This article was originally published in the September 10 print issue. Read it here.
The Ooks soccer teams are on the move — again. NAIT is packing its bags and heading to Sherwood Park after calling the St. Albert Soccer Association’s Riel Fields home for three seasons. The move comes after the St. Albert Soccer Association informed the Ooks they no longer have capacity for NAIT to play home games at their field in the fall.
“We didn’t really have a choice,” NAIT Director of Athletics and Recreation, Jordan Richey, said in an interview with the Nugget. “We were told that, unfortunately, because of the growth in their grassroots programs, they [St. Albert Soccer Association] would not be able to accommodate us this year.”
Field changes are nothing new for the Ooks soccer program. According to a 2019 article by the Nugget, the teams relocated to the Strathcona Athletic Park “due to safety concerns surrounding the deteriorating NAIT field.” In 2021, NAIT’s on-campus field was demolished to make way for the LRT station, sending the Ooks to the Edmonton Scottish Society’s facilities for one year before they settled in St. Albert.
Richey said the St. Albert Soccer Association informed the Ooks that the decision was based solely on limited availability, adding that the association “loved having” NAIT during their tenure at the fields.
The Ooks began searching for a place to host their men’s and women’s soccer home games for the 2025 season, and eventually landed on Sherwood Park’s Strathcona Athletic Park.
However, Richey said it was “very difficult to find soccer fields in the Edmonton and surrounding area,” and that the Ooks are not the only ones struggling to find a home.
The men’s and women’s teams ended up training in different locations before the 2025-26 season due to difficulty securing a facility. The women’s team began their training in Sherwood Park and the men trained out of Victoria Soccer Club after hosting tryouts in various locations.
“All of our games are going to be taking place at Strathcona Athletic Park in Sherwood Park,” Richey explained. “It’s the same field that Concordia plays their home games at, as they don’t have a field as well.”
“It’s a bit of a problem for post-secondary institutions in the Edmonton Area.”
While finding a field for the upcoming season was a challenge for the Ooks, NAIT men’s soccer player Jameson Kiezik is “excited” about the change.
“I honestly don’t mind moving fields,” Kiezik said in an Instagram message. “There are some memories, I’m going to miss training and playing in St. Albert. Hopefully, the new place will be a good time.”
NAIT women’s soccer player Jyla Micael Erandio echoed Kiezik’s statement. Switching to a new field wasn’t a “major change” for her, but she noted that “some fields are patching.”
“That can sometimes throw my game off,” Micael Erandio said in an Instagram message. “One thing I am really excited about moving to our new fields is that it’s closer to NAIT, so we’ll likely see more faces at our home games, which would be amazing.”
It is unclear how long the Ooks will play home games in Sherwood Park or whether a return to St. Albert is possible.
Richey added that the soccer teams moving to another temporary field has “elevated the concern” of not having a field at NAIT for the Ooks.
However, with no confirmed news about an on-campus soccer field, the Ooks may be left waiting for a while before they have a permanent spot to roost.
Feature image by NAIT Ooks
