LA TUQUE, Québec – On Tuesday, the Montreal Impact Foundation inaugurated a new synthetic-surface multisport mini-field in La Tuque, in the presence of four of the Club's first team players, including Sébastian Breza, Samuel Piette, Nathan Saliba and Jonathan Sirois, as well as children from local communities, under the supervision of coaches from the CF Montréal Soccer Schools.
“The Montreal Impact Foundation is extremely proud and happy to inaugurate this new field here in La Tuque," said Foundation president Carmie Saputo. "We have always been committed to supporting communities and families across the province. With this initiative, our commitment continues to take shape with a modern and accessible infrastructure. We firmly believe that sport has the power to transform lives, and this field is a tangible example of that."
“Thank you to the Montreal Impact Foundation," said La Tuque mayor Luc Martel. "This new infrastructure is a wonderful gift that will encourage our children to be active outdoors and to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is also a new asset that will enrich the range of services offered in our parks. It was a great pleasure for the entire City of La Tuque team to work with the Montreal Impact Foundation on this project. We are privileged to receive this beautiful field, which I'm sure will be very popular.”
The children who took part in the event had the chance to benefit from the advice of the club's soccer school coaches during a mini-clinic, before playing mini-matches with CF Montréal's professional players.
The foundation assumed the entire cost of building the field at the bottom of the slope at the Ski La Tuque municipal centre. The 40-metre x 28-metre pitch features a lined surface for mini-soccer. In addition to nets and benches, a perimeter fence was installed on the perimeter concrete border to ensure the safety of users and the longevity of the infrastructure.
The general contractor was local firm Bétonnière La Tuque inc, under the supervision of Pluritec Ltée.
This is the fifth and final synthetic-surface multisport mini-field in the first phase of the Montreal Impact Foundation's project, following those at Champdoré Park in the Saint-Michel district in 2018, at Joe-Beef Park in the Pointe-Saint-Charles district in 2019, at Paul-André-Potvin Park in Shawinigan in 2021 and at Parc du Moulin in Laval in 2022.
For the second phase of this sports infrastructure construction project, the Foundation has committed to building 10 multisport mini-fields in different communities across Quebec. On May 2, the Foundation announced the names of the two municipalities where the first two fields in this second phase will be built: Les Coteaux, in the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges in the Montérégie region, and Val-des-Bois, in the MRC Papineau in the Outaouais region.
The essence of this project is to encourage physical activity among young people living in communities where sports infrastructures are deficient or lacking, while promoting social inclusion.
About the Montreal Impact Foundation
Since its creation in 2013, the Montreal Impact Foundation has been deeply involved in its community. Its mission is to organize and support activities to improve the quality of life of children and families from vulnerable backgrounds. It provides sports facilities to promote physical activity, healthy lifestyle habits and social integration. To find out more about our activities, visit: fondation.impactmontreal.com
About the city of La Tuque
The largest city in Quebec, La Tuque covers an area of 30,000 km², and is an outdoor sports-oriented community. The municipality of 11,000 inhabitants welcomes a growing number of immigrants, as well as First Nations families, making it a culturally rich environment where every opportunity to play sports is a way to develop social bonds. Ball sports, especially soccer, are particularly popular. The Ski La Tuque site is now a park that is open year-round, thanks to the installation of new recreational facilities. Located right next to Champagnat high school, it's easily accessible and a place where every Latuquois love to gather.
