Canadian soccer purchases new Ottawa headquarters

The Canadian Soccer Association today announced that it has purchased its own new national office headquarters. The building, located at 237 Metcalfe Street in downtown Ottawa (at the corner of Somerset St.), is a three-story, 11,000-sq foot Victorian style heritage building built in 1876, extensively refurbished in recent years.
From its original list price in 1995 of $1.8-million, the Association was able, with the very kind assistance and support of its present owners, Agra Industries of Calgary, to purchase the facility for $825,000. In addition, the Association in the past month has been able to raise the entire $260,000 down payment from external sources, including many of its business partners with the end result being the acquisition of the facility and subsequent increase in the Association’s “members equity” without utilizing the Association’s cash reserves at all.
“I am delighted that following an intensive year-long search that the Association has been able to acquire such an outstanding building which should prove to be the home of Canadian soccer for decades to come,” said Kevan Pipe, Chief Operating Officer of the Canadian Soccer Association. “The decision of our Board of Directors was a unanimous one to acquire the building at a time when the Association is experiencing more growth and program expansion than ever before in our history.”
While the Association legally takes possession of the building on 31 May 1996, it is utilizing the month of June for cleaning/painting/moving purposes. It is expected this process will be complete by the end of June with the official opening of the Association’s new national headquarters set for Canada Day, 1 July 1996, the year in which the Association hopes to be able to lay claim to the title of “Canada’s most popular sport” with an expected total player registration well in excess of 500,000 registered players.
As the building is the former Official Residence of Canada’s third Prime Minister, the Right Honourable John Thompson (1892-94), Prime Minister Jean Chretien has been invited to preside over a brief ceremony on Canada Day to herald this new era for Canadian soccer.
The Canadian Soccer Association bids goodbye to the Canadian Sport & Fitness Administration Centre after 26 years of residing and extends to its sporting colleagues, best wishes. The Association intends to continue to play a vibrant role in the evolving Canadian sport community now that its long-held goal of establishing a permanent home has been realized.