Breaking in some new town turf

The Innisfil Soccer Club has some new turf to breakin. The 1,100 member club officially kicked off its 2009 campaign on the new pitches of the Innisfil Recreation Complex, with an Under 14 match between the Crossroads Training Academy and the Wasaga Beach Soccer Club last week.

Innisfil and Wasaga Beach soccer club players battle for a ball during the inaugural Photo by Chris Simon game at the Innisfil Recreation Complex last week. The game marked the first time the complex's fields had been used for competition.

Club president Alywn Vanden Berg says members are pleased with the new pitches.

"It's a beautiful facility here, it's one of the top ones in the area," he said, noting the fields are close to professional regulation size. "We've almost got that here."

The $29 million recreation complex officially opened last year. It features a gymnasium, running track, fitness facility, swimming pool, skating rinks, and baseball diamonds, among other amenities.

In total, two pitches were opened last week, with another two expected to be ready for usage within the next few weeks. They will allow the club to host camps and several important tournaments, for members of various skill and age levels, said Vanden Berg.

"It'll allow us to do more and grow. We'll have more teams using the large fields. It'll open up more times to do practices," he said. "We hope to run a summer soccer camp July 6 to 10. We couldn't do it previously because of the town's summer camp at Innisfil Beach Park. We'll be able to schedule night games for our adult teams, if need be."

Overall, participation in the club is growing. Organizers had expected a decline in enrolment, but the number of participants actually increased by about 80, said Vanden Berg.

"We were surprised," he said.

"We thought the economy would really impact us, but it didn't. We're up close to a record."

For more information on the club, visit www.innisfilsoccer. ca.