SCDSB showcases new turf field ahead of high school football championships
The Simcoe County District School Board showcased their first artificial turf field on Friday for the high school football district championships.
"This facility is amazing. Simcoe County has been dying for a facility like this," said SCAA football convenor Keith Jackson.
Following the City of Orillia and Georgian College, the field at Maple Ridge Secondary School is the third of its kind in the county.
"When the opportunity came along with a new build such as this, we thought it was something that could really add to the experience for students and athletes," said SCDSB Director of Education John Dance.
As more artificial grass surfaces pop up across Ontario, local outdoor sports facilities were becoming less attractive.
Upgrades like this one open the door to hosting more significant provincial events.
"I think we're maybe a little behind the curve. It's something that Simcoe County definitely needed. I think the opportunity just happened to be with the new school. Trying to retrofit some of the older facilities just wouldn't be feasible," said Jackson.
Questions have arisen as to why the state-of-the-art field would go to a school that doesn't even have a football team. However, to the school board, it's being viewed as a regional asset.
"This school was designed from the outset to have this track and field. So, any school that starts with programs comes along as the school develops. We anticipate that taking place at some point," said Dance.
"It's an exciting opportunity for the athletes who would be used to playing on muddy fields at this time of year. Today a team from Collingwood could be seen rushing to the field to test it out."
"The boys were excited. Obviously, we wanted the game to be at home, but when we heard it was a turf field, we couldn't wait to come here," said Simon Ruzylo of Collingwood Collegiate Institute.
The new Maple Ridge school cost roughly $40 million to build. Five million of which went towards this new field and track. Something the school board considers a long-term investment.
"Sustainability is part of this because of the fact that we need to have something. Our fields take a beating in the fall, for example, and this field will stand up," said Dance.
"This is the first of many events here. The field itself is lined for rugby, soccer, and any sport we have. This is going to be a championship field for sure," added Jackson.
Dance says the school board will be looking to add more turf surfaces in future builds around the region, but nothing is confirmed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.