Chelsey St. Pierre – The Suburban LJI Reporter

Dollard-des-Ormeaux will soon be the home of a new Sportsplex which will include a Soccerplex. There has been growing demand by West Islanders for such a facility. It is expected to come to life as soon as financial resources from the minister of education as well as private funding respond to the initial plans drawn up by DDO.

With the closure of Lachine’s Soccerplexe, previously named Catalognia, the closest indoor facility for West Island players is located in Laval.The demand for an indoor complex for soccer as well as an array of sports such as basketball and tennis that need them through the winter months is growing in the West Island and off-Island neighbouring communities.

With the 2026 Fifa World Cup coming to Canada, the competition amongst local soccer players is fierce and training facilities are in high demand. “This is a lucrative revenue stream for the city and benefits local athletes and residents,” Dollard-des-Ormeaux (DDO) Mayor Alex Botaussci told The Suburban. According to Botaussci, the facility will come at a low cost for residents as it will generate revenues from indoor events such as a theatre while benefiting athletes from a buffet of sports. “The opportunities seem endless,” he said.

Additional uses under consideration include: public education, sport study programs, dance, entertainment and city run outdoor event alternatives to rain-outs. The exact location of the Sportsplex will be officially disclosed following several “next steps,” however Botaussci shared an exclusive hint with The Suburban that it will be located near the city centre (near the civic centre) with easy access to Highway 40.

Former Soccerplex Lachine owner Avi Krispine bought Catalognia as a property ripe for condo development. Shortly after he purchased the property, he was made aware of the importance of the Soccerplex facility. Krispine then gave up his lucrative condo project in an act of goodwill and decided to keep the facility running under his administration for the sake of the community.

“I got connected to soccer and developed an understanding of the sport. I even started playing myself,” Krispine told The Suburban. “I genuinely wanted to save the business, but with the price I paid for the land, I could not afford the payables with the revenues from the business and was forced (for financial reasons) to revert back to my original condo plan after trying for two and a half years.”

Botaussci’s desire to build an athletic facility to serve the West Island and Krispine’s experience both as a former owner of a Soccerplex and as a developer was a “match made in heaven” for West Island athletes. Krispine, a DDO resident himself, offered to donate all equipment from the Lachine facility and his knowledge on a volunteer basis. “I am very excited about this project and what it represents for our city and for the West Island. Avi’s support is appreciated and we are lucky to have him,” Botaussci said. n