The Comox Valley United Soccer Club is hosting their inaugural 24-hour Soccerthon at Valley View Park in Courtenay on June 17-18.
The objective of the event is to raise funds and create awareness of the need to build artificial turf fields that will benefit a variety of field oriented sports in the Valley at Valley View Park on Lerwick Road.
“This will be a fantastic event in which teams of all ages and abilities will play soccer continuously for specific periods of time according to a 24-hour schedule,” a spokesperson said. “It will be a guaranteed fun time for all. The club's goal is to raise $200,000 through the collection of pledges and donations. Donations can be made online by visiting www.soccerthon.cvusc.ca.
The event will include skills competitions, a carbo-loading dinner, and an all-day barbecue. There will even be a Coach’s Dunk Tank where kids have three chances to shoot at a target and dunk their coach. At noon, the event will be highlighted by a Celebrity Match where local dignitaries and celebrities get to score a few goals. “Plan on coming out, support the cause and get your kicks participating in this great event. Matches start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday,” the spokesperson said.
“The club's overall objective is to build a facility that will extend the soccer season by allowing us to schedule games throughout the year and not be impacted by the weather. With the growth of soccer in Canada, having artificial fields will help us to raise awareness of the sport and put us on a par with other communities such as Nanaimo, Powell River, Port Alberni and Ladysmith that already have artificial turf fields. Another advantage of the community having artificial fields will be the opportunity to host tournaments that will have a positive impact on the local economy,” the spokesperson said.
Artificial fields have a positive effect on the environment by minimizing the use of water and maintenance. Perhaps the biggest impact is the fact that artificial fields do not need to use fertilizers or pesticides. Another important environmental statistic is that the turf is made from recycled rubber tires and plastic bottles. It is estimated that we would save over 500,000 pounds of rubber tires and hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles from entering landfill sites. For people living in the Comox Valley these are important facts as we all value the environment which is so important to our lifestyle.
Last October, the club made a presentation to Courtenay city council seeking support to build artificial turf fields. The idea was approved in principle and since then, the club has been working hard at gathering information, having preliminary plans drawn up and consulting with City staff towards achieving this goal.