The Vancouver Whitecaps hit a big benchmark last week, when they broke ground on their state-of-the-art National Soccer Development Centre (NDSC) fieldhouse at the University of British Columbia.
The Whitecaps began above ground construction on the NDSC fieldhouse last Wednesday. Scheduled to be completed in May 2017, the NDSC will be the new training base for the Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC II, Whitecaps residency teams, University of British Columbia soccer teams, Girls Elite REX and serve as the West Coast base for the Canada’s men’s, women’s and youth national teams.
“We’ve been working on this project for a decade or more to try and find a suitable home,” said Whitecaps chief operating officer Rachel Lewis. “So to actually be in a position where the building is designed, the underground work is completed and we’re starting to build above ground is super exciting.
“It’s a major milestone for the club in terms of having a long term home for the technical side of our business, which will allow us to integrate all of our programs under one roof.”
In addition to the 35,000-square foot fieldhouse, the facility will feature three natural grass fields and two artificial turf fields. One grass field and one turf field are already fully operational, with the remaining two grass fields expected to be ready for use in late fall 2016 or early spring 2017 and the other turf field set to be completed this spring.
Located at UBC’s Thunderbird Park, the NDSC is a joint initiative between the Whitecaps, UBC and the British Columbia government.
