Minor sports groups are lining up at the plate for a crack at turning the soon-to-be vacant Burns Stadium into their own version of a Field of Dreams.
But turning these dreams into reality remains as challenging as a Randy Johnson fastball for groups representing the track and field and soccer communities.
Burns Stadium, which sits on city-owned land at the corner of Crowchild Trail and 24th Ave. N.W., will be home to the Calgary Cannons until they leave, as expected, for Portland after the end of the 2000 Pacific Coast League baseball season.
The Calgary Track Council is preparing to pitch the city with its idea -- a structure that would house an indoor track, cycling velodrome, soccer fields, and other gym and office space.
The track and field community has been batting around the idea for an indoor track in Calgary for years.
"The idea for a track field house was around before the 1988 Calgary Olympics," said Dale Schoenthaler, of the CTC. "But the idea was sidetracked with the Olympics. Of course, the Olympics were given more priority."
The Alberta Soccer Association is also interested in the Burns Stadium site and drafted a letter to the city last week. The ASA would like to convert the facility into an outdoor pitch worthy of hosting international games.
Schoenthaler noted other Canadian cities with winters similar to Calgary's have indoor tracks -- Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Regina, Windsor, Ont., and Montreal.
Calgary has a four-lane track at Lindsay Park, a two-lane track that rings the Olympic Oval and a six-lane track at the University of Calgary's Jack Simpson Gym. None are large enough to host high- calibre meets.
"Being a major city like this, we don't have a field house to practice or hold competitions," said Schoenthaler, who is also a coach with the Calgary Spartans track club.
The CTC is willing to share its dream of an indoor facility with other sports because, for one reason, the city will not consider a proposal that is not multi-use.
"So we're looking at everything from track to soccer, to cycling, volleyball, to baseball, to gymnastics, to whoever after that," said Schoenthaler.
Gary Sampley, executive director of the ASA, said while he hasn't heard from other interested sport groups, he would be interested in meeting with Schoenthaler.
"We thought the most economical way, if the Cannons go, was to leave it as a natural grass stadium, but convert it to soccer and football," said Sampley. "We thought that could be done at a reasonably low cost."
Calgary lost its only sufficient natural-grass venue when Mewata Stadium was torn down.
The Calgary Soccer Federation has also been looking for land to house a second indoor facility. The CalgarySoccer Centre, which has seven indoor fields in the city's southeast, is bursting at the seams with ever-increasing registrations. Edmonton has a second indoor facility opening Oct. 13.
But Sampley pointed out an indoor soccer centre would need room for at least four fields, dressing rooms, a lounge and offices.
"But without talking to the (CTC), you don't know what's possible and what's not," he said.
