Football club pushes for turf field at Simmons, despite council's desire to explore other options

Charlottetown councillors have earmarked money to build a new multi-sport turf field that's been years in the making, but it's still not clear where the facility will be going. 

The council recently passed the city's capital budget, which included $2.9 million to construct such a field. 

A 2017 report from the engineering firm CBCL recommended it should be built at Simmons Sports Centre on North River Road. 

During the budget discussions, however, Coun. Norman Beck put forward a motion to consider all the other potential locations for the facility. 

"At the end of the day, I want us to be responsible in our decisions and make sure that we've carefully thought through all of our options," Beck told CBC News. "I'm supportive of the project; I just want to make sure that we've thought of all angles."

The second-ranked option in the 2017 report was UPEI's MacAdam Field. 

Beck said it's an option worth exploring — the field is getting new lighting and already has existing parking and other infrastructure in place. 

The City of Charlottetown needs to invest in our own facilities. That is our mandate. The university is not our mandate.— Coun. Mitch Tweel

But one of the main groups that's been lobbying to get the new turf field built said UPEI isn't the right fit for sports teams or for the city's needs. 

The Charlottetown Privateers football club has been without a permanent home since its field on Longworth Avenue shut down in 2023 because the state of disrepair led to safety concerns. The team has been playing home games in Cornwall since then. 

Club spokesperson Paul Trewin said MacAdam Field isn't regulation Canadian Football League size, which hurts players' development.  

He's also worried that UPEI's clubs would take precedence over other city sports groups when it comes to field time.

"This [new] field is not just for us… it's a long-term field for the future of the residents of Charlottetown. Why don't we build something that really meets our needs rather than having to look at a field at UPEI that's simply too small?" Trewin said. 

"The City of Charlottetown and the taxpayers spent money on the master plan for Simmons, spent money on the engineering assessment plan for an artificial turf field… and made recommendations to the city to build it here. Why don't we take their advice to build it here?"

The Privateers will continue their campaign to have the field built at Simmons, said Trewin, and the club is asking players to write letters detailing why they want the field run by the city.

The matter will now go back to Charlottetown's parks, recreation and leisure activities committee for discussion. Whatever that committee recommends will be sent back to council for approval. 

Coun. Mitch Tweel is the chair of that committee, and also voted against Beck's motion to look at options other than Simmons. 

"We've already been down this road," Tweel said while expressing frustration that the issue is going back to the committee. 

"We've had two professionals that have concluded that [Simmons] is the best location in the city of Charlottetown. Moreover, it gives the parks and recreation department full control over the facility," he said. 

"The City of Charlottetown needs to invest in our own facilities. That is our mandate. The university is not our mandate."