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A major facelift of three soccer fields in the Vimont-Auteuil region was announced by Vimont MNA Vincent Auclair last week. The announcement took place at L'Ecole Odyssee-des-jeunes, site of two of the fields. "Vimont is a soccer town. We love soccer here," said Auclair.
The project is part of a provincial fund aimed at increasing sports and health-related facilities across the province. However, the project would not have been possible without the help of the local Monteuil Soccer Association and the city of Laval. "It was a real team effort that made this possible." said Auclair. Three fields are part of the project that includes draining the fields, applying fresh grass, and providing parking space for vehicles.
A team effort
The lack of useable soccer field in the region was causing a strain on the local Monteuil Sports Association, which had to begin declining subscriptions due to the problem. "It became a real headache. We have 10,000 players in Laval. The city can't afford to make new fields. So we had to take action and see what we can do," said president Francois Dennomme.
The association contributed $128,000 to the project, and the city of Laval gave $30,000. The school board provided the space. The provincial government matched the funds contributed and the project was set to go. "We all benefit in the end. The kids will have a safe place to play and the association will have their fields for when they need it," explained Auclair.
Our fair share
The project is part of an overall government initiative to invest 500 million dollars over the next few years into the development of sports facilities and increasing the overall health of the province. "We want to help people adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We need to provide safe and secure areas for athletes, children and the general public to be active and engage in sports-related activities," explained Ministere of Education, sports and activities Michelle Courchense in a statement. '
For Auclair, the goal is to make the most of this opportunity. "We want to have more sports facilities in Laval. That is our goal. We have to make sure we get our share. Our fair share," explained Auclair.