Mount View/Spectrum Community School alumni Dave Cutler, an all-time CFL kicking great, and Mena Westhaver, a Saanich councillor, listened Wednesday as Spectrum soccer star Brooklyn Robinson explained how no Spectrum teams have played home games on the school fields in 15 years.
There is a proposal to replace the near-unusable Spectrum fields with a $2.7-million turf field and clubhouse project.
“At away games, other schools have wonderful turf fields right outside their front doors,” said Grade 10 standout Robinson, also captain of the Island Wave team.
“I am so passionate about this and hope others see the potential as I do.”
The plan would also see community groups use the proposed facility and officials from First Nations, Spartans football, and soccer clubs Victoria Highlanders of League-1 B.C. and Victoria United of the Pacific Coast League were also on hand for Wednesday’s project update.
“I am here for the kids. We want to support kids playing sports on a nice, safe field,” said Rob Thomas, Chief of the Esquimalt Nation.
Greater Victoria is known for producing great athletes despite, not because, of some of its wanting facilities.
“Three Victoria players are poised to be selected in the first round of the upcoming CFL draft, yet football fields in [Greater] Victoria are non-existent,” said Allen Lavoie, president of the Spartans Football Club.
“We have been bouncing around and renting fields.”
There is a groundswell of support building in West Saanich for the Spectrum project.
“This is something that is really needed,” said Hall-of-Famer Cutler, who grew up in the area, and who won six Grey Cups in his legendary CFL career.
Added Westhaver: “This is something exciting for our youth and will bring the community together.”
School District 61 is granting the land but no funds.
“We’ve been at this for five years with work still to do,” said Spectrum principal Bruce Bidney.
“There is so much community support for this and it is being funded through the community, donors, stakeholders, grant applications and in-kind donations.”
Among the latter suppliers is McElhanney Ltd., which is donating the civil engineering portion of the project pro bono.
“A lot of us are sports parents,” explained McElhanney civil-engineer Greg Semenchuk, who is working on the project for the company, along with compatriot Ian Sander.
Bidney said, in an ideal world, the new turf field would open in 2024. But that seems optimistic.
Spectrum athletic director Dom Butcher said $1.1 million had been raised for the project pre-pandemic: “And then the goal posts shifted on us and we are still feeling the ripples of COVID. The time frame for construction, and then opening, depends on the money brought in. This will move at its own pace. It took us five years to get to this point. As we have learned, these things are never linear.”
Fields of dreams rarely are. But once built, they will come.
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