• The basic conclusion of this report is that, given that current facilities are fully utilized, additional facilities for indoor soccer are clearly and unquestionably required to meet both current and future demand.
• Based on the number of participants, soccer (indoor & outdoor) is now the most popular team sport in the Yukon.
• The popularity of indoor soccer is likely to increase even more, both because of demographic growth in the relevant age-sex groups and as a result of the aging of current young soccer players.
• The phenomenal growth of minor indoor soccer has resulted in taking up almost all available suitable school gym space. Indoor soccer is also using gym space that is too small or otherwise unsuitable.
• The development of men’s, co-ed, women’s and masters’ leagues has been severely limited by the unavailability of suitably large gym space. All the larger gyms in Whitehorse are fully booked.
• The growth of indoor soccer has also put serious constraints on the growth of other sports that require large gymnasiums, such as basketball, volleyball, and floor hockey.
• In its current configuration, indoor soccer uses over 100 hours a week of gymnasium time (almost one-third of the total scheduled use by non-school users in the suitable gyms). With the advent of adult leagues, this could easily go to 150 hours.
• Based only on current demand, even without any consideration for future growth, additional facilities for indoor soccer are clearly required.
• It appears that just with the current demand, a one-court indoor soccer facility would not be sufficient. (Each court provides 49 hours of prime time per week: 5 hours per day on weekdays from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and 12 hours per day on weekends.) Two courts would be sufficient to meet current demand, but would not allow for growth. Growth could be accommodated either through a third court or using the freed-up gymnasium time.

The report makes a number of recommendations regarding record keeping and to proceed with a full-scale feasibility study for an indoor soccer facility. The feasibility study should examine: demand growth, options for size of facility, effect of different fees, location options, capital and operating costs, and management options.

posted 28 January, 2002