Phase 2 of the multisport fieldhouse feasibility study had good news for project supporters in November. The recently completed study found that such a facility in Calgary would not only be sustainable, but could actually make money.

According to research carried out by S2 SportPLAN, the probable operating costs for the fieldhouse would range between $2.3M and $2.9M annually. The annual revenue is estimated to range between $2.4M and $3.2 M.

In a best-case scenario, the fieldhouse would recover 140 per cent of its operating costs each year; worst case would be a recovery of 82 percent. To put that in perspective, city-owned recreational facilities typically recover between 42 and 70 per cent of their costs annually.

Operating costs include such things as staff, supplies and equipment, marketing and advertising, administrative services, maintenance, security and cleaning services.

The feasibility study is based on a multisport fieldhouse that includes a 400m indoor track with a full infield, three banks of permanent seating adjacent to the track (with the ability to bring in additional seating when needed) and 10 volleyball/basketball courts.

The need for indoor play space in Calgary is great and it is expected the fieldhouse would be fully booked year round. The study looked at soccer, basketball and volleyball teams, track and field athletes, recreational runners, school groups, seniors and the disabled community as potential users of the facility. However, fieldhouse users would not necessarily be limited to those groups.