British ColumbiaThe North Vancouver Football Club is calling on the City and District of North Vancouver to build more turf fields as it’s running out of space for its players to train. Metro Vancouver soccer organizers fear field capacity won’t keep up with interest generated by the World CupZameer Karim · CBC News · Posted: Nov 02, 2025 8:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesKids are pictured playing soccer at the Cloverdale Athletic Park in Surrey. Soccer clubs in both Surrey and North Vancouver are calling on their cities to build more turf fields. (CBC)The North Vancouver Football Club is calling on the City and District of North Vancouver to build more turf fields, as it’s running out of spaces for its players to train. The club, which is one of the largest soccer clubs in the Lower Mainland, says it is bursting at the seams already, and is expecting the popularity of the game to skyrocket with several FIFA World Cup games being held in Vancouver in the coming year. “We’re at record numbers,” said club president Stuart Ince. “Frankly the problem we have is, we have nowhere to put the kids.”The club is made up of more than 3,500 youth and 200 adult members. WATCH | A look at Metro Vancouver’s soccer infrastructure:Major growth expected for soccer in Canada, but officials worry about lack of infrastructureWith the FIFA World Cup coming to Vancouver in summer 2026, the soccer community is expecting participation to rise. But some are also worried about whether there are enough facilities to support the growth. Zameer Karim has the story. Ince says the club doesn’t turn anyone away, but the younger players are being forced to train on gravel fields or small school gyms.He adds that due to Metro Vancouver’s wet climate, grass is often not a viable option.The football club’s senior technical director Steve Kindell says it was common in the 1980s and 1990s to play on gravel, but not anymore.“In the Lower Mainland, the norm is to be on turf,” said Kindell. There are six full-sized turf fields and another three-quarter-sized turf fields on the North Shore the club currently uses.District of North Vancouver Mayor Mike Little says they’ve completed two turf fields in the last three years, and recently completed the rebuilding of another at William Griffin Park. While Little says he understands the need for more fields, he argues North Vancouver’s location makes it harder to build new spaces. “We’re on the side of a mountain, here. It’s not always easy to find properly drained spaces,” he said.LISTEN | How the World Cup will impact soccer’s popularity in Metro Vancouver:The Early Edition8:38The Pitch — Vancouver’s Road to the 2026 World Cup, Part 2The Early Edition’s Zameer Karim looks at how the World Cup will impact the popularity of soccer in Metro Vancouver and where kids are expected to play.Surrey also feeling the pinchOther clubs in Metro Vancouver are also seeing an increased interest and registration in their soccer programs ahead of the World Cup.Jeff Clarke, the sporting director of the Surrey United Soccer Club, says their club is facing similar challenges. “I think Surrey’s doing its best, but the population’s outgrowing the resources,” said Clarke. The organization is working with the City of Surrey to build a new indoor soccer facility in Cloverdale and get young kids practicing in a state-of-the-art environment. A mockup of the Cloverdale Sports Centre at Cloverdale Athletic Park. Construction is expected to be complete in July 2026. (Submitted by the Surrey United Soccer Club)The facility, which will cost $7 million to build, will house a full-size indoor turf field.Clarke says the new Cloverdale Sports Centre will be completed by July 2026. “It’s taken three years … right on the back of a World Cup, when all the excitement’s at the highest level and we can capture it.”Ince says the opportunity to build upon the legacy of the coming World Cup, and the seven games coming to B.C. Place stadium in Vancouver, is too important not to grasp.“In soccer terms, it’s the largest thing that’s ever happened in this country,” the club president said.“There are going to be so many young kids that are going to want to pick up the game,” he added.”And that’s great for our sport, but where do we put those kids?”WATCH | B.C. Place prepares to host World Cup:Aging B.C. Place prepares to host FIFA World CupIn the lead up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, attention is turning to one of Vancouver’s most recognizable landmarks: B.C. Place. There’s major excitement around the stadium playing host to seven games, but as CBC’s Laurence Watt reports, there are also some big upgrades, bigger bills and debate around its location.
North Vancouver Football Club says it needs new turf fields to meet increasing demand
