The City of Winnipeg and partner organisations broke ground this weekend on a new community soccer pitch at the Burton Cummings Community Centre, located at the corner of Arlington Street and McDermot Avenue in the West Alexander neighbourhood.
Local facility aims to expand access to sport
The project is part of the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Community Pitch initiative, a national effort to place playing fields in communities with limited access to organised sport and recreation. The bulk of funding for the Winnipeg site comes from Jumpstart, which is supported by the federal government, while both the city and the province are contributing additional money toward the build.
Municipal officials described the pitch as a multi-use space designed for flexible play. It will feature six goals and a fenced enclosure, allowing the surface to be used either as a single, long playing field or split to host two smaller matches side-by-side. The layout also includes benches for players and a designated area for futsal — the smaller, faster-paced variant of association football often played on reduced-size courts.
- Location: Burton Cummings Community Centre, Arlington St. & McDermot Ave., West Alexander
- Funding: Primarily Jumpstart (federally backed), with additional contributions from City of Winnipeg and Province of Manitoba
- Facilities: Six goals, fenced enclosure, player benches, space for futsal
- Timeline: Ground broken Saturday; construction scheduled to begin next week, city statements say
Why the pitch matters locally
West Alexander is part of Winnipeg’s inner city, where community groups and families have long sought more safe, affordable places for young people to play sport close to home. Advocates for recreation say new municipal and non-profit investments can reduce barriers to participation such as travel distance, program fees and limited access to quality fields.
Jumpstart’s community-pitch model has been used elsewhere to increase local opportunities for soccer and related programming. In Winnipeg, partners emphasised the pitch’s adaptability: the ability to host single large matches, divide into two smaller games, or support futsal offers a range of options for clubs, community programmes and drop-in play.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Goals | Six (configurable for one long game or two smaller games) |
| Futsal space | Designated smaller play area |
| Enclosure | Fenced |
| Seating | Player benches |
Community and program implications
Local sport organisers and community centres often require adaptable venues to run leagues, school programmes and youth drop-in activities. A fenced, well-equipped pitch at a community hub such as the Burton Cummings centre can support programming across age groups and skill levels, and provide safer, supervised space for play.
Officials say construction is due to start next week. Once complete, the new pitch will join other city and non-profit facilities aimed at widening opportunities for physical activity in neighbourhoods where access has been uneven.
For residents and groups interested in programming at the new site, the city’s recreation department and the Burton Cummings Community Centre will be the primary contacts for scheduling and community use allotments once the field is ready.
