Youth soccer could see a boost from new Killarney training site

“You’re about to play on the field where some of the best soccer players in the world are going to practice this summer… Are you ready?!” 

A chorus of joyous shrieks rose in response as a volunteer led another group of children into the brand new field at Killarney Park as a part of the private Killarney FC Youth Activation Event.

After nearly a year and a half of construction, the extensively renovated field just north of the Killarney Community Centre will open to world-renowned athletes for training during the FIFA World Cup games this summer.  

But on April 19, it was taken over by perhaps an even more energetic crowd: Over 200 children registered as players with the Killarney Youth Soccer Association (KYSA).  

“Today’s been awesome, it’s exceeded my expectations for sure,” said KYSA president Warren Creighton.

Between two major renovations at the park, Creighton said that KYSA’s youth soccer players have been relocated from their usual practice fields since early 2025. 

The event was a way for the Vancouver Park Board to recognize the sacrifice made by the teams and celebrate a big anniversary for the club this year. “[Parks said] ‘we know you've been displaced…so we want to give you that opportunity to get onto this brand new field… and make it an exciting event because it's [KYSA’s] 60th anniversary.’”

While the event itself had no direct affiliation with the FIFA World Cup, excitement for the upcoming games and the big players that will take over the field in June was palpable. 

The field at the north side of the park, now the Killarney Park Venue-Specific Training Site, is one of two facilities established in Vancouver to serve as training space for athletes during the World Cup.  

The extensive renovations included regrading the field, improving soil conditions, enhancing drainage, installing a modern irrigation system, and high-mast LED field lighting. 

“[That field] used to be a bog with terrible drainage in the wintertime,” said Creighton. “In the summer, there were baseball diamonds, but they’re taking [those] down, and hopefully we’ll get some time on it. It’ll be a real benefit to the soccer community for sure.” 

The gravel “all-weather” playing field next to the training site is temporarily used for parking, and several structures have been built in the area for team locker rooms and press conference spaces. According to Creighton, these structures will likely be removed following the World Cup. 

While the City of Vancouver did not provide an exact estimate for the cost of the new training site, a 2025 budget proposal noted that costs to the city could reach up to $281 million for “provision of team training sites, FIFA Fan Festival, brand protection, traffic management, and other…services.” 

David Harrison, communications manager with the FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver, wrote in a statement to Vancity Lookout that “this project has been delivered on budget and ahead of schedule,” and that another financial update will be shared in the spring. 

The oval track to the east of the Killarney Community Centre has likewise undergone extensive renovations since March 2025, totalling roughly $11 million. Harrison confirmed the track is nearing completion but will require a stint of dry weather to complete the “rubberized track surfacing installation.” 

Due to construction, the kids have been playing at several other fields in the area, notably Champlain Heights Park, with the youngest kids practicing in elementary school gyms during the winter months. 

“The gyms are a lot more expensive than grass fields, but we've been able to adapt to that,” said Creighton. He added that the main drawback has been that, without the kids outside playing at Killarney, some parents may have been given the impression that “soccer’s not on.” 

However, he added, “my outlook is that you're going to have to make do with a short-term inconvenience and…face those [challenges] for the broader community, in order to get those long-term gains.”

Soccer mom, Vicky, said that for her two sons, the change “hasn’t been too inconvenient,” noting that nearby Champlain Heights “at least has a playground, so there’s always something to do after practice.” 

Another mom at the KYSA event, Christine Adavan, described the new field as “super fancy” and noted that the kids were excited to play on it. However, the youngest kids were “mainly excited about the stamps” that they gave away at the event. 

Creighton said that he is ultimately optimistic that FIFA will be a net positive for Vancouver’s soccer community.

“With the World Cup coming, there's going to be a lot of attention on soccer, and young kids are going to get interested, parents are going to get interested. Just having that brand new facility and two fields right there, it's going to attract a lot of people [to the sport].”