City Gets the Ball Rolling on Boxed Soccer Pitch in Mississauga’s Downtown Core

After a successful pilot project last fall, the City of Mississauga has entered into a nine-year sponsorship agreement with The Daniels Corporation to build an outdoor boxed soccer pitch to be named ‘Daniels Community Field’ in Mississauga’s downtown core.

“As a soccer enthusiast and advocate of outdoor sports and recreation, I am thrilled to be able to announce this upcoming installation of a boxed soccer pitch for the residents of Ward 4 and for those living within the downtown,” said Ward 4 Councillor John Kovac. “This is exactly what I had envisioned for our downtown core, not just a public amenity but a boxed soccer pitch that will rival the ones that I have seen in urban, European locales. This will be the very first of its kind here, not just in Mississauga but in all of Canada! I am proud of the work that has gone into securing this partnership and I look forward to continuing to promote active and healthy lifestyles here in our city.”

The pitch will be located at Prince of Wales Dr. and Living Arts Dr. [MAP] for a minimum of three years. It is transferable to other locations should Daniels require the use of their property before the completion of the nine-year agreement.

“The feedback we received from the community was incredibly supportive. Many felt that the pitch instilled a sense of community, creating a place where residents of all ages and abilities could enjoy watching or playing soccer,” said Laura Piette, Director, Parks and Forestry. “We received many resident inquiries asking when the pitch would be put back up after we completed the pilot, so we knew we had backing from the community to pursue this initiative. Bringing back the pitch allows us to provide an outdoor space for play in an area where parkland is limited and population density is high.”

Piette added, “By utilizing Daniels’ land, the City will maintain full use of Community Common Park for City programs including Let’s Play in the Park.”

The sponsorship arrangement would start on July 1, 2017.

“As part of our long-standing corporate philosophy, Daniels builds with a passion for creating vibrant communities, like the community we are currently creating in Mississauga’s City Centre,” said Jacob Cohen, Vice President, Implementation for The Daniels Corporation. “We have a longstanding history in Mississauga, having built more than 3,000 homes over the past two decades in the downtown core alone. And, we are delighted to be back in this community with new homeownership opportunities. By investing in the community field, we are helping to build a stronger urban neighbourhood for all ages by supporting a lifestyle that includes physical activity.”

The City is responsible for the installation, maintenance and repair of the soccer pitch. Daniels will be responsible for the initial costs of the pitch, land preparation, landscaping, as well as lighting and seating.

City staff decided not to formally program the pitch but instead encourage informal, drop-in soccer games.

Daniels anticipates that the boxed soccer pitch will be in place late this summer.

About the Soccer Pitch

The GreenCourt™ is a durable welded aluminum design soccer system that is 15m x 30m. It includes artificial turf surface, soccer boards, two goals and netting and can be reconfigured to smaller dimensions.