The City of Brandon is pleased to announce that they have entered into a 10-year partnership agreement with Maple Leaf Foods Inc., for the naming rights of the Outdoor Sports Field Complex. The new sports complex will be named “The Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex.” Located at First Street and Veterans Way, the Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex will include a FIFA sized soccer field, up to eight 11 v 11 soccer fields, one dedicated 9 v 9 soccer field, a cricket pitch, a clubhouse with changerooms and washrooms, and 3.6 km of pathways. With investments from the governments of Canada and Manitoba, the City of Brandon is on track to see the project completed by early 2025. “The City of Brandon is pleased to enter this partnership with Maple Leaf Foods to ensure that the Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex will be viable for years to come,” said Mayor Jeff Fawcett. “Maple Leaf Foods is an avid supporter of our community, so it is only fitting that the Outdoor Sports Field Complex be named the Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex. The much-anticipated complex would not be possible without the support from our many partners, including the provincial and federal governments. The Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex will provide a great resource to the residents of Brandon and our surrounding region.” With the vision to be the most sustainable protein company on earth, Maple Leaf Foods is committed to the communities in which it operates and recognizes that resilient and healthy communities are essential for a sustainable future. Celebrating 25 years in the Brandon community next year, Maple Leaf Foods proudly employs more than 2,200 team members at its world-class pork ‘super plant’ in Brandon. “Maple Leaf Foods is proud to be part of the Brandon community, and we are excited to partner with the City of Brandon to invest in this incredible new facility,” said Jim Brown, Site Leader at the Maple Leaf Foods Brandon Plant. “As the largest employer in the area, we know that our team members and families will benefit from this facility for decades to come, and we are happy to play a role in bringing it to life for all to enjoy!” The City of Brandon strives to provide quality events, programs, facilities, and services to all residents while being mindful of how its main revenue source, property tax dollars, are utilized. The sale of naming rights provides the City with alternate funding sources to benefit the quality of life for the residents of Brandon and the surrounding area. Sponsorship is an excellent way to partner with the City of Brandon and promote your business or organization. Several sponsorship opportunities remain for various fields and amenities. Businesses or residents that are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services at parks@brandon.ca or 204-729-2148.

Local pickleball player Joe Healey recently travelled to Regina to participate in the 2023 Pickleball Canada National Championship and returned home with a title to his credit. Healey competed in the Men's Singles Skill: (3.0 And Under) Age: (16 And Above) category, alongside 12 other participants. In conversation with bdnmb.ca Healey said he won 13 matches in total over the weekend. He cruised through his opening few matches en route to the championship tilt. As the championship was a double knockout format, he met an opponent (Jairus Stonehouse) he had defeated earlier in the tournament in the finals. Healey lost the best of 3 final. As it was the first loss he suffered over the weekend, the two then squared off in a game to 15, with Healey coming out on top 17-15. A relative newcomer to the sport, Healey said he only took up the sport last fall. He took off the winter to participate in other sports like squash and hockey. Summer brought him back to the pickleball courts and he has participated in a number of tournaments this summer across the Prairies. He primarily practices out at Stanley Park and has a number of upcoming tournaments tournaments on the horizon including Arborg and Calgary.

