As the South Surrey community grew in the 1990s, the need for purpose-built facilities to
support athletic and community groups became clear. Surrey’s Parks & Rec Department
initially approached several youth groups but, unable to reach agreement, involved a neutral
third party – Rotary.
Rotary is one of the world’s largest, oldest service organizations with 1.2 million Rotarians in
nearly every country. Members are community leaders, extremely generous with their time
and money. Each club is independent with members responsible for operating expenses; all
charitable funds raised go directly back into the community.
Early discussions led to two separate facilities – one south of 20 th Avenue for baseball and
football and the other on the north for rugby and soccer. The south side was built first, with
Surrey, the province and the community, including Rotary, each putting up one-third of the
cost. Next came the north side. Unfortunately, the province had closed its infrastructure grant
program and Surrey capped its contribution at $300,000.
Rotary was persuaded to make up the missing third in exchange for gaining a signature
facility with meeting space and a large warehouse to collect, sort and store books for the
White Rock club’s twice-yearly book sales. Led by club president Wayne Baldwin, a massive
fundraising campaign began. Cliff Annable, owner of the Surrey Eagles and member of the
Semiahmoo club, personally pledged $80,000. Other Rotarians and their friends donated
money, material or in-kind work. Rotary and other community groups brought in nearly
$900,000 to make the Fieldhouse a reality.
Surrey agreed to name the facility the Rotary Fieldhouse in recognition of the financial
support and the organizational role the Rotary Clubs played in its construction. At the time it
was the largest private funding project in the city. Moreover, the through-road in the South
Surrey Athletic Park was named “Rotary Way” to honour the clubs’ contribution. Rotary
made the gift of the Fieldhouse to the community possible. Rotary’s original lease was
limited to 25 years due to legislative requirements, but the stated intent in granting Rotary a
right of first refusal was that it would remain, in principle, Rotary’s.
Since the Fieldhouse opened in 1999, local Rotary clubs have raised millions of dollars and
donated hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to community groups and projects for
youth, literacy, sport and the most vulnerable in our community. In the South Surrey Athletic
Park alone, projects that have benefitted from Rotary’s fundraising are the fieldhouses on
both sides of 20 th Avenue, the skateboard park, the water park, the BMX part, the café in the
South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, the Forever Garden, bleacher installation, invasive
species removal and tree planting.
All area Rotary clubs rely on the Fieldhouse as a meeting space and for the storage of
equipment and supplies used in fundraising. But the warehouse is critical for the White Rock
club to collect, sort and store inventory for its book sales. Without this storage area, the
White Rock club alone will lose the ability to raise $120,000 each year to support other
community groups and their projects. Approximately three dozen other local organizations
such as the South Surrey White Rock Chamber of Commerce, Shriners and Probus regularly
use the Fieldhouse’s meeting space. The building also supports South Surrey Athletic Park
events such as softball tournaments including the Canada Cup, pickleball tournaments,
soccer and rugby.
Rotary does not seek control of the Fieldhouse. It has offered to work with Coastal FC to find
a mutually beneficial share of the warehouse. Without it, the future of Rotary’s continued
charitable support in our community is in doubt. We ask for your support in urgently
appealing to the City of Surrey to save the South Surrey Rotary Fieldhouse.
