OTTAWA -- For Ron Palaczka, there’s a lot of personal history at the Maple Leaf Almrausch German Club in Ottawa. He played youth soccer on this field.
"The German Club is a hidden gem in the city," said Palaczka, a coach and active member in the soccer community.
The COVID-19 pandemic made Palaczka recognize there is a need for more quality soccer pitches in Ottawa.
"Last year during COVID, we were struggling to find a quality field in the city so I reached out to the German Club," said Palaczka.
That led to the field of dreams project. A $2.5 million investment to build a state-of-the-art soccer facility in Carlsbad Springs.
And we’re told it is set to become the second-largest turf field in the city.
The project is expected to be completed and ready for play in 2022. This space will be transformed into two pitches.
One is an artificial turf stadium with lights and a new and improved grass field. Both FIFA-sized soccer pitches.
"If you talk to any soccer member in the community they have played there," said Julian de Guzman, Canada’s most capped international soccer player and one of the main drivers of the project.
"It will allow us to develop and recognize talented players in Ottawa and to have a field of dreams in their backyard is the way to go."
De Guzman, who retired as a member of Ottawa Fury FC, hopes this project will continue to grow the game in the nation’s capital.
For many who grew up playing the beautiful game at the German Club, Palaczka assured CTV News Ottawa the German Club, which has been around for 50 years, will continue to operate and keep traditions beyond the pitch alive.
"I have great memories playing at the German Club as a youth,” said Palaczka, who would visit the club with his father. "The best goulash in town is served at the German Club."
