WHO ARE WE?

We represent parents, students and neighbours from North Vancouver and the Handsworth Secondary School community.  We are outdoor activity enthusiasts, unifying through sport. We are organizing our collective voices in ardent support of an Artificial Turf Field (ATF) and future privately funded rubberized Track for Handsworth Secondary School.    

CONTEXT

Handsworth is the largest school in the North Vancouver school district and has less athletic infrastructure than the other large North Vancouver schools.  

Since 2020, Handsworth Secondary students have yearned for an outdoor space for physical education and sport. This accounts for over 1500 students. Activities like Football, Soccer, Field Hockey and Track & Field teach teamwork, grit, resilience, wellness.

Preliminary plans for the field show potential to accommodate a multi purpose field with a place holder to include a track.

Argyle, Windsor, Carson Graham and Sutherland Secondary Schools have artificial turf fields (ATF), built through partnership with the District of North Vancouver or the City of North Vancouver. Thus, 3 of the 4 NVSD ATFs exist in the eastern side of the district, in Lynn Valley and Seymour. William Griffin, located at Delbrook Community Centre, has an additional turf field accessible via rental. 

Sutherland and Windsor Secondary Schools have 6-lane asphalt tracks. Fenn Burdett has a 4-lane rubberized running circuit, but only the 3rd & 4th lanes are regulation size. Elementary and secondary school athletes travel to Swangard Stadium in Burnaby for competition. 

A new multi-purpose facility in North Vancouver would be well used by elementary students, secondary students, community sports associations, and the general public. It would improve access to sport across the entire North Shore, and reduce traffic generated from the after-school commute to facilities to the east. Leaders from local soccer, field hockey, flag football, and track & field communities have expressed their support for Handsworth’s ATF and (future) Track project.  

North Vancouver, a community thriving in sports culture, should mirror its spirit in its infrastructure. The power to move this project forward lies with our District of North Vancouver Mayor and Councillors. Our elected officials must champion fairness among schools, address the existing outdoor facility shortage, and lead our community to excellence in sport by continuing to support this Handsworth ATF budget item in 2025. 

CALL TO ACTION

Advocacy for this project has been ongoing for years. You may have even signed a similar petition in 2022 – it did a great job raising awareness. Now, we must get this project across the finish line.                      

WE CAN ONLY DO IT WITH YOUR HELP. Please sign this petition.

WE ARE NOT SEEKING DONATIONS AT THIS TIME.

Let's gift our community a space to flourish. Together, we can bring about the change we want to see.

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For updates and additional ways to get involved, please follow our Instagram account: @handsworth_turf_and_track