School district, soccer association, celebrate completion of Chief Kanim soccer field project

The Snoqualmie Valley School District recently completed significant improvements at Chief Kanim Middle School, adding an artificial turf surface and lights to the existing sports field. These improvements were made possible by a partnership with the Snoqualmie Valley Youth Soccer Association (www.snvysa.org), which contributed $1 million towards completion of the project. The all-weather, lighted field enables year-round play for the valley community, the soccer association and district programs.

Field improvements, made over the summer, included replacing the sod surface, which had become a safety concern and maintenance challenge, with artificial turf and lighting. The field has been designed to accommodate several sports including soccer, lacrosse and football.

In return for its $1 million contribution to the project, the soccer association will receive first priority for using the field for 15 years and a portion of the money will be applied in lieu of field rental fees.

“This partnership, which has been forged between the Snoqualmie Valley School District and the Snoqualmie Valley Youth Soccer Association, is unprecedented in terms of its scope, investment, and long-term commitment,” said Snoqualmie Valley School District Superintendent Joel Aune. “The field upgrade at Chief Kanim will be of great benefit to our programs while opening up significantly more access to youth soccer and other student activities outside of regular school hours.

“This field will be a wonderful resource for the youth of our community for many years to come,” Aune added. “The district extends its sincere appreciation to the soccer association and looks forward to working with them in the future as we endeavor to serve and provide programming for the children and young people of the Valley.”

Snoqualmie Valley Youth Soccer Association President Bud Raisio said, “In the past 25 years that I have served as president of the soccer association, we have seen our numbers grow along with the popularity of youth soccer. Every year, however, we’re faced with the same problem of having no great fields to play on, especially later in the fall and winter months since many of our teams play year around.

“With this challenge in mind, we have worked and saved to help achieve this exciting goal for our community. As a result, the Snoqualmie Valley Youth Soccer Association’s partnership with the Snoqualmie Valley School District, in construction of the Chief Kanim field with both lights and artificial turf, is the most significant game changer for youth soccer in the history of Snoqualmie Valley.”