Shelburne Soccer Club to host Christmas market fundraiser for new equipment

December 4, 2025 · 0 Comments

Written By Joshua Drakes

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Recognizing a need to update and expand its equipment, the not-for-profit Shelburne Soccer Club will hold a Christmas market on Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Shelburne Legion, located at 203 William St.

The Shelburne Soccer Club is currently looking to raise money for new netting for its teams, according to head coach Tara McCreadie.

“We now have six rep teams, and on top of our house league, we have over 500 kids enrolled in our program, and we realized over the summer that we don’t have enough nets for festivals or out-of-town teams coming here,” she said. “We’re having to pack up and carry the nets to other fields, over fences, and it’s not ideal.”

“Every age group also has a different net size, too, so we desperately need some new nets. We just don’t have a lot of extra cash laying around, as we’re a non-profit,” McCreadie added.

To help remedy this problem, she said she decided to put her experience running fundraising events to use and try a Christmas market to raise money for their nets.

“I was thinking… what could we do here to help raise some money and promote local businesses as well, and why not do a Christmas market?” she said. “We decided to team up with the Legion, and they are generously giving us their space for free. Now all vendors’ fees will go 100 per cent back into the community to help us buy what we need, so we’re extremely grateful to the Legion.”

McCreadie said that this arrangement will benefit everyone involved. The key, of course, is raising money for the nets and the soccer club, but the local vendors are now also getting some well-deserved exposure. Many don’t own shops of their own, operate out of their homes and rely on pop-up markets like this one to move their merchandise. In this way, she said that everyone gets a win for the holidays.

This will also be the first market hosted by the soccer club, and McCreadie hopes the event is a success so it can become an annual fundraiser to maintain their equipment and maybe even expand what they have to better support their teams.

“There is always something that needs to be purchased when it comes to sports and kids,” she said. “Whatever that might be, equipment and whatever. So we’re always looking to raise money to help our community. We want people to support the community and shop locally.”

To coincide with the market, the Shelburne Legion Ladies Auxiliary will be opening the canteen for breakfast and lunch. Santa will also be on site for pictures with kids, with a facepainting station nearby.

While entry to the market is free, the club is asking attendees to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Shelburne Food Bank.

For more information about the market, contact headcoach@shelburnesoccer.ca.