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Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s soccer players now will have a chance to build skills and connections on a brand new artificial turf, a project the First Nation in B.C. says is over 40 years in the making.
Tsleil-Waututh Nation officially unveiled its artificial multi-use sports turf to representatives from the province, municipalities across the Lower Mainland, soccer clubs and the community, in a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday.
Though available for outside bookings, the turf was built to help support the skills and careers of the First Nation’s athletes, and is an avenue to strengthen family bonds, on and off the field.
Dave Thomas, a Tsleil-Waututh Nation community soccer coach, said the sport is the beating heart of the bond between him and his 15-year-old daughter Jasmine.
He said he’s coached her since she was three years old and is excited to see how his nation’s new turf will help other families grow a similar legacy.
“This is something that her and I really have shared together since Day 1,” said Thomas.
“I hope that this pitch helps form bonds, stronger bonds, between other parents and their children, because some of my people, my age group or generation, didn’t grow up playing organized sports.”
Jasmine said she agrees soccer is what’s connected her most with her father, and the sport fills her heart.
“Our bond is so strong, just purely because of soccer,” she said.
FIFA World Cup 26
Tsleil-Waututh Nation, along with Musqueam and Squamish Nation, signed an memorandum of understanding with the City of Vancouver and the province in 2025 to host FIFA World Cup 26 matches in Vancouver.
Tsleil-Waututh Chief Justin Sky George said it’s humbling and exciting to be one of the host nations for the FIFA World Cup.
“FIFA is the global sporting event, period,” said George.
“We want to show them the best of who we are, and we’re super excited to do so.”
Anne Kang, B.C.’s minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, said the new field is more than simply a place to play sports.
“It represents a commitment to working together to fulfil our shared responsibilities to our communities,” said Kang.
“We all know a field is never just a field, it’s an invitation to play, and invitation to connect, to dream big and to work hard.”
‘A lot of care’
Operations for the new full-sized artificial turf are made possible through legacy funds by the Province of B.C. through FIFA funding, according to a statement by Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
George said most of the costs to build the field itself was provided by the nation.
“There was a lot of care, and extra cost, because there’s creeks and what have you, so we totally went above and beyond,” said George.
The field design includes trench drains, bioswales, interceptor ditches, and rain gardens to capture and filter surface water before it enters the storm systems, said Tsleil-Waututh in a statement.
It also uses infill free of substances like PVC, BPA, and phthalates — common chemicals and plastics found in consumer products.
George said the project took about a year to complete but was something the community wanted for decades.
“It’s about more than the money,” said George.
“It’s really about growing our young ones [and] giving them a field and a space to do so.”
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