Poop zamboni makes BC field safe for soccer

Spring. Soccer.

Two six-letter S-words that fit together like a hand and a glove. We bet that you'd like to get out on the field right now and have a kick about, right?

Oh, we're sorry... did we forget to mention that the entire field is covered in goose droppings?

Welcome to the problem faced by the Sooke Soccer Club, a youth sports organization near Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. Though beautifully located with awesome ocean views, the club has a pest problem. Namely the hundreds of geese that regularly park — and poop — on their fields in between practices. It had become a rather disgusting issue that threatened the future of footy fanatics.

Until the poop zamboni came along. This miracle machine removes the offending droppings, leaving behind nothing but green grass begging for a ball and a battalion of cleat-clad kids. And it's all thanks to Mike Hicks.

Goose poop super scoop!

Mr. Hicks is the director of the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area. He knew that the birds were depositing up to 1.4 kg of fresh feces on the fields every day. More than just gross, it was also a potential health hazard. Then he came across a possible solution. In, of all places, New Zealand!

‘Poop hero’ cleaning up with solution to goose droppings https://t.co/bWZeJNurES

— Carla Wilson (@carlawilsonTC) March 8, 2020

A company there made a tow-and-collect machine that was designed to pick up horse droppings. Figuring that poop is poop, Hicks placed an order to see if he could clean up the field once and for all. The machine cost $10,000 of local tax money, so he was a little concerned. But fear not — the machine came through!

"I call myself a poop buster, not a hero," Hicks told CBC radio recently. But hero or not, there's no question that the kids of the Sooke Soccer Club are very grateful for his decision to invest in this machine. In fact, other communities across the Canadian and American Pacific Northwest are thinking of getting their own poop zambonis.

Way to keep it clean, Mike!