Province kicks in $750K for Winnipeg soccer complex upgrades

Province kicks in $750K for Winnipeg soccer complex upgrades

Outdoor field, lighting to undergo renos at Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on Waverley Street

A Winnipeg soccer pitch is getting goal-rious renovations, thanks in part to an assist from the province.

The field and lighting system at Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on Waverley Street will be getting an upgrade through $750,000 in support announced Friday by Manitoba Sport Minister Nellie Kennedy.

"Ralph's vision, passion and tireless dedication helped shape soccer in Manitoba for generations to come," Hector Vergara, executive director of the Manitoba Soccer Association, said at the announcement.

The upgrades could help Winnipeg attract major competitions and create opportunities for athletes and officials, he said.

The complex has already hosted FIFA World Cup qualifiers and matches in the Canada Summer Games and Pan American Games.

Winnipeg city council's executive policy committee recommended a $600,000 grant for the Winnipeg Soccer Federation last month to support installation of artificial turf and an update to the lighting systems.

One of the express purposes of the upgrades was to help Winnipeg land a professional women's soccer team, which it did weeks later.

The complex on Waverley Street was named after Ralph Cantafio in 2016, in honour of his work developing the sport in the province and Canada.

Cantafio, who died earlier this year, served in leadership roles with the Manitoba Soccer Association and the Canadian Soccer Association, and was inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

He also helped Winnipeg secure its first professional soccer team in 1987, the Winnipeg Fury. At the time, "many people said professional soccer would never work in Winnipeg," his son, Raff Cantafio, said at Friday's announcement.

"This complex represents what sport was to him ... a place of hope, a place of inspiration and dreams, a place where community is built, friendships are forged, youth turn into proper, good adults, and people come together to play the beautiful game of football," he said through tears.

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Vergara said the provincial funding is investment in community, youth, volunteers and the future of the sport across Manitoba, and a reflection of what Ralph Cantafio stood for.

"He believed in creating opportunities for others, and today's announcement is a continuation of that," Vergara said.