, formerly known as the Northeast Soccer Centre, started in early 2005. It includes a new indoor soccer facility as well as two outdoor artificial turf fields. The indoor facility can accommodate up to six playing surfaces on both artificial turf and two hard-surfaced fields. The centre will be used for a variety of activities including soccer, football, volleyball, lacrosse, baseball and gymnastics. It allows Saskatoon to host major regional, national and international sporting events, as well as elite training programs.

The Saskatoon Soccer Centre Inc. (SSCI) is a volunteer-driven organization that was formed to procure, operate and maintain indoor soccer facilities. SSCI was incorporated in 1993 with an eight-member board of directors. It first managed soccer facilities in the Wheatland B building until the Saskatoon Kinsmen/Henk Ruys Soccer Centre opened in north central Saskatoon in November 1998.

The federal and provincial governments are investing a total of $76 million in the four-year Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund. Participating communities are expected to contribute one-half the cost of any project, which will raise the total infrastructure investment above $152 million.

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For More Information, Contact:

Mike Winterburn Minister Skelton's Office Ottawa Phone: (613) 996-2690	Cameron Zimmer Western Economic Diversification Canada Saskatoon Phone: (306) 975-6125
Cathy Gourlie Saskatchewan Government Relations Regina Phone: (306) 787-2687	Bob Rohachuk Saskatoon Soccer Centre Building Committee Saskatoon Phone: (306) 934-0141