A neighbourhood in Kanata to pay special tribute to David Ireland, the man who laid the foundation for the wildly popular soccer league in the city's western suburb.
Through the love he had for the game, he brought the first girl's soccer team in Kanata in the 1970s and he also founded the Kanata Soccer Old Timers' Association.
The City of Ottawa honoured his passion by proclaiming a Kanata park the David Ireland soccer field.
"If he wanted it and believed in it, he was out there being number one and doing all the work and getting it started and being enthusiastic," said his wife, Cathy.
Ireland died in 2003, after suffering from a heart attack on a soccer field at age 66. His commitment has not been forgotten.
"For the city to honour somebody, we recognize that kind of passion and that kind of volunteer time that has given hundreds of thousands of hours for the development of our community," said Ottawa Coun. Peggy Feltmate.
The park, located within the Kanata Walter Baker Park off of Maple Grove Road, will serve as a reminder of what Ireland brought to his friends, family and soccer lovers throughout Kanata.
"He worked to provide Kanata with a growing soccer club, which held as one of his goals to train and maintain its youths and its adults in the idea of fair play and supportive companionship," said David Lamperd, president of the Kanata Old Timers Association.
Anca Gurzu from the Carleton School of Journalism
