The sound of excited little ones greeted my ears as I stepped onto the third floor walking and running track at the Alfred Jenkins Field House. When I looked down at the artificial soccer pitch below me, there were dozens of toddlers happily running and playing. With them were moms and dads and other close family. I had to pause in my exercise walk to stare at this wonderful, moving example of the ‘Circle of Security.’

John Bowlby, a British psychologist noted for his work in ‘Attachment Theory’ explained the Circle of Security as, “The formation of intimate attachments, made as an infant, toddler, schoolchild, adolescent, adult and into old age, that gives a person full enjoyment of life from which he/she gains the ability to contribute to, give strength to and enjoyment to others.”  

Watching one little boy rush at his dad and seeing them fall together in mock wrestling, I could only think, “Oh what a wonder soccer has brought to Prince Albert.”

In the last two Whale Of A Tale columns, I discussed highlights in the history of soccer in Prince Albert. Prior to World War II, soccer was a major award winning sport for Prince Albert, but the war brought league play to an abrupt end. 

After the war, the Prince Albert Soccer Association became determined to revive the game. Fred Doig, the president of the Association, first looked for a decent field on which to play (the Exhibition grounds) and then announced, “A Little League for young soccer players will be the next step to bring the game back to full life.” 

Doig and his Association were successful. By the mid 1960’s, soccer, for young and old, was back on the playing fields of Prince Albert. 

As I explained in the previous columns, this was what greeted Bill Kerr and Jim Nicholson, when those  British Isle soccer players arrived in the city.

Those two and many others worked tirelessly to grow the game, and the result was leagues, for young and old, that again brought Prince Albert many titles. 

 An Indoor Youth Soccer League was also started. It played in various school gyms throughout the city and eventually in the High Noon Optimist Indoor Soccer Centre on Third Avenue West. That League’s growth was amazing with participation rising from 150 players in 1995 to 800 by 2008. A problem was evident, the game had outgrown the facilities available.

On Monday March 4, 2008 a fund raising campaign was launched by Ajay Krishan and several others for the needed facility. The task was monumental, 11.1 million dollars was required. Help was soon on its way with the city contributing 5 million and the province 2.5 million. However, this still left the Fund Raising Committee a whopping goal of 3.6 million dollars to be raised locally. The proposed new facility would include a full indoor pitch, an indoor walking track, a multipurpose wellness gymnasium, lobby, spectator areas, dressing rooms, elevator, concession, and office space.

What happened was truly amazing. Just over a month later, on April 26, 2008 a ‘Wind Up Celebration’ was held. What a celebration it was. The goal of 3.6 million dollars had not only been reached, but through individual, service club, and corporate contributions, the goal was smashed. The owner of the local Canadian Tire Store, Malcolm Jenkins and his wife Melba stepped up at the celebration and announced a $1, 000, 000 donation in the name of Malcolm’s father Alfred Jenkins. This along with last minute other donations sent the campaign soaring far above all expectations, 5. 33 million dollars.

The Parkland Health Region, wanting the new centre to be a sign of commitment to overall health and well being, agreed to a land transfer with the city just south of the Victoria Hospital, providing all the necessary land for the initial site plus possible future expansions.

 Expansions were soon announced: two outdoor soccer pitches, a climbing wall within the building and upgrades to the third floor track were added to the overall plan. 

Mayor Jim Scarrow announced that the official name of the centre would be the Alfred Jenkins Field House.

A ‘Circle of Security’ has come to Prince Albert - a facility that ‘contributes to, gives strength to, and enjoyment to all of us.’ 

So please go there and may you experience:

The Wonder Of What We Have