University club teams hit with field fee hike

$10 more an hour for using municipal fields is rough for small budgets

The Dal/King's Qudditch will continue to play on the Halifax Common despite the increase. (Photo: Anne-Marie Mitchell)

University club sport teams that use city fields will have to pay more.

The Halifax Regional Municipality increased user fees this Tuesday, which affects groups like the Dalhousie rugby team.

In their past seasons the team used an off-campus field and paid $45 an hour for the use of a municipally owned field.

Team treasurer John Hewitt says paying both Rugby Nova Scotia fees and city fees is already tough.

"It really doesn't help us when we're already struggling to make ends meet," he says.

Since the Dal rugby team is considered a club team and not a varsity team, it only gets some of funding from Dalhousie. The rest of the team's budget comes from team dues. Each member pays $100 a year.

Shawn Fraser, senior manager of programs for the Department of Athletics and Recreational Services at Dal, says that the field fee increase will have a minor effect on Dal club teams because Dalhousie has some fields.

He says starting this year the Dal rugby team will be able to use the university's Wickwire field.

"That should even costs out," he says.

But not all teams can use university fields.

Baseball teams left out

Fraser says the baseball club, for example, spent around $500 in field fees hosting their tryouts and home games for the season.

This team is forced to use HRM baseball fields because Dal currently doesn't have its own baseball diamond.

Depending on the sport, each club team receives a different budget from Dal. Each team also decides how to use its budget, says Fraser.

He says Dal will recognize the extra cost of the HRM field fee increase when looking at budgets for club teams.

"If a field fee is doubling over a three-year span, we would certainly have to factor in the cost."

Steve Sarty, director of Athletics and Recreation at Saint Mary's University says, the fee increase won't affect any of the club teams, except maybe the baseball team.

"We would talk to them about it and see how it would impact their year and if they can't cover it we would certainly have that conversation," he says.

Where will the money go?

According to the council report, HRM spends $2.5 million on sport field maintenance and last year only recovered about $200 000 in fee revenues.

Hewitt says that if the city is going to charge more to use the fields, the team would like to see better quality fields. He says that in the summer the fields often get left unattended.

"At least make sure they're in ship shape for playing rugby," says Hewitt.

However, it looks like the fee increase won't be going to improving the fields.

"Certainly, we would not look at improving our services. We are faced by budget pressures in maintaining the service of the field. [The raising of the rates] will be to sustain what we are already delivering," said Peter Verge, manager of municipal operations.

According to the HRM report, Halifax user fees are currently below those of other Canadian cities. The report also says the fee increase will bring in about $272 000 yearly to help pay for the maintenance of the fields.

Councillor unhappy with fee change

At Tuesday's council meeting, councillors had mixed feelings.

Coun. Gloria McCluskey was against the increase. She compared increasing field fees to the use of the free Oval, saying that it doesn't make sense to give people free skating but charge for other recreational uses around the city.

The fee increase will raise user fees to about $10 more an hour for adults.

"I think it's wrong. I'm sure we do need the money, but I'm not voting for this. I'd consider [raising the fees] over two years," said McCluskey.

She thinks charging more for field and arena uses may discourage people from playing on them.

But Nick Allen of the Halifax International Quidditch League says they avoid the charges of the Halifax Common because they've never asked for permission to play there.

He says a fee increase for the use of city fields won't affect his society.

"If they want us to pay, we'll just find another place where we can play for free," says Allen.

Comments on this story are now closed