The All Sport Training Centre is getting closer to the vision of owner Randy Labrecque, where the indoor training facility will be able to accommodate the needs for many sports groups.
The All Sport Training Centres features synthetic grass surface with three mesh batting cages and is located at 402-19th Avenue SE (Evanston Industrial Park).
“I originally came up with this idea one night after a football practice, when we just received the news of hockey and lacrosse games being shut down due to COVID-19 regulations,” said Labrecque. “At that time, there were the soccer and lacrosse groups who both were looking for a space to practice, as they couldn’t rent gyms at any of the schools.”
“I had the idea of putting an indoor training center into this bay that we owned,” said Labrecque, who had the support of his family to make his idea into a reality.
“We made a few phone calls to other community groups, and sports organizations on their plans for the winter. It became pretty clear that if there were no facility put in place, that there would be no available programming for our young athletes.”
His vision was to originally open the All Sport Training Centre in January 2021, but there was a need in the community as the Weyburn Soccer Association wanted to start offering their indoor training in November.
“ We hustled as much as we can, with the premise that we would add to the facility every week. We have been living that motto ever since November.”
“First came the wall, and then we put all the boarding up, then all our matting arrived and our turf came. Then our batting cages and dividers arrived,” said Labrecque. “We are closer to our vision, roughly 85 per cent complete. We still have our accessible washroom to finish, and a few change rooms.”
Currently the Weyburn Soccer Association is using the facility for their Little Kicks program, a very comprehensive off-season development camp. The Weyburn Lacrosse Association is also using the facility, with different training opportunities for their athletes.
“This year we are very diligent with training for the lacrosse group, as the children don’t have any other sports right now,” said Labrecque.
“We also had a flag football group in here, and some interest in baseball when our batting cages arrived. We also received a lot of interest from families who have wanted to rent time at our facility, just to keep their children active.”
Rental of the All Sport Training Centre was kept affordable for local families and community groups. “It is $45 and tax for an hour, and we have had a lot of people say that they see a lot of value for a facility like this. The whole idea of this facility is to bring people together and keep them active,” said Labrecque.
He has a vision for the future of the indoor training facility. “At the end of the day, I think that the All Sport Training Centre can be a compliment to the Field House that the City of Weyburn is building, once it is ready. Groups are going to train and will want a place to meet their requirements.”
The All Sports Training Centre is following a very comprehensive COVID-19 policy. This includes COVID screening and digital registrations, and accommodating the different rules and regulations that sports groups are recommended to follow.
