Wanderers Canadian soccer club to train Auburndale
AUBURNDALE – The Wanderers will have a new home – at least for the spring.
Today, the HFX Wanderers Football Club of the Canadian professional soccer club announced that they will hold Spring Training at the newly built Auburndale Stadium at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale. They play their home matches at Wanderers Grounds in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Wanderers had eight wins, 15 losses and five draws in 2022. It was the first year under head coach Patrice Gheisar.
“After a busy off-season, including significant changes to our coaching staff and playing squad, we’re excited to get everyone together as the real work starts on the pitch,” Halifax sporting director Matt Fegan said. “Patrice, his staff and all the players have done extensive work in the weeks leading up to camp to prepare everyone physically and tactically, setting the tone for the season so they can all hit the ground running here in Halifax.”
The Lake Myrtle Sports Park, a system of nine baseball fields and 11 soccer fields, is already home to the RussMatt College Baseball Invitational, the largest collegiate baseball spring event of its kind in the nation, as well as numerous events hosted by the Florida Youth Soccer Association, one of the nation’s largest youth soccer organizations.
“This is another great example of supply and demand,” said Mark Jackson, the Director of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing. “Our research, as well as that from FYSA, showed the high demand for a multipurpose stadium at Lake Myrtle. The Wanderers are just the first of many teams and organizations who will utilize just the latest piece in our sports business hub.”
On March 13, Wanderers will depart Halifax for Auburndale and the Lake Myrtle Sports Park. While in Florida, the Wanderers will play four exhibition matches against local opposition, including a meeting with Inter Miami CF II.
“We’re delighted to confirm our warm weather training camp with state-of-the-art facilities and a series of games against high-quality opposition,” Fegan said. “Training camps are always a chance to create bonds on and off the pitch and prepare properly for the start of our season on April 15.”