The Brandon Wheat Kings have renewed their partnership with the Keystone Centre, and as part of that renewed agreement, improvements to the fan experience are on the way. The Wheat Kings and Keystone Centre are extremely pleased to announce a ten-year lease to keep the Black and Gold playing in their historic home. Though the financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed, both parties are pleased to have reached an agreement and are excited to start working on improvements to the facility. “We are thrilled to have been able to reach a new agreement with the Keystone Centre for the next ten years,’ said Wheat Kings owner and governor Jared Jacobson. “With this new deal, we provide stability for our franchise and while at the same time enhancing the experience of our fans and supporters. We look forward to partnering with the Keystone Centre to make those plans a reality.” Fans will notice some big upgrades as part of the new agreement. One major area of improvement will be in the seating. The current seats, which were formerly part of the Winnipeg Arena before being moved to Brandon in advance of the 2010 Memorial Cup, will be replaced. “Our fans are the best in the league, and they deserve the best possible experience when they come to the rink,” Jacobson said. “We know our fans will love the product we put on the ice in the years to come, and we want them to love the gameday experience too. That means giving them a comfortable place to watch from.” New, more modern seats will fill the arena ahead of the 2024-25 season. These seats will have arm rests, cup holders, more legroom and space on the sides, and be more comfortable than the historic seats.  Due to the larger seat size and design of the new seats, arena capacity will decrease in the lower bowl, creating a more intimate atmosphere. “The Keystone Centre and The City of Brandon of very fortunate to house a WHL team, we have seen so much talent come and leave through our doors, on and off the ice,” said Keystone Centre Interim General Manager Connie Lawrence.  “We are proud partners of the Wheat Kings and as we move forward we can expect to see this partnership flourish and grow.” In addition to new seats, a dehumidifier along with air conditioning will also be part of the plan moving forward. The new agreement will also see the Keystone Centre improve its accessibility for disabled fans. Fans will also find the Keystone Centre will be more cash friendly. “With the City and Province recently committing to their new funding agreement, it is great to see the Keystone Centre and the Brandon Wheat Kings sign a 10-year lease.” Stated Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett. “The Brandon Wheat Kings are recognized throughout Canada, and are a major economic driver for our area. I’m certain all of Westman looks forward to cheering on Manitoba’s only WHL team for years to come.” The work of installing the new seats will begin in the 2024 offseason. The Wheat Kings are back on the ice on Friday to take on the Moose Jaw Warriors for their final home pre-season game, before turning their attention to the 2023-24 Home Opener on Friday, September 22nd vs the Regina Pats. To purchase tickets for the 2023-24 season click here, or call the Wheat Kings office at 204-726-3535.

The U18 Westman Wildcats recently completed their training camp for the 2023/24 season and head coach Guy Williams told bdnmb.ca that he is "looking forward to a great season with a great group of athletes." "Our expectations for the season never change. We expect to compete for a Provincial Championship each and every year.  We expect to outwork the opponent across the ice from us, to never back down from a challenge and to Never Be Satisfied". As with every hockey organization, the roster takes on a different look to start each campaign. The team graduated a number of forwards, who were leaders both on and off the ice last season, including 4-year player Hayley Kolosky and team captain Sophia Anderson.  Goaltender Grace Glover, who was an All Star, Top Goaltender and Playoff MVP, also graduated. The team will enter the season with two young goaltenders (Danica Averill, Kylie Hack) who Williams believes will be up to the challenge of a full season at u18. "We have a trio of forwards coming in with a history of putting up points at all levels, Ivy Perkin, Shayla Scinocca and Sydney Sass" said Williams.  "And we have brought in some young defensemen who will play a mixture of positions for us this year in Kadence Mann, Charlie Shearer and Devyn Moncur". To prepare the coming season, the coaching staff will begin by getting players up to speed in practice on their expectations relating to effort and intensity. This will be followed by the introduction of their core systems and guiding team tactical principles. The team has held a number of practices and last evening they played they first exhibition game, a 4-0 victory over the Yellowhead Chiefs. They have two additional practices scheduled this coming week, prior to embarking on a road trip to Calgary for a tournament. The following weekend the team will be back in Manitoba for a tournament in Central Plains and then the league begins. "Throughout, we will be breaking down game video and fine tuning aspects of our game with the players" finished Williams.

Brandon’s Community Sportsplex Pool will be closed for scheduled maintenance from September 3 – September 22, 2023. This regularly scheduled shut down takes place once every two years to ensure proper maintenance occurs. The Pool will return to regularly scheduled programming on September 23. For information on public programming schedules and swimming lesson registration, please see the Parks & Recreation Services fall 2023 program guide.