FINALLY!

YES, the day is finally here. Walsh Field opened to football players for the first time yesterday since renovations were completed. The Bonnyville Voyageurs had the pleasure of feeling out the new surface before their game on September 8th. The field began its makeover on May 5th, 2017 when the construction crew broke ground.

Final touches complete

Yesterday (September 6, 2017), Dan Jubinville was on hand to announce the opening of the field. Jubinville was able to keep the secret of the field’s readiness up until the Voyageurs practice. Everybody under the Bonnyville Amateur Football Association will get their chance on the new surface within a few days.

“The status is we’re done. The field is ready for use. Nobody has passed a football around this field other than people standing on it when they weren’t supposed to. We’re ready to play.” Dan Jubinville announced exclusively on our facebook page.

The turf had minor touches that required special attention. Fill used to finish the turf needed to be installed, and then leveled. The track was also completed while the turf was being attended to. The new turf has a feeling that’s very spongy.

Voyageurs get a taste

The Bonnyville Voyageurs will get to play their first game on Walsh Field on September 8th. They face Fort McMurray in an exhibition game. The players were very excited to hear that the field was ready for practice on Wednesday. Many players came to practice on Wednesday expecting to have to wait another day. Some were skeptical about the Thursday timeline.

“It’s beautiful, and feels great.” The trio of Mason Wild, Triston Smith, and Drake Boulliane said in unison after hitting the field.

More work to come

Work at Walsh Field is not complete. Fencing, and aesthetic touches are still required. The new stands that will be a jewel of the field are coming next year.

“There’s still more work to come. Still have to get a fence along the east side of the track, so we can keep people of the track and field with anything motorized or wheeled. That’s going to come in, and you know by the time the Scott MacDonald rolls around, you’re going to see a lot more transformation on here. It’s going to be amazing to see. Our groundbreaking ceremony is next week at the Scott MacDonald Memorial Game.” Jubinville explains.

Time for action

It’s going to be a great rest of the year at Walsh Field. It’s now time to focus solely on football with renovations wrapped up. Trust me, there’s a lot of exciting action to come out of the Bonnyville Amateur Football Association this year.