Soccer Fields
If the Town is presented with evidence of need for additional soccer fields to meet organized community activity, municipal fields should be developed and leased to the organized users for their programs. In providing new fields, the Town should consider needs of all community groups for access to multi-use facilities (i.e., lacrosse, football, field hockey, etc.). Since Gyulveszi Park cannot be considered as a location, an alternative site - ideally with the potential to house a number of fields and related amenities over time - should be the focus of development. As noted in the above discussion, the potential to develop a major outdoor sports park - including a ball diamond complex and multi-use playing fields - could be considered in a single study. The potential to include an indoor artificial turf field as part of this park should also be investigated. This would provide a second indoor recreation facility to complement the Community Centre and keep pace with trends in municipal field house development. Land requirements for a major sport park will be based on the results of this study and if the amount of acreage, needed, and the costs to assemble it, supports a single location for all facilities or calls for two smaller parcels - one for ball and one for soccer. Concept plans, along with development phasing of diamonds and fields, would also be prepared.
The Tillsonburg Soccer Club (TSC) built and operates fields at the Tillsonburg Soccer Park (TSP), which is leased municipal land. The Park comprises three (3) full, two (2) intermediate/non-standard size, six (6) mini and three (3) micro fields built by the Club on leased Town-owned land. Construction was financed by a municipal loan, which has since been repaid. A clubhouse provides meeting and event space for up to 225 people. The relationship between the Town and the Club is governed by an agreement, which is discussed in the Delivery System section of the Plan. The following addresses the need to increase supply. The Tillsonburg Football Club (TFC) uses Gyulveszi Park for its soccer program. The TFC has approached the Town with a proposal to work together to develop five soccer fields at the Park. Gyulveszi Park was bequeathed to the Town with the understanding that it would remain a natural open space park in perpetuity. Introducing formal sports facilities of any kind, therefore, would contravene this covenant and cannot be recommended in the Master Plan. Whether or not more soccer fields are needed requires confirmation of the actual use of existing fields along with determining the number and type of fields needed to meet any unmet demand.
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Town of Tillsonburg | DRAFT Parks and Recreation Master Plan
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