VAUGHAN ANNOUNCES OSA-BACKED PROPOSAL TO BUILD A WORLD-CLASS SOCCER STADIUM

Mayor Michael Di Biase responds to media questions

The City of Vaughan today announced it has submitted a proposal to the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) to build a 20,000-seat soccer stadium in the community of Woodbridge. The proposed facility, which has been endorsed by the Ontario Soccer Association, would provide the CSA with a world-class venue in the Greater Toronto Area in time to host the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Youth Soccer Championships.

"There is a tremendous opportunity to build a much-needed stadium that will benefit the entire GTA and we think we have a great location here in Vaughan," said Mayor Michael Di Biase. "We're ready, and we are approaching this project as a public-private partnership between the community, government, and sports organizations at the national and local levels."

The federal and provincial governments have pledged financial support for a soccer stadium in the GTA, originally planned for the University of Toronto downtown campus and later York University. Both locations are no longer available.

The new Vaughan stadium would be the centrepiece of a 111-acre Vaughan Soccer Campus on Martingrove Road. The site is home to The Ontario Soccer Centre, Canada's leading competition, training and exposition facility for The Ontario Soccer Association, The Canadian Soccer Association, The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum, and Ontario's provincial leagues. The OSA, which operates the Soccer Centre and its full regulation indoor soccer field, would also look after day-to-day operations of the new Vaughan Soccer Campus.

"The OSA whole-heartedly supports this bid and we will do everything in our power to make this project come to fruition," said John Knox, OSA vice-president.

It is expected that the decision on where to locate a new stadium will be made by the Canadian Soccer Association in the next four to six weeks.

"We are excited to have Vaughan put this bid forward - it makes it more likely that we will have a stadium in the Greater Toronto Area," said Vincent Ursini, treasurer of the Canadian Soccer Association. "The Ontario Soccer Centre has been a very successful project and the City of Vaughan has been an instrumental player in soccer in Canada."

For more information, visit the Major Projects section of the City's website at www.vaughan.ca.

Commissioner of Economic/Technology Development and Communications,
Frank Miele (right) is joined by soccer personality and commentator Dick Howard

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