Post by Michael (Admin) on Mar 24, 2014 6:39:59 GMT -5
At least one club sent out an email to coaches/managers over the weekend that Montgomery County Parks Department has not yet opened County Fields for the Spring Season and the Department has also issued a statement that any un-authorized users of County Fields can and will be prosecuted.
I am not sure how the other area counties are handling it but Montgomery County has a broken permitting system, a severe shortage of good practice fields and affordable turf field or indoor options. However, please don't give into the temptation to tear up the wet fields. The couple of hours on the field won't mean a lot for your team but will will lead to more fenced and locked fields as the country tries to protect fields so that they can be used by all of us all season. Teams will continue to train on fields when they are too wet to use for fear of falling behind other teams who have access to turf fields (either through their club or their pocketbook - sparking yet another debate about the Haves and Have-nots in local sports) yet everyone complains about the poor quality of public fields with muddy ruts and no grass.
It is only a few more days, hopefully. Have the kids go out and get fit or have them practice a bit in their own yards. The first weekend of soccer might not be at the level you'd like but at least, when they get into mid-season form, the fields may still be playable.
I am not sure how the other area counties are handling it but Montgomery County has a broken permitting system, a severe shortage of good practice fields and affordable turf field or indoor options. However, please don't give into the temptation to tear up the wet fields. The couple of hours on the field won't mean a lot for your team but will will lead to more fenced and locked fields as the country tries to protect fields so that they can be used by all of us all season. Teams will continue to train on fields when they are too wet to use for fear of falling behind other teams who have access to turf fields (either through their club or their pocketbook - sparking yet another debate about the Haves and Have-nots in local sports) yet everyone complains about the poor quality of public fields with muddy ruts and no grass.
It is only a few more days, hopefully. Have the kids go out and get fit or have them practice a bit in their own yards. The first weekend of soccer might not be at the level you'd like but at least, when they get into mid-season form, the fields may still be playable.
