New community soccer pitch to open in Winnipeg's inner city

City says field will have 6 goals, space to accommodate futsal

Soccer players in Winnipeg's inner city have scored a new field.

The city and other partners broke ground on a soccer pitch at the Burton Cummings Community Centre Saturday, the city said in a news release.

The forthcoming field at the corner of Arlington Street and McDermot Avenue in the West Alexander area is a Jumpstart Community Pitch.

The initiative from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities aims to build soccer fields across the country in order to give underserved communities greater access to sports and recreation.

The project is largely funded by Jumpstart, which is backed by the federal government, the release said. The city and the province are providing additional funding.

The pitch will have six goals that can accommodate a single large game across its length, or two smaller games across its width. It will also have a fenced enclosure and player benches.

The project also includes space for people to play futsal — a scaled-down and fast-paced variation of soccer game typically played on smaller fields or indoors.

Construction will start next week, the city said.