National Soccer Development Centre
Location: 3065 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC
Client: UBC Properties Trust / UBC Athletics
Project Start Date: 2014
Project End Date: 2017
Project Type:
Institutional
Performance Sports
About the Project
In 2013, MBTW was selected by UBC Properties Trust to lead the design and implementation of the sports fields associated with the National Soccer Development Centre (NSDC) located within Thunderbird Park - the athletic precinct at the University of British Columbia. A joint venture between UBC, Whitecaps FC, and the Government of British Columbia, the goal of the NSDC was the establishment of a state-of the art facility dedicated to the training and development of soccer players.
Following the completion of pre-development works (including the decommissioning and removal or relocation of existing precinct sports amenities and services), detailed design for this multi-phased project began in 2014 with construction commencing in 2016.
National Soccer Development Centre: Phase 1 (2016):
• Vancouver Whitecaps Academy and elite athlete training centre.
• Conversion of one existing artificial turf soccer field and one existing natural turf soccer field into a large (double field), flat, flexible use, training pitch. The pitch included a high-performance sand-based rootzone, subdrainage system, irrigation system, and associated sports field amenities.
National Soccer Development Centre: Phase 2 (2017):
• Conversion of an existing parking lot within the athletic precinct into an artificial turf field (South Turf Soccer Field) - for primary use as a practice field by Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
The NSDC is the home of both the Whitecaps FC first team and Academy teams, supporting approximately 200 players, coaches and staff members.
Note: Work on the National Soccer Development Centre was done in collaboration with Richard Findlay Landscape Architect – a full-service consulting firm located in Vancouver.
Services:
Contract Administration
Landscape Architecture
Performance Sports
Project Management
Stakeholder Consultation
