Members of the Gabriola soccer community want to see Rollo McLay Park become a usable space for the sport.
D’Arcy Boulton, a soccer coach with the Gabriola Island Soccer Association, presented to the Parks and Open Spaces Advisory Committee at their Nov. 28 meeting requesting the Regional District of Nanaimo investigate the potential for the fields at Rollo McLay to be used for soccer.
Currently practices and games happen up to seven days a week at the Gabriola Elementary School playing field, but it “could do with a bit of a rest,” Boulton said. “I think having a second option part-time or some of the time would be a useful thing.”
The soccer association has requested use of Rollo McLay in the past but was told current conditions were not acceptable for such use due to heavy bumps and grass die-back.
Andrea McLuckie with the Gabriola Softball Association said the fields are not particularly safe for softball in their current state, either.
Currently the RDN tops and over-seeds the Rollo McLay fields every other year at a cost of $12,000-13,000, according to staff. With the fields already used for softball and baseball for part of the year, adding soccer into the mix could involve increased capital costs related to moisture and drainage issues. Total annual maintenance costs in 2022 were approximately $10,500.
POSAC members voted in favor of a motion to have staff prepare a report on options to improve the conditions at Rollo McLay.
Rollo McLay Community Park was acquired in 1990 through a park dedication process related to a subdivision, RDN staff said. Fields were constructed shortly thereafter through a partnership with the Gabriola Softball Association.
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