MONTREAL -- It’s a tough time for some Montreal soccer players – just as the province readies to allow them back on the field, a sports facility is preparing to shut down.
The Catalogna Soccerplex in Lachine, a hub for the soccer community for years, will soon fall under new ownership. New owners plan to turn the site into a residential development.
The Lac St-Louis Regional Soccer Association confirmed its lease with the facility was terminated because of the Soccerplex's insolvency.
The owners would not comment on the matter, but in a statement, real estate development company Claria said:
“We are indeed in the due diligence period for the acquisition of the Soccerplex property which has been put up for sale by its creditors for a residential redevelopment. We do not own the site and are still governed by our confidentiality agreements."
It’s sad news for Hugo O'Doherty, who began playing there soon after moving to Montreal.
“It's actually where I picked up my first words of French, was on the field of the Soccerplex Catalogna, so it was a real place to integrate,” he said.
There are few places like it on the island, he added.
“Especially with the climate in Montreal, you're only looking at an outdoor season that runs from say May to October. So for the majority of the year you're looking at indoor venues,” he said.
The site is zoned residential and the borough is trying to salvage all it can from the Soccerplex, said Lachine Mayor Maja Vodanovic.
Lachine will receive the dome and synthetic turf and move it elsewhere.
“Once we put it up we'll ensure that, because it’s ours, we'll be able to maintain it and keep it. Right now we're at the mercy of private owners,” she said.
A new location has yet to be picked. Vodanovic said the Soccerplex is expected to stay in place for possibly another year.
