Gordie Howe Bowl needs final $1.5M for clubhouse

SMF Field, formerly known as Gordie Howe Bowl, says it needs one final push to complete its clubhouse.

The Friends of the Bowl Foundation said the completed clubhouse will be impressive. The 12,000 square foot building will act as a training centre, host clinics for coaches, officials and players and house video training sessions.

"We have had incredible support from the community for this campaign," Bryan Kosteroski, Chair of Friends of the Bowl said in a release. "Now, to complete the full facility, we need the final $1.5 million. This is the final stretch."

So far, the foundation has raised $10 million for the field. That money paid for a top quality artificial field, with a new score clock and sound system. The foundation says bookings for this year's season are up 600 per cent compared to 2013, before the renovations occurred.

The foundation will rent out the clubhouse to various groups, raising money to support the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, a large are that includes 13 softball and baseball diamonds, a speed skating oval and a hockey rink.

"The clubhouse completion is extremely important for SFI's business plan to be viable," said Kosteroski in a release. "Completion is required to achieve projected revenue from office space and meeting rooms that makes the whole organization viable for years to come." 

The foundation said the timeline to start building is "extremely short", and without the additional money, the second floor of the clubhouse will remain unfinished.

The foundation said naming rights for the clubhouse is still available.