The University of Calgary is set to host the Canada West Men’s Soccer Finals November 6‑7 on their brand new soccer field. There’s just one problem–the field might not be ready.
In order to accommodate the large number of teams playing, the university built a soccer field next to the power plant on the west side of campus. The field was seeded to be ready for the tournament, but due to poor weather conditions the grass never grew and the field had to be sodded.
Several concerns have been raised as to whether or not the field would be ready in time for the Canada West Finals. However, players are urged not to worry.
“The players should just worry about playing,” said a source at Dinos Athletics. “Dinos’ administration will worry about finding a location for CW’s if the field is not ready to play on. We already have the Foothills fields booked as a precaution.”
One concern raised was the health and safety of players competing on an unfinished field without proper grass coverage. Players can trip on the inch-deep sod lines and there are several spots were the grass has died and there is just dirt in its place.
“Dino’s Athletics will always judge two things when it comes to determining whether or not a field should be played on,” said the source. “First, we will make sure that no player may be hurt by the conditions of the field. Secondly, we will make sure that the field itself will sustain minimal damage if played upon.”
The Dinos’ soccer season is set to begin on September 18, and they hope to improve on last year’s record of 4‑8‑0. The team is urged to keep improvement as their focus this year.
“[The Dinos] should be focused on putting together a winning season, which we haven’t seen since 2001 in which the Dino’s went 6‑5‑1,” the source added. “Let the administration staff worry about the location of the tournament.”