City Manager Allan Seabrooke cuts the ribbon on a new mini soccer cage at Edgar Athletic Park. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

play time

New mini cage opens at Edgar soccer fields

Jun 16, 2019 | 1:36 PM

A structure popular at European soccer parks is now available for use at Red Deer’s Edgar Athletic Fields.

The mini cage, which is typically meant for a handful of younger players at a time, is located nearby the Red Deer City Soccer Association’s clubhouse.

A ribbon cutting ceremony with new City Manager Allan Seabrooke was held at the facility on Saturday, and to much fanfare from the youth who’d just wrapped up a game.

Association President Stephen Kelly says the cage represents the conclusion of beautification efforts at the park which make it one of the best in Alberta.

“It’s been a long process. We started quite a few years ago adding to the quality of the fields. Maintenance is quite expensive, but it’s quality now that we can have provincial tournaments,” said Kelly.

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“We also did the lights so we can play a little later into the fall, or have evening games. We also added game shelters, and now this cage makes it more family-friendly and we’ll be adding a playground in this area as well.”

The cage was made possible thanks in part to a rejuvenation grant from The City of Red Deer. That grant also helped with the other upgrades.

Red Deer City Soccer Association has around 3000 members this season from grassroots to men’s and women’s leagues, and between 80 and 100 teams.