TAMRMS#: B06
7.2
Information Item Only
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St. Albert Soccer Association Facility Development - Proposal Review Update
Presented by: Craig Cameron, Manager, Parks and Community Partnerships, Recreation and Parks
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SUMMARY
To provide Standing Committee of the Whole an update of the St. Albert Soccer Association (SASA) 2025 project request and progress to date, along with an overview of the criteria and assessment report that will be presented to Council in October 2026.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
On July 15, 2025, Council passed the following motion:
CM-25-012
That the St. Albert Soccer Association’s request, as outlined in their June 17, 2025 Council presentation, be considered by Council within 90 days after SASA, at its own expense, has provided the City with:
1. An independent finance review, based on criteria mutually established by SASA and the City, of:
i. an operating business case, and
ii. a capital plan, including costing based on current environmental and geotechnical studies and municipal building standards and policies, and confirmation of project siting; and
2. Statements of support from adjacent and other Riel Recreation Park tenants.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
St. Albert Soccer Association’s History in the Community
Operating since 1955, SASA is one of the largest community sport partners in St. Albert. It reports to serve approximately 5,000 members from St. Albert and surrounding areas annually, providing year-round community and competitive soccer programs for children, youth, and adults. SASA is a member of the Alberta Soccer Association and Canada Soccer, holding a Canadian Soccer National Youth Club license.
The City of St. Albert has provided SASA with a nominal land lease in Riel Recreation Park since 1988. SASA has developed the site to include seven rectangular fields and a clubhouse. The clubhouse was built in 1992, with funding secured by a bank loan to SASA on which the City was the guarantor.
SASA programs rely on access to a network of municipal, regional, and private facilities. In St. Albert, this includes, annually, approximately 1,100 hours rented on indoor artificial turf fields at Servus Credit Union Place, 150 hours of outdoor artificial turf field at Larry Olexiuk Field, 1,900 hours on City-owned outdoor natural turf fields, and minimal rental of the City’s community gymnasiums and multipurpose rooms.
SASA and Administration have a history of exploring facility needs. SASA was consulted on the initial design of indoor boarded fields at Servus Credit Union Place as well as the upcoming change in turf standard. SASA, the City of St. Albert, and the City of Edmonton had a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the Field of Dreams project on the Mistatim Lands. SASA prompted the City of St. Albert to conduct a capital feasibility study to dome Larry Olexiuk Field, and Administration has worked with SASA to explore several other facility options which have partially informed SASA’s current request.
City of St. Albert Community Capital Process
Community-led construction projects on City-owned land are advanced through the City’s Community Recreation team, which serves as the primary point of contact from project conception through planning, development, and implementation.
This process uses a gated approach to project development, ensuring proposed initiatives are evaluated at key stages by relevant internal departments. The evaluation focuses on alignment with City priorities, project feasibility, operational impacts to the organization, and long-term capital sustainability.
Typically, municipal funding for community-led capital projects is provided through the Community Capital Grant program. However, there is precedent for community groups to bring larger or more complex requests for municipal investment directly to Council.
St. Albert Soccer Association’s Request
On June 3, 2026, SASA confirmed document submissions in accordance with CM-25-012 (the “Proposal”). The Proposal outlines a request for a municipal investment of $8.3M towards an $8.6M capital project to construct a 7 versus 7 indoor training facility and full-sized outdoor artificial turf field (the “Project”) to be located adjacent to their existing facility on leased land in Riel Recreation Park.
Administration recognizes that the Project aligns with SASA's organizational priorities and operational needs. However, the Project was not identified as a priority recreation infrastructure need in the City's 2022 Recreation Needs Assessment.
The 2022 Recreation Needs Assessment does rank unboarded indoor artificial turf fields (Medium/High) and artificial turf (Low), and Council passed CB-23-50, directing Administration to look for lands to support a full-sized, unboarded indoor artificial turf field. However, SASA and Administration agree that the Project addresses an organizational need not considered through these community-focused initiatives.
Since SASA’s presentation to Council in 2025, Administration has worked with SASA to develop terms of reference, establish the mutually agreed-upon criteria outlined in the Council motion, and provide preliminary feedback on the Proposal as SASA developed it.
Current State of Project Review
In April 2026, SASA provided formal notice of its intent to submit a final Proposal. Between April and June, Administration supported SASA through the project submission process and identified components that Administration considered necessary for a complete submission. Following these discussions, SASA chose to proceed with the submission in its existing form. The Proposal was received on June 3, 2026, triggering the 90-day period for Council consideration.
The Proposal is under review by Administration, and a final report will be tabled at the Standing Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, October 13, 2026. Aligned with CM-25-012, the report will provide a risk-based assessment of:
• Alignment with Municipal Priorities and Service Levels
• SASA’s Capital Plan
• SASA Operating Business Case
• Municipal Impacts of Supporting SASA’s Request
o Financial Impacts
o Project Delivery and Facility Ownership
Details on the preliminary review of the Proposal can be provided to Council by moving in camera, using the following motion:
"That Standing Committee of the Whole move in camera to discuss a matter pursuant to sections 29(1)(a) and 29(1)(g) of the Access to Information Act."
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
Administration has been coordinating with SASA throughout its Project development.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
None at this time.
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
A.1.4 Parks, Open Spaces and Recreation Sites
A.1.5 Recreation and Sport Amenities
D.3.3 Recreation Facility and Park Development
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Report Date: September 8, 2026
Author(s): Craig Cameron, Manager, Parks and Community Partnerships
Department: Recreation and Parks
Department Director: Daniele Podlubny
Managing Director: Dinu Alex, Managing Director, Operations
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher