Council concerned about fate of St. Edward’s soccer field

By Patrick Newhook/February 10, 2022

CBS could lose one of its soccer fields this year due to the continuing fallout of the Mount Cashel child abuse scandal.

Councillor-at-large Paul Connors has confirmed the Town only recently learned that St. Edward’s soccer field, next to the Church and school of the same name located at the end of Long Shore Road in Kelligrews, could be sold as part of a sale of assets by the field’s owner, the Archdiocese of St. John’s, in order to help pay its compensation bills to victims of the St. John’s orphanage.

“It’s an unfolding situation,” said Connors. “We’re only learning about it right now in the past couple of weeks that the Catholic Church are putting some of their assets on the market.”

The field is owned by the Church but is used by variety of groups. Councilor Connors said if the field is lost as a recreational asset, it will an impact on the children and groups that use it.

“It’s a recreational asset we use it for soccer programs, the school uses it for some of their outdoor events, and uses it for their physical education programs,” said Connors. “To lose any recreational facility would be a loss to the town.”

Council is hoping the field will not be sold. As for any notion that council could buy the field from the church, Connors couldn’t say.

But he said the Town is open to talking with the field’s users to see if they can find some solution. “There’s a possibility that we could lose a recreation facility in our town, and I know that the Catholic Church has to compensate the people that won the judgement, but it’s definitely sad that the recreational facilities will be lost in the process and it’s certainly going to hurt some of the programs in our town,” Connors said. “But hopefully, if we can work together with the users of these facilities, we can come up with a solution.”