Hilltops unveil plans for new $3.2M clubhouse

The Saskatoon Hilltops are moving ahead with plans to build a new clubhouse, despite not having secured their funding.

The amateur football team is looking to begin construction on the 10,000 sq. foot facility in the fall. It would feature an expanded locker room that could support 80 to 90 players, dedicated video training space, additional showers for athletes and a directors’ office.

Team officials told reporters that their current facility, built in 1950, isn’t supportive of modern football practices.

“I played in the ’80s and we have the same locker room now that I sat in,” said Assistant Coach Jeff Yausie. “Same benches, same carpet. It’s not up to the standards of what the Hilltops are.”

In order to fund the facility, the organization will have to raise $3.2 million through a “Clubhouse Capital Campaign.” The team is hoping to draw support from alumni of the team and have raised $800 thousand so far.

The club will get a big chance to boost that total in two weeks during the Hilltops’ 70th-anniversary reunion.

“I think positive things will come out of that,” Former Team President and Project Manager Al Gibb said. “Many of them have done very well in society. Many of them are at the point in their life where I think they’re looking at… what the club means to them.”

The new clubhouse would be built just south of the current facility, directly behind the end zone of the team’s practice field. Historic plaques, jerseys, and trophies would be transferred to the new building, while the old clubhouse would be demolished to make way for a new parking lot.