The Oceanside Football Club (OFC) has been asking the Town of Qualicum Beach for more storage space for their equipment at the existing field house at the Qualicum Beach Community Park.
Currently, OFC shares storage space with baseball and according to the club, it is not enough to accommodate most of their equipment. They said, "it's proving to be challenging. Five-hundred soccer balls takes up more space than 500 baseballs."
The club asked the town if they could turn two rooms at the field house into an office and storage space. Failing that, the OFC requested permission to install a shipping container onsite, which they are willing to pay for.
The issue was presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Nov. 1. Director of Finance Raj Hayre said there is a $600,000 provision in the 2024-2028 financial plan for improvement for soccer facilities.
"They need a container," said Mayor Teunis Westbroek. "I have gone down there in the morning when they're getting ready for soccer event and there's a lot of kids playing soccer on Saturday mornings and Wednesdays, and evenings. They've got soccer balls, nets and stuff all over the parking lot. They said, 'it would nice if we could store them somewhere. So, I think, this container, it's a good idea."
The committee voted to recommend to council staff be authorized to work the OFC to permit the installation of a shipping container at the community park, subject to council's final review of location and configuration. As well, that a comprehensive needs assessment be carried out in 2026 of the 2025-2029 Financial plan, with a budget of $50,000 to be funded from the Strategic Initiatives Reserve.
The club also indicated having their own storage space would also allow coaches to access schedules, paychecks and also first aid kits. This, they said, would satisfy the parents' calls for better and safer facility for their children.
Currently, the field house is closed due to vandalism. The club said they could provide a part-time staff at the field house and may aid in keeping the vandalism problem to a minimum.
