Calgary’s Shouldice shut down due to water break leaves sports teams out to dry

Calgary’s Shouldice Athletic Park is shut down because of the water main break in Bowness, and sports are left scrambling for field space.

This comes as residents in Bowness have been grappling with a lack of water as the area is under a boil water advisory. City officials say it may take days before things return to normal as crews work to repair the critical break.

Director of water services Nancy Mackay said Friday afternoon that the city could run out of water in days if Calgarians don’t curb their usage and demand keeps exceeding supply.

But what’s next for minor sports teams in Calgary? They are asking themselves that question.

Shouldice Park in Bowness tends to be brimming with activity at this time. But, with the recent water main break in the area, the fields are off-limits for now.

According to the Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA), 70 games and 2,500 kids are impacted by the closing of Shouldice Park. It’s expected to be off-limits for several weeks.

“So the impact is even greater than having to reschedule a weekend’s worth of games, we’re now having to reschedule and scramble borderline a third of our entire season,” said CMSA tech manager Jordan Stewart.

But minor soccer isn’t the only sports team affected. Instagram images from the Calgary Colts, a team that calls Shouldice Park their home… now have to deal with a flooded dressing room.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Calgary Colts (@calgarycolts)

But what about the All-Canadian Classic Tournament scheduled for this weekend at Shouldice?

“The only thing I’ve been told is that shouldice has been cancelled for me and the money was refunded. I had to do all the rescheduling myself,” event organizer Kailum El-Kadri told CityNews.

“I was on hold for two to three hours while I’m at the airport picking up kids. Today (Friday) we didn’t know we were going to practice here.”

But there are options.

“Just to find other facilities, other grass fields that are in or around the city or trying to work with the city to find those solutions. It’s challenging at times because there’s not only us but other user groups in this situation as well,” Stewart said.

So while city crews continue to work on the water solution, the show must go on, at least for some.

“We have a game tomorrow (Saturday) at McMahon Stadium and it’s going to be awesome. These kids are excited,” El-Kadri said.

“They put in the work, we put in the work — everyone here has put in the work. And we’ve come together to help everyone out and we’ve figured things out.”