The sports field is a multi-use, illuminated artificial turf sports field located in Bayly Park at Cheakamus Crossing.
At 70 metres by 110 metres in size and illuminated at night, the field provides an improved outdoor playing surface in Whistler. The field also helps meet the community’s high demand for sports fields now and into the future.
The sports field is striped for full-size soccer (64x100m), mini soccer (47x64m with retreat hash marks), baseball infield (3 diamond sizes) and Canadian football (perimeter lines with 10-yard hash marks).
Named in honour of Andrée Janyk
In October 2018, Whistler Council voted unanimously to name the new sports field in honour of celebrated community member and late councillor Andrée Janyk.
Among Andrée’s long list of legacies, she was instrumental in growing youth soccer in Whistler.
Field rules and operations
- Permitted sports: The field is open for soccer, football, rugby, ultimate Frisbee and field hockey. All other uses are prohibited.
- Hours of operation: The field will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April through November
- No dogs: To protect the surface, dogs are strictly not allowed on the field.
- Parking: Available adjacent to the sports field and opposite 1090 Legacy Way. The parking lot was expanded in 2019 to a 70 vehicle capacity.
- Snow removal: The RMOW will not remove snow from the field unless under exceptional circumstances. Snow removal has the potential to damage the turf surface and invalidate the turf’s warranty, as well as disperse the infill product below necessary safety levels. Under no circumstances are users (Clubs, Associations, the general public, etc.) permitted to snow clear any portion of the field.
- Lighting: To facilitate evening and nighttime use, the sports field can be illuminated with LED fixtures. Shields mounted onto the fixtures direct light to the sports field surface, reducing glare and light pollution to the surrounding neighbourhood. Light levels are approximately one-third of the light levels of one ball diamond at Spruce Grove Park. Reservations are required to use the lights.
Andree Vajda Janyk Sports Field Operational Guidelines and Sports Field Specifications guide use of the sports field as well as provide facility specifications, and rental priorities.
Rental Fees and Reservations
The field is available for the public to use for permitted activities on a first-come-first-served basis outside of booked times. Click here to view upcoming two weeks of field schedules.
Reservations are posted on the site, and the public is expected to leave the sports field for a reservation.
To make a reservation, contact the Outdoor Facility Booking Coordinator at outdoorfacilities@whistler.ca or 604-935-8465.
Materials
The infill material for the sports field is a mix of Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) and sand, rather than the commonly used infill type crumb rubber.
A food-safe material, TPE combines thermoplastics with an elastomeric component for soft, flexible products. It is commonly used in the medical industry as well as in household items such as grips on pens, toothbrushes, toddler sippy cups and phone cases. It has proven successful in artificial turf fields located elsewhere in British Columbia.
At the end of its useful lifespan, the turf will be shipped to a turf recycling facility currently under construction in California, if options to repurpose the turf prove unsuccessful.
Turf fibres can be separated from the backing material, and each material can be processed into small pellets or beads, which are then incorporated into other manufacturing products like plastic lumber and household products.
The field also includes a shock pad which provides improved impact absorption and drainage. The shock pad is located directly below the turf surface, is made from foam waste and can be used in the replacement field. At the end of its useful lifespan, the shock pad can be recycled in current recycling streams.
Background
The roots of the project originated in 2008 with a community discussion about a potential field during the development of the Bayly Park Master Plan.
The need for this amenity was further explored in 2015 during the extensive community engagement for the Recreation and Leisure Master Plan.
The need for an artificial turf field was discussed at length by the Recreation and Leisure Advisory Committee with direction provided by Council.
In response to community discussion and the Recreation and Leisure Master Plan, the RMOW began investigations into an artificial turf field in 2015.
An indoor multi-purpose field-based recreation facility was considered, but due to high capital and operating costs, the focus of the project turned to a simpler and less costly outdoor artificial turf field.
Construction began in July 2018, and the field opened to the public in May 2019.
Contact
604-935-8465
