Nomads have a home to be proud of
Football club will have new equipment facility this fall
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This article was published 29/07/2010 (5838 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Western Canada’s largest amateur football club is about to become even larger.
Construction of a new 3,600-sq. ft. clubhouse and storage facility for the North Winnipeg Nomads began in May and is expected to be completed by early September.
The new facility will double the organization’s available storage and locker room space. The Nomads existing 3,600-sq. ft. facility, the former home of the Winnipeg Hawkeyes junior team, has been the club’s home since 1997.
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“We have been in desperate need of space,” said Joe Pedro, a member of the club’s board of directors and building committee.
Pedro said the project has received immeasurable support from members of the local community.
“Businesses and trades really stepped up to the plate to help us out,” he said.
The new building, which will be located on the Nomads’ former parking lot across the street from the McPhillips Street Casino, will cost approximately $450,000 to complete.
Nomads vice-president Richard Dudek said the new facility likely would have cost more than $700,000 to complete if trades people and businesses hadn’t donated their time and materials.
“The decision to go ahead with this facility and begin fundraising was actually made in 2002,” he said, adding the club received funding from all three levels of government for the project.
Dudek said the club’s old facility will be converted into dressing rooms for its midget and major age group teams.
New fencing will be installed while some existing lighting fixtures will be removed as part of the upgrades to the facility.
“We will also be having a second field dedicated for practice and our seven and eight-year-old terminator teams,” he added.
Pedro said the level of interest at the terminator age level bodes well for the organization.
“We’ve got five terminator teams this year. That is quite phenomenal and a lot of young football players,” he said.
A trailer currently used to store player equipment will be used to store on-field items such as tackling sleds and turf maintenance equipment when the new clubhouse opens.
Dudek said that the current upgrades are just part of a series of planned improvements to the site.
“After this we will start looking at what is the next big step to take,” he said adding future improvements could include a press box and upgrades to the exterior of the existing clubhouse.
“When people drive by we want them to see a real first class football facility,” he said.
Pedro said he expects the improvements will be well received by Nomads players.
“When we coach it is all about respecting your team, your opponents, everybody,” he said. “Now there will be a facility that the players can be impressed about and proud of.